Yorkshire Evening Post 7/11/11
Leicester City v Leeds United: Whites enjoy the last laugh
By Phil Hay
Leicester City did not stoop to the depths of showing footage of Leeds United’s massacre at the hands of Blackpool before the game against the Elland Road club.
Sympathetically, they chose to replay their own rout of Leeds in 2003 when Roque Junior played the part of Paul Rachubka.
United have been at the mercy of ridicule this week but there were no jokes on them in Leicester. A picture-book goal from Adam Clayton at the King Power Stadium washed away the bloodstains of their capitulation to Blackpool.
Clayton’s 20-yard finish in the 69th minute, curled beautifully into the top corner of Kasper Schmeichel’s net, forced a victory from a game which had a goalless scoreline written all over it and gave manager Simon Grayson something to delight in at the end of an unedifying week. Those who know him and his team well could not have been surprised by the strength of their response.
Clear chances were few in Leicester which, after the concession of five goals against Blackpool, must have quietly pleased Grayson. United had a feeling of the unfamiliar about them with a new goalkeeper and a changed defence centring around Andy O’Brien and Patrick Kisnorbo, but they rode the disruption seamlessly. When Clayton’s moment came he exploited it with outstanding quality and took Leicester’s prized scalp.
Leeds were eye-to-eye with an expensive team but one who could use the vision and authority of a new manager. Their defeat to United signalled the end of the tenure of Mike Stowell and Jon Rudkin, both of whom have held the fort as caretakers since the sacking of Sven Goran Eriksson. Leeds were not alone in lacking proper impetus before kick-off and Leicester lack it still.
The signing of Alex McCarthy on loan from Reading was Grayson’s answer to the demise of Rachubka, who remained at home while United’s squad journeyed to the Midlands.
It is not at all clear whether Rachubka’s career at Elland Road will survive his implosion in Wednesday night’s sorry defeat to Blackpool.
Rachubka shouldered nine-tenths of the blame for United’s midweek thrashing but a return of five points from five league games could not be seen in the context of his goalkeeping alone. Leeds began yesterday’s match in 11th position in the Championship but finished it in seventh. The international break will be more relaxing than it might otherwise have been.
United confronted two former players in Leicester, striker Jermaine Beckford who described his dramatic time at Leeds as “the most amazing experience I’ve been through in my life” in yesterday’s official programme, and goalkeeper Schmeichel who offered no such compliments. Schmeichel started while Beckford hovered in wait on the bench.
His involvement became increasingly likely as a tight first half wore on, but it did not take long for McCarthy to understand why Grayson had moved for him so urgently. He was exposed after four minutes when David Nugent tore away from Kisnorbo before making a mess of a glaring invitation to score, and Leicester’s next attack ended with a volley from Steve Howard which dropped three feet over McCarthy’s crossbar.
Grayson might not have liked the look of those chances but his players warmed to the fight with Robert Snodgrass testing Schmeichel’s handling from 20 yards and Ross McCormack playing Andy Keogh in behind Leicester’s defence. The imposing Sol Bamba sprinted back to fend the striker off inside City’s box.
McCarthy’s first involvement came in the 16th minute when Richie Wellens’ cross threatened to creep under his bar, forcing the keeper to punch it behind, but he did not have a save to make until he smothered a Nugent volley five minutes before the break. Grayson was instead left feeling that the lead should have been United’s through a chance which fell to McCormack 18 minutes in.
The striker appeared inside Schmeichel’s area after Bamba scrambled to get his head to an Aidan White cross but McCormack snatched at the ball and lifted it into the crowd. His finishing touch – so reliable earlier in the season – has diminished somewhat in the past month.
Contest
Clayton, too, sliced the ball wide from a promising position on the edge of the box and there was more than a hint of a foul on McCormack by Lee Peltier as a Snodgrass delivery flew over the penalty spot. Referee Oliver Langford, who by then had issued the first booking of the contest to Wellens, awarded nothing more than a goal kick. Speculative efforts from Danny Pugh and Paul Gallagher continued the exchange of half-chances, and Gallagher should have tested McCarthy when Nugent passed him into space in front of the keeper. The winger struggled to bring the ball under control and side-footed it over.
Grayson held his breath in injury-time when White drove an ill-advised pass against the body of Danns and watched the midfielder run clear, but Danns, like Nugent in the fourth minute, lacked the composure to draw blood in the shadow of the break. It would have flattered Leicester to disappear for the break a goal to the good.
The match looked destined to continue in that vein, even when Leicester turned the screw briefly around the hour mark. Keogh did his best to punish a poor clearance from Schmeichel and Danns hooked a volley onto the roof of McCarthy’s net but mis-controls and stray passes were rife on both sides.
McCormack produced another scuffed finish after a Connolly cross fell to him three yards from goal but, in a game of so little quality, Clayton took it upon himself to rise above the mediocrity when he pounced on Matt Mills’ clearance and curled it with supreme precision beyond Schmeichel. Even a keeper of McCarthy’s height would not have reached it.
Leicester reacted in obvious fashion and turned to Beckford for the final 16 minutes. Their attacks grew frantic and desperate, throwing up rebounds and ricochets but failing to properly test McCarthy’s nerve. In front of him, Grayson’s defence wore their hearts on their sleeves, unbroken at the end of five additional minutes.

Sky 6/11/11
Grayson happy with response
Whites boss hails his players
Leeds boss Simon Grayson was delighted by his side's reponse from the midweek defeat to Blackpool with victory over Leicester.
The Whites conceded five home goals for just the second time in their history on Wednesday, but left the Midlands in far better spirits thanks to Adam Clayton's wonder strike midway through the second half.
Grayson admitted he was not surprised at how his players bounced back from the humbling at home to Blackpool as they picked up an impressive win over Leicester.
Response
"I'm delighted. We've been at both ends of the spectrum with a 5-0 thumping and then today," he said.
"Wednesday was difficult to take, but I got the response I expected. It was a really good team performance.
"We were dogged, resilient and created some good chances. Leicester are a good team and we showed we have a lot of character and spirit amongst the group.
"That performance doesn't show me anything new," Grayson added.
"I see the players every day in training and nine out of 10 times we always seem to respond to disappointments.
"We had a 4-0 drubbing against Cardiff last season and then went on a long unbeaten run. There was a desire to succeed today."
Grayson had to reshuffle his defence on Sunday to deal with the fallout of the Blackpool result.
Goalkeeper Paul Rachubka was axed following his three calamitous errors - loanee Alex McCarthy debuting - and veteran Andy O'Brien was drafted in for a first appearance since August.
O'Brien was booed off by his own supporters during a Carling Cup tie earlier in the season, and Grayson was pleased to see him impress on his return to the side.
O'Brien praise
"The two centre-halves (O'Brien and Patrick Kisnorbo) have not played so much over recent weeks and months and they were outstanding," Grayson said.
"Andy O'Brien has been training really well and deserved his place in the team. He is a tough character and has worked hard. I backed him and he backed me with his performance."

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