2008–09 Leicester City F.C. season

Leicester City
2008–09 season
ChairmanMilan Mandarić
ManagerNigel Pearson
Football League One1st
FA CupThird round
League CupSecond round
Football League TrophyNorthern quarter-final
Top goalscorerLeague: Matty Fryatt (27)
All: Matty Fryatt (32)
Highest home attendance30,542 (vs. Scunthorpe, league, 24 April)
Lowest home attendance7,386 (vs. Stockport, League Cup, 12 August)
Average home league attendance20,253

The 2008–09 season was Leicester City F.C.'s 104th season in the English football league system and their first and, to date, only season in the third tier of English football, after being relegated to League One the previous season.

Under the stewardship of new manager Nigel Pearson (who managed to become the first Leicester manager in five years to last an entire season), Leicester comfortably took the League One title to earn instant promotion back to the Championship, which included a club record run of 23 games league unbeaten between 1 November and 7 March. Leicester also broke club records for the most points ever gained in a season (96), the most league wins ever gained in a season (27) and the fewest league defeats in a season (4), the latter record especially impressive considering the amount of league seasons Leicester have had to play fewer than 46 games.

Matty Fryatt also became the first Leicester player to score over 30 goals in one season since legendary striker Arthur Rowley, 52 years previously.

Players

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2008-09 squad

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Only includes players given a squad number. The squad listed is the squad which Leicester finished the season with.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Australia AUS Paul Henderson
2 DF England ENG Marc Edworthy
3 DF Australia AUS Patrick Kisnorbo
4 DF England ENG Kerrea Gilbert (on loan from Arsenal)
5 DF Bulgaria BUL Aleksandar Tunchev
6 MF England ENG Stephen Clemence (captain)
7 MF England ENG Tom Cleverley (on loan from Manchester United)
8 MF England ENG Matthew Oakley (vice-captain)
9 FW Scotland SCO Steve Howard
10 FW England ENG DJ Campbell
11 MF England ENG Lloyd Dyer
12 FW England ENG Matty Fryatt
13 GK Republic of Ireland IRL Conrad Logan
14 MF Australia AUS James Wesolowski
15 DF England ENG Michael Morrison
16 MF Wales WAL Nicky Adams
17 DF France FRA Bruno Ngotty
18 MF England ENG Levi Porter
19 FW Jamaica JAM Barry Hayles
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 DF England ENG Harry Worley
21 FW England ENG Ashley Chambers
22 MF Ivory Coast CIV Max Gradel
23 DF England ENG Joe Mattock
24 MF Wales WAL Andy King
25 DF England ENG Jack Hobbs (on loan from Liverpool)
26 GK England ENG David Martin (on loan from Liverpool)
27 FW Scotland SCO Paul Dickov
28 DF England ENG Luke O'Neill
29 DF England ENG Chris Powell
30 FW England ENG Craig King
31 DF Switzerland SUI Bruno Berner
32 GK Australia AUS Alex Cisak
34 MF England ENG Aman Verma
35 GK England ENG Carl Pentney
36 DF England ENG Wayne Brown (on loan from Hull City)
37 GK England ENG David Stockdale (on loan from Fulham)
38 GK Trinidad and Tobago TRI Tony Warner (on loan from Hull City)
39 MF Sweden SWE Astrit Ajdarević (on loan from Liverpool)

Kit and sponsorship

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Leicester City retained the previous season's home kit. A yellow away kit and a black third kit were also used.

The kits were produced by German company Jako and sponsored by British company Topps Tiles.

Pre-Season Friendlies

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The Leicester City players reported back for Pre-Season [1][permanent dead link] on 1 July 2008. They played the following Friendlies:

12 July 2008 1 Hinckley United 4–5 Leicester City Hinckley
Murphy
Webster
(Report) Howard
Adams
Gradel
Fryatt
Chambers
Stadium: Marsdon's Stadium
Attendance: 3,231
16 July 2008 2 Olimpija Ljubljana 2–2 Leicester City Slovenia
Rudonja
O.G
(Report) Fryatt
Campbell
22 July 2008 3 Luton Town 1–1 Leicester City Luton
Spring (Report) Dyer Stadium: Kenilworth Road
Attendance: 1,934
Referee: K Friend
24 July 2008 4 Quorn 4–8 Leicester City XI Quorn
Jenkins
Hearn
Turner
(Report) Malenovic (Trialist)
Sappleton (p)
Odhiambo
King
McKay
30 July 2008 7 Ilkeston Town 2–4 Leicester City XI Ilkeston
Howell (Report) King
McKay
Porter
Stadium: New Manor Ground
Attendance: 431
2 August 2008 8 Crystal Palace 1–1 Leicester City London
Moses (Report) Oakley Stadium: Selhurst Park
Attendance: 1,993
Referee: P Crossley

