7pm 14 January 2022
FA Youth Cup, Fourth Round
Leicester City U18 1 Crewe Alexandra U18 0 (att 448)
With the spread of Covid impacting Premier League fixtures I was surprised to read that Leicester were not just hosting this FA Youth Cup tie at their new training ground, but that tickets were on general sale.
You had to be quick to get one though. The single stand alongside the main show pitch at Seagrave has just 499 seats (one more would require red tape under the Safety of Sports Grounds Act). Apparently 448 were snapped up for this, at a reasonable £3 each, plus a less reasonable £1.50 'booking fee'.
I'm not sure whether Leicester's regular under 18 matches, on Saturday mornings, are behind closed doors, so this was an ideal opportunity to visit the newly-opened training complex.
It's impressive. As well as the main pitch there's also a second 'show pitch', without a stand, immediately adjacent. There are many other pitches of course, including an indoor one, and all the other facilities that top Premier League training grounds require these days.
No matter how many millions are spent on a training ground, there's nothing that can be done if fog descends. About half an hour into this tie mist turned to fog and I thought the game might struggle to reach a conclusion.
Luckily it didn't get any worse, and was never as thick as the fog I'd driven through on my way to the ground. I still had a decent view of Leicester's excellent late winner.
Other than an early Crewe free kick which hit the crossbar, the first half was cautious and largely forgettable. Leicester were the better side after the break, and gradually increased the pressure on the visitors.
The goal, when it eventually came, was no surprise. It was scored by substitute Jack Butterfill after a great piece of skill by Leicester's number seven, Joe Wormleighton. He impressed, as did Will Alves, who made his first team debut in the closing minutes of last week's FA Cup tie against Watford.
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