Robert Exley
One of the bright spots during Leicester’s stay in the second tier of English football, had been their developing of the talented strike partnership of Alan Smith, signed from non-league Alvechurch and local boy Gary Lineker who remained at Filbert Street until 1985 when on becoming joint top scorer in the top tier in 1985 and subsequently joined Champions Everton. One game of note for Leicester City’s 1984/85 campaign was that during this annus horribilus season for English football they were forced to replay an FA Cup tie after the Burton Albion goalkeeper had been knocked out due to being hit on the head with a missile thrown from the Leicester City supporters. This ITN footage of the story includes an interview with Burton Albion manager Neil Warnock, who later went on to manage several clubs within the Football League.
Without Gary Lineker however, for the 1985/86 campaign Leicester still had the nucleus of a decent side with future Arsenal star Alan Smith up front and future Leeds United and Liverpool star Gary McAllister in midfield. That season Leicester scored a great 3-0 victory over a Manchester United side that were the early pacesetters with a record eleven straight wins, however their season was to fall apart just before Christmas. Gary McAllister opened the scoring with a well taken goal, Alan Smith was gifted the second goal by the United defence and grabbed his second with an excellent finish for Leicester’s third. This game also occurred during the TV blackout in the first half of that season, but seems to have been captured on private video.
Leicester’s time in the top tier however was to last just one further season and were relegated back to the second tier at the end of 1986/87 and were to remain there for another seven seasons. In the meantime, Arsenal’s next visit to Filbert Street in September 1991 in the early rounds of the League Cup would be the Arsenal debut of Ian Wright, who marked his first outing in a zigzagged Arsenal shirt with a goal scored from outside the box, the first leg of this tie ending in a 1-1 draw with Arsenal winning through in the second leg. Leicester came close to a return which would have resulted in their participation in the inaugural Premiership season, losing 0-1 to ‘moneybags’ Blackburn Rovers in the 1991/92 play-off final.
Leicester were to return a year later in the 1992/93 play-off final against Swindon, in which the Foxes pulled back a three goal deficit only to concede a late penalty which was buried by Paul Bodin (who later that year would miss a penalty for Wales against Romania that would blow their best chance of going to an international competition since 1958). Leicester however would finally secure a place in the Premiership via the play offs at the third attempt with a 2-1 win over Derby County. Leicester dropped back down to the second tier, but returned again the following season via the play-offs again in 1996 under Martin O’Neill for what was to be Leicester City’s most successful period with an exciting side consisting of Neil Lennon, Muzzy Izzett, Emile Heskey, Matt Elliot, Garry Parker, Steve Walsh, Robbie Savage, Kasey Kellar and Steve Claridge.
The Foxes won the League Cup in 1997 against Brian Robson’s Middlesbrough. This turned out to be the last ever major final in English football to require a replay after the two sides drew their first encounter 3-3, winning the replay 1-0 at Hillsborough. The following season was that of Arsene Wenger’s first double at Arsenal. The Gunners’ visit to Filbert Street in August of that year ended in a 3-3 draw, with a sublime hat-trick from Dennis Bergkamp which was unprecedented in capturing the first three places in Match of the Day’s Goal of the Month competition. Not only that, the game had an exciting climax with three goals scored in injury time and a post-match fracas between Steve Walsh and Ian Wright. Twelve months on however it was Arsenal’s turn to grab a specular late equaliser with a Stephen Hughes goal cancelling out Emile Heskey’s earlier strike.
In 1999/2000 Arsenal stormed to a 3-0 win at Filbert Street with goals from Gilles Grimandi, Lee Dixon and Marc Overmars. Leicester however would reply a month later, knocking Arsenal out of the FA Cup in the fourth round at Filbert Street with a penalty shoot-out (between 1998 and 2005, this was the only time Arsenal failed to reach at least the Semi Final of the FA Cup. That season Leicester City became the last side to win the League Cup at the old Wembley, beating Tranmere 2-1 in the final.
However, a turning point for Leicester City would come that season with the departure of Martin O’Neill to Celtic, as well as with the building of the new King Power (nee Walkers) Stadium. In 2000/01 Leicester and Arsenal would play out a 0-0 draw at Filbert Street, where the following season in the final match between the two at Filbert Street in January 2002 Arsenal would win 3-1 with goals from Gio Van Bronckhorst, Thierry Henry and Sylvan Wiltord. Leicester City had dropped out of the Premiership that season finishing bottom of the table and had to play their first season in their new stadium in the second tier. Leicester City however returned at the first attempt through finishing second in Division One. Arsenal’s first game at the Walkers Stadium ended in a 1-1 draw with Gilberto Silva scoring for the Arsenal and Leicester’s Craig Hignett with a last minute equaliser.
That season would end in relegation for Leicester, from which they would take eleven years to return. During their absence would be the rise of staunch Leicester City fans Kasabian in the pop charts, with their Guitarist Serge Pizzorno here displaying the sort of skills required to return the Foxes back to the top on Soccer AM. To prove it was no fluke, this here is Serge chipping David Seaman for Soccer Aid back in 2012. Claudio Ranieri would also praise the Kasabian hit ‘Fire’ – which the Foxes run out to on home matches - as inspiring Leicester to victory over Sunderland last month. Among other chart topping musical stars to hail from Leicester are Engelbert Humperdinck (who contrary to most people’s narratives of 1967 spend more weeks on the chart that year than any other act – which includes the like of Beatles, Stones and Jimi Hendrix!), fifties revivalists Showaddywaddy, the ‘Mack’ himself Mark Morrison and in a nod to the area’s South Asian influences Cornershop.
During their spell outside of the Premiership the Foxes would fall as low as the third tier in 2008 for the first time in their history, however Leicester City returned to the Premiership after winning their seventh second tier title (a record) in 2013/14, and within a month into their first season back would face Arsenal at home leading to a 1-1 draw with Alexis Sanchez scoring his first league goal for Arsenal, but cancelled out with a strike from Leonardo Ulloa. Leicester have started the 2015/16 season in fine form, currently unbeaten. Given Arsenal form in recent weeks you could say that Arsene Wenger’s men could be heading for an upset, the form book in recent years however is on Arsenal’s side, with Leicester having failed to have scored a win against Arsenal either home or away since the 1994/95 season where the Foxes took all three points inflicting a 1-2 defeat on Arsenal. Claudio Raneri during his time at Chelsea also only managed to score the one victory over Arsenal, eliminating the Gunners in the Quarter Finals of the Champions League during Arsenal’s invincible year. It should therefore make interesting viewing to see which side will prevail this Saturday.
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