Transfers

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In

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Date Pos. Nat. Name From Fee
1 July 2008 DF England Michael Morrison England Cambridge United Undisclosed
1 July 2008 MF England Lloyd Dyer England Milton Keynes Dons Free
1 July 2008 MF Wales Nicky Adams England Bury £100,000
7 July 2008 DF Bulgaria Aleksander Tunchev Bulgaria CSKA Sofia £850,000
1 August 2008 DF England Chris Powell England Charlton Athletic Free
7 August 2008 FW Scotland Paul Dickov England Manchester City Free

Out

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Date Pos. Nat. Name To Fee
1 July 2008 DF Northern Ireland Gareth McAuley England Ipswich Town Undisclosed
1 July 2008 DF England Richard Stearman England Wolverhampton Wanderers Undisclosed
1 July 2008 FW Canada Iain Hume England Barnsley £1,200,000
1 July 2008 GK Scotland Rab Douglas Scotland Dundee Free
1 July 2008 DF Republic of Ireland Alan Sheehan England Leeds United Free
21 July 2008 MF England Louis Dodds England Port Vale Free
30 July 2008 MF Netherlands Sergio Hellings Netherlands K.V.C. Westerlo Free
5 August 2008 DF England James Chambers England Doncaster Rovers Free
19 December 2008 DF Bulgaria Radostin Kishishev Bulgaria PFC Litex Lovech Free
30 January 2009 FW England Eric Odhiambo Scotland Inverness Caledonian Thistle Free

Loans in

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Date from Date to Pos. Nat. Name From
10 July 2008 End of season DF England Kerrea Gilbert England Arsenal
1 August 2008 End of season DF England Jack Hobbs England Liverpool
4 August 2008 End of season GK England David Martin England Liverpool
27 November 2008 26 January 2009 MF England Mark Davies England Wolverhampton Wanderers
17 January 2009 End of season MF England Tom Cleverley England Manchester United
30 January 2009 End of season DF England Wayne Brown England Hull City
16 February 2009 1 March 2009 GK England Mark Bunn England Blackburn Rovers
3 March 2009 End of season GK England David Stockdale England Fulham
13 March 2009 End of season GK Trinidad and Tobago Tony Warner England Hull City
26 March 2009 End of season MF Sweden Astrit Ajdarevic England Liverpool

Loans out

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Date from Date to Pos. Nat. Name From
12 August 2008 12 September 2008 FW Jamaica Ricky Sappleton England Bournemouth
12 August 2008 12 October 2008 FW Jamaica Barry Hayles England Cheltenham Town
21 August 2008 1 January 2009 GK Republic of Ireland Conrad Logan England Luton Town
18 September 2008 23 November 2009 MF England Harry Worley England Luton Town
26 September 2008 2 November 2008 MF France Bruno Ngotty England Hereford United
2 October 2008 2 November 2008 MF Australia James Wesolowski England Cheltenham Town
20 October 2008 20 November 2008 DF England Lathaniel Rowe-Turner England Cheltenham Town
23 October 2008 23 November 2008 GK England Carl Pentney England Woking
24 October 2008 1 February 2009 MF England Jonathan Hayes England Cheltenham Town
27 November 2008 27 December 2008 FW England Eric Odhiambo England Brentford
27 November 2008 31 December 2008 FW Jamaica Barry Hayles England Cheltenham Town
1 January 2009 End of season FW Jamaica Ricky Sappleton England Oxford United
8 January 2009 End of season FW England DJ Campbell England Blackpool
19 January 2010 End of season MF Wales Nicky Adams England Rochdale
1 February 2010 End of season FW England DJ Campbell England Blackpool
3 February 2010 End of season MF Australia James Wesolowski Scotland Dundee United
27 March 2010 End of season GK Republic of Ireland Conrad Logan England Stockport County

