Leicester City Draw with Notts County on Opening Day
Leicester boss Russell Martin admitted his side have plenty to digest after being pegged back to a 1-1 draw at Notts County on opening day.
County, fresh from promotion under Martin Paterson, went toe-to-toe with the visitors and for long spells looked the sharper, more settled team. They rattled Leicester early, pressed aggressively and should have led before the break.
Ollie Cooper came closest. Alert to a loose clearance from Alex McCarthy, he seized on the chance and crashed a strike against the crossbar, the frame of the goal rescuing Leicester as County’s pressure mounted.
Leicester, still adjusting under Martin after relegation from the Championship, struggled at times against a fierce man-to-man press. Composure on the ball deserted them in patches, and the head coach did not hide his irritation at the chances they coughed up.
“Some of the chances we gave up when we weren't composed enough with the ball or intense enough with the ball were a bit frustrating,” he told Sky Sports. “They've been so good at that in the build-up.”
Yet Martin also knew this was a new group learning on the job. Several players were making their first competitive league starts for the club, academy graduates included. That context mattered to him.
“It was probably the first time we've played against a man-to-man press apart from Malaga in pre-season,” he said. “A lot of guys playing their first game for the club… and I thought they did brilliantly. I really enjoyed the first half.”
After the interval, Leicester finally found the ruthless moment the game had been begging for.
On 62 minutes, Jayden Joseph stepped up with a strike of real authority. Given a pocket of space, he drove through the ball with his right foot and sent a powerful effort swerving beyond James Belshaw from distance. Out of almost nothing, Leicester had the lead and County’s earlier dominance counted for nothing on the scoreboard.
The goal briefly flipped the mood. County had to ride out a spell where Leicester looked in control again, Martin’s side regaining their structure and rhythm. For a while, the visitors appeared to have the contest where they wanted it.
Then the atmosphere turned.
Martin felt the anxiety seep in once they went ahead, both on the pitch and in the stands. Passes grew looser, decisions more rushed. Leicester stopped looking after the ball with the care their head coach demands.
“The whole atmosphere in the stadium changed and that's a big lesson for us,” he said. “If we don't look after each other with the ball, like we didn't towards the end, then it doesn't suit us.”
County sensed that shift and went after them. The pressure finally told nine minutes from time.
Emile Acquah, off the bench, almost levelled with a header that thudded against the post. Leicester failed to fully clear, and Conor Grant, another substitute, reacted quickest to turn the rebound home from close range in the 81st minute. County had the equaliser their performance merited.
Paterson’s side pushed again, chasing a winner in front of a home crowd that believed it was there for the taking. They created more openings but lacked the finish to tilt the match completely their way.
Afterwards, Paterson walked into a subdued dressing room and understood why.
“I'm disappointed because we were at home, but I don't want that word 'disappointment' to be the takeaway from this,” he said. “They felt they had chances to win the game and I felt that was a fair reflection to be honest.
“They, Leicester, are a good team and they found some moments. But I thought we found as many moments as them.
“We created opportunities and we just didn't take them today, so that's where the disappointment comes from.”
Paterson framed it as a standard-setting performance, not a missed opportunity to dwell on.
“That's why we have a training field and the environment we are in welcomes those who want to improve themselves,” he added. “For me, that was a really competitive performance against a really good team and are going to cause people problems all the way. But there's nothing wrong with holding ourselves to a standard either.”
For Martin, appointed to drag Leicester back up after last season’s relegation, the draw came with a long checklist but also clear positives.
“There's so much to work on and much to like as well,” he told reporters. “We've got loads of learning to do and we'll be better for that, much better in fact.
“I loved the energy and the aggression in the team. We regained the ball so many times and I love the fight that shows and the togetherness too.”
He highlighted the control Leicester enjoyed in the first half, the patience in possession and the way they probed to open gaps in a difficult away fixture.
“We had to work hard for that because, make no mistake about it, this was always going to be a difficult game and a difficult place to come,” he said. “In the second half, we had to weather the storm a bit and, once we'd done that, we regained control. It was an amazing goal to score but then a little bit of anxiety crept in.”
Both managers left with something to cling to and something to correct. County showed they belong at this level after their play-off promotion. Leicester showed flashes of the side Martin wants them to become, without yet sustaining it for 90 minutes.
On this evidence, both clubs will be worth watching once the sharpness returns and those “lessons” are either taken on board—or punished.
