by Andrew Cussen
Opening day of the new season is always that little bit more special than most others. The pitches are immaculate and the fans of each club are positively beside themselves with excitement. There are debuts and debut goals. There are spills, thrills and teams standing still. There’s teams showing they can fight for the title or fight for their place. All in all it’s a fantastic time of the year and Leicester City showed on Saturday afternoon that they’ve come to play their part.
The Foxes gave us a glimpse of just how much fun they are going to be during this Premier League season. The Foxes marked their return to the top flight with a point that will feel like three, after coming from behind twice against Champions League chasing Everton.
Leonardo Ulloa (that’s Ujjoa to you and I) began his City career in great style, scoring the first of the Foxes’ two equalisers. Leicester’s record signing, Ulloa joined from Championship side Brighton this summer and with David Nugent and Jamie Vardy in blistering form last season he was under plenty of pressure to perform.
City’s second goal came from a man who had very nearly left the club to head back to the Championship. New Zealand international Chris Wood was on the verge of a move to Wolves recently but the deal collapsed, and with the Foxes chasing a goal he was brought off the bench. A calmly taken goal after the ball fell to him inside the box in the 86th minute rescued a valuable point for Leicester.
Goals from your record signing and a player who wasn’t meant to be there. Not bad at all.
But the performance of the day goes to the Leicester City fans who were vibrant, passionate and made one hell of a racket throughout. I don’t have a surround sound system connected to my television and yet my ears were left bleeding from the sheer wall of noise that was being emitted from the King Power Stadium.
It’s somewhat of a well-worn cliché but it still rings true- the destiny of promoted sides is largely decided by their home form, and the Foxes are sure to benefit from this impressive vocal support during the season and the King Power will not be an easy place to go for any team.
City are led by a man who may well be the most intimidating in the Premier League, manager Nigel Pearson. He will celebrate his 51st birthday on Thursday and his impressive feats with Leicester were rewarded with a three year contract extension in the summer. Pearson captained Sheffield Wednesday to League Cup glory in 1991 and was selected as man of the match in the final, so he is not one to shirk responsibility. He will suit the Premier League perfectly.
It’s not only Pearson who will slot into the top flight seamlessly, but the entire club. For a few years now the Foxes have been operating with the end game being a place in the Premier League. Off the field their sports science and fitness regimes were lightyears ahead of those around them in the Championship last season. They are not content to simply enjoy themselves and have a slice of cake at the Premier League party, they want to stay out past their curfew.
But is avoiding relegation all City are aiming for?
Last season they combined a gruelling 46-game Championship schedule with a League Cup run that saw them advance all the way to the quarter finals. With the likes of Hull City, Swansea City, Stoke City, Portsmouth and Aston Villa all reaching Cup Finals while avoiding relegation in recent seasons combined with Pearson’s experience in Wembley cup finals, perhaps Leicester will target a cup run in addition to finishing outside the bottom three.
What better way for Leicester City to return to the Premier League than to secure their survival and make it to Wembley?