Results

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  • Leicester City scores given first
Game Date Venue Opponents Score Scorers Attendance Points Position Report
1 9 August 2008 Home Milton Keynes Dons 2–0 Fryatt 24, 83(p) 23,351 3 4th LCFC.com
2 16 August 2008 Away Stockport County 0–0 7,151 4 3rd LCFC.com
3 23 August 2008 Home Tranmere Rovers 3–1 Howard 33, Fryatt 52, 90+4 17,798 7 2nd LCFC.com
4 30 August 2008 Away Cheltenham Town 4–0 Dyer 3, 80, Oakley 54, Fryatt 77 5,344 10 1st LCFC.com
5 13 September 2008 Home Millwall 0–1 19,591 10 6th LCFC.com
6 20 September 2008 Home Leyton Orient 3–1 Dyer 11, Fryatt 87, King 90 6,448 13 5th LCFC.com
7 27 September 2008 Home Hartlepool United 1–0 Oakley 3 18,578 16 4th LCFC.com
8 30 September 2008 Away Colchester United 1–0 Dyer 49 5,133 19 1st LCFC.com
9 4 October 2008 Away Huddersfield Town 3–2 Fryatt 50, 65(p), Dyer 90+1 16,212 22 1st LCFC.com
11 October 2008 Home Yeovil Town P–P1
10 18 October 2008 Away Oldham Athletic 1–1 Howard 54 8,901 23 2nd LCFC.com
11 21 October 2008 Home Walsall 2–2 King 34, Tunchev 73 17,178 24 3rd LCFC.com
12 25 October 2008 Home Northampton Town 0–0 22,795 25 4th LCFC.com
13 28 October 2008 Away Brighton & Hove Albion 2–3 Fryatt 35, 42 6,282 25 6th LCFC.com
14 1 November 2008 Home Bristol Rovers 2–1 Fryatt 87, 90+4 18,941 28 5th LCFC.com
15 11 November 2008 Home Yeovil Town 1–0 Dyer 25 16,528 31 1st LCFC.com
16 15 November 2008 Away Swindon Town 2–2 Oakley 57, Fryatt 74 9,499 32 2nd LCFC.com
17 22 November 2008 Away Scunthorpe United 2–1 Dyer 22, King 81 7,967 35 1st LCFC.com
18 25 November 2008 Home Crewe Alexandra 2–1 Fryatt 15, King 72 16,961 38 1st LCFC.com
19 6 December 2008 Home Southend United 3–0 Fryatt 6, 76, 80(p) 16,836 41 1st LCFC.com
20 13 December 2008 Away Carlisle United 2–1 King 60, Berner 692 7,058 44 1st LCFC.com
21 20 December 2008 Home Peterborough United 4–0 O.G. 6, Fryatt 38, King 70, Howard 90 23,390 47 1st LCFC.com
22 26 December 2008 Away Leeds United 1–1 Oakley 24 33,580 48 1st LCFC.com
23 28 December 2008 Home Hereford United 2–1 Howard 9, King 71 22,920 51 1st LCFC.com
24 10 January 2009 Home Leyton Orient 3–0 Oakley 9, Davies 37, Dickov(p) 87 18,240 54 1st LCFC.com
25 19 January 2009 Away Yeovil Town 2–0 Howard 57, Mattock 88 4,569 57 1st LCFC.com
26 24 January 2009 Home Huddersfield Town 4–2 Morrison 11, Berner 59, Fryatt 63, Hobbs 73 21,311 60 1st LCFC.com
27 27 January 2009 Home Brighton & Hove Albion 0–0 17,410 61 1st LCFC.com
28 31 January 2009 Away Northampton Town 2–1 Howard 21(p), Dyer 73 7,028 64 1st LCFC.com
29 3 February 2009 Away Walsall 4–1 Fryatt 12, King 34, Cleverley 47, Howard 52 5,634 67 1st LCFC.com
30 7 February 2009 Home Oldham Athletic 0–0 22,328 68 1st LCFC.com
31 14 February 2009 Home Swindon Town 1–1 King 86 19,926 69 1st LCFC.com
32 17 February 2009 Away Hartlepool United 2–2 Howard 28, 80(p) 4,068 70 1st LCFC.com
33 21 February 2009 Away Bristol Rovers 1–0 Fryatt 20 9,138 73 1st LCFC.com
34 28 February 2009 Away Milton Keynes Dons 2–2 Fryatt 5, Gradel 90+7 17,717 74 1st LCFC.com
35 3 March 2009 Home Stockport County 1–1 Gilbert 2 16,378 75 1st LCFC.com
36 7 March 2009 Home Cheltenham Town 4–0 Howard 15, Fryatt 22, Cleverley 67, Oakley 70 18,939 78 1st LCFC.com
37 11 March 2009 Away Tranmere Rovers 0–2 6,032 78 1st LCFC.com
38 14 March 2009 Away Millwall 1–0 Howard 22 13,261 81 1st LCFC.com
39 21 March 2009 Home Colchester United 1–1 Dickov 67 20,218 82 1st LCFC.com
40 28 March 2009 Away Peterborough United 0–2 14,110 82 1st LCFC.com
41 4 April 2009 Home Carlisle United 2–2 Oakley 52, Fryatt 88 20,159 83 1st LCFC.com
42 11 April 2009 Away Hereford United 3–1 Oakley 35, Dyer 74, Howard 86 4,389 86 1st LCFC.com
43 13 April 2009 Home Leeds United 1–0 Howard 90+2 25,507 89 1st LCFC.com
44 18 April 2009 Away Southend United 2–0 Fryatt 60(p), 70 10,089 92 1st LCFC.com
45 24 April 2009 Home Scunthorpe United 2–2 Morrison 16, 77 30,542 93 1st LCFC.com
46 2 May 2009 Away Crewe Alexandra 3–0 Berner 56, Dyer 66, Fryatt 68 6,982 96 1st LCFC.com

1 - Match postponed due to International call-ups.
2 - In some match reports, this goal is mistakenly awarded to Mark Davies

  • Leicester City scores given first
Round Date Venue Opponents Score Scorers Attendance Report
R1 8 November 2008 Home Stevenage Borough 3–0 Dyer 37, Fryatt 52, King 69 7,586 LCFC.com
R2 29 November 2008 Home Dagenham & Redbridge 3–2 Fryatt 11, 30(p), 55 7,791 LCFC.com
R3 3 January 2009 Home Crystal Palace 0–0 15,976 LCFC.com
R3 Replay 3 January 2009 Away Crystal Palace 1–2 Gradel 90+4 6,023 LCFC.com
  • Leicester City scores given first
Round Date Venue Opponents Score Scorers Attendance Report
R1 12 August 2008 Home Stockport County 1–0 Howard 36 7,386 LCFC.com
R2 27 August 2008 Away Fulham 2–3 Dickov 46, King 48 7,386 LCFC.com
  • Leicester City scores given first
Round Date Venue Opponents Score Scorers Attendance Report
R1 N 2 September 2008 Away Hartlepool United 3–0 Howard 52, Adams 66, Fryatt 87 2,807 LCFC.com
R2 N 23 September 2008 Home Lincoln City 0–01 8,046 LCFC.com
QF N 4 November 2008 Away Rotherham United 0–2 4,255 LCFC.com

1 Leicester won 3–1 on penalties.

Awards

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Club awards

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At the end of the season, Leicester's annual award ceremony including categories voted for by the players and backroom staff, the supporters and the supporters club, saw the following players recognised for their achievements for the club throughout the 2009–10 season.

Player of the Season Award Scotland Steve Howard
Young Player of the Season Award Wales Andy King
Players' Player of the Season Award England Matty Fryatt
Supporters' Club Player of the Season Award England Matty Fryatt
Academy Player of the Season Award Republic of Ireland Cian Bolger
Goal of the Season Award England Matt Oakley vs Cheltenham Town (7.3.2009)

Divisional awards

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Date Award Winner
August 2008 League One Manager of the Month England Nigel Pearson
December 2008 League One Manager of the Month England Nigel Pearson
December 2008 League One Player of the Month England Matty Fryatt
Season League One Player of the Year England Matty Fryatt
Season League One PFA Team of the Year England Jack Hobbs
Season League One PFA Team of the Year England Matt Oakley
Season League One PFA Team of the Year England Matty Fryatt

League One statistics

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League One table

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Leicester celebrate their promotion as champions of League One with a win at Southend.
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
1 Leicester City (C, P) 46 27 15 4 84 39 +45 96 Promotion to Football League Championship
2 Peterborough United (P) 46 26 11 9 78 54 +24 89
3 Milton Keynes Dons 46 26 9 11 83 47 +36 87 Qualification for League One play-offs
4 Leeds United 46 26 6 14 77 49 +28 84
5 Millwall 46 25 7 14 63 53 +10 82
Updated to match(es) played on 2 May 2009. Source: The Football League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted

Club standings

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Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
46 27 15 4 84 39  +45 96 13 9 1 41 16  +25 14 6 3 43 23  +20

Last updated: 2 May 2009.
Source: LCFC League One Results

Club statistics

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Appearances

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No. Nat. Name FL1 Cups Total
1 Australia Paul Henderson 6 4 10
2 England Marc Edworthy 5 3 8
3 Australia Patrick Kisnorbo 5 (3) 2 7 (3)
4 England Kerrea Gilbert 33 (1) 4 (1) 37 (2)
5 Bulgaria Aleksander Tunchev 19 (1) 6 25 (1)
7 Bulgaria Radostin Kishishev 0 1 1
7 England Tom Cleverley 10 (5) 0 10 (5)
8 England Matt Oakley 45 3 48
9 Scotland Steve Howard 40 (1) 9 (1) 49 (2)
10 England DJ Campbell 2 (5) 1 (3) 3 (8)
11 England Lloyd Dyer 43 (1) 7 50 (1)
12 England Matty Fryatt 46 4 (2) 50 (2)
14 Australia James Wesolowski 0 4 4
15 England Michael Morrison 32 (3) 6 (2) 38 (5)
16 Wales Nicky Adams 4 (8) 5 (1) 9 (9)
18 England Levi Porter 1 0 (1) 1 (1)
19 Jamaica Barry Hayles 1 (9) 1 2 (9)
21 England Ashley Chambers 0 (1) 0 (2) 0 (3)
22 Ivory Coast Max Gradel 16 (11) 3 (2) 19 (13)
23 England Joe Mattock 25 (6) 5 30 (6)
24 Wales Andy King 45 8 (1) 53 (1)
25 England Jack Hobbs 39 (5) 5 44 (5)
26 England David Martin 25 5 30
27 Scotland Paul Dickov 4 (16) 3 (3) 7 (19)
28 England Luke O'Neill 0 1 1
29 England Chris Powell 12 (5) 3 (2) 15 (7)
30 England Craig King 0 0 (1) 0 (1)
31 Switzerland Bruno Berner 21 (11) 5 (1) 26 (12)
33 England Mark Davies 5 (2) 1 (1) 6 (3)
33 England Mark Bunn 3 0 3
35 England Carl Pentney 0 (1) 0 0 (1)
36 England Wayne Brown 7 (2) 0 7 (2)
37 England David Stockdale 8 0 8
38 Trinidad and Tobago Tony Warner 4 0 4
39 Sweden Astrit Ajdarevic 0 (5) 0 0 (5)

Note: Subs in brackets.

Top scorers

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  • Note: In some records, Bruno Berner's goal vs. Carlisle United on 13 December 2008 is mistakenly recorded as being scored by Mark Davies.
Pos. Nat. Player FL1 Cups Total
1 England Matty Fryatt 27 5 32
2 Scotland Steve Howard 13 2 15
3 Wales Andy King 9 2 11
4 England Lloyd Dyer 10 1 11
5 England Matt Oakley 8 0 8
6 Scotland Paul Dickov 2 1 3
= England Michael Morrison 3 0 3
= Switzerland Bruno Berner 3 0 3
9 England Tom Cleverley 2 0 2
= Ivory Coast Max Gradel 1 1 2
11 England Joe Mattock 1 0 1
= England Mark Davies 1 0 1
= England Jack Hobbs 1 0 1
= Wales Nicky Adams 0 1 1
= Bulgaria Aleksandar Tunchev 1 0 1
= England Kerrea Gilbert 1 0 1

Most assists

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Pos. Nat. Player FL1 Cups Total
1 Scotland Steve Howard 14 0 14
2 England Lloyd Dyer 9 1 10
3 England Matty Fryatt 8 1 9
4 Ivory Coast Max Gradel 6 1 7
5 England Matt Oakley 6 0 6
6 Wales Andy King 4 1 5
7 Wales Nicky Adams 3 1 4
8 England Tom Cleverley 3 0 3
= England Jack Hobbs 3 0 3
= Scotland Paul Dickov 2 1 3
11 England Joe Mattock 1 1 2
12 England Ashley Chambers 0 1 1
= Australia James Wesolowski 0 1 1
= England DJ Campbell 0 1 1
= England Mark Davies 1 0 1
= Jamaica Barry Hayles 1 0 1

Disciplinary record

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Nat. Player Yellow card Red card
England Jack Hobbs 2 1
Scotland Steve Howard 10 0
Ivory Coast Max Gradel 7 0
England Matty Fryatt 6 0
Switzerland Bruno Berner 4 0
England Matt Oakley 4 0
England Michael Morrison 4 0
Bulgaria Aleksandar Tunchev 3 0
Scotland Paul Dickov 3 0
England Joe Mattock 3 0
Jamaica Barry Hayles 3 0
Wales Nicky Adams 2 0
England Kerrea Gilbert 2 0
Wales Andy King 2 0
England Lloyd Dyer 2 0
England Mark Davies 2 0
England Chris Powell 1 0
England Tom Cleverley 1 0
England Wayne Brown 1 0

All Stats obtained from LCFC.com

References

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