Reaction to FA Cup 3rd Round Draw
Article by Jonathan Smith
City fans won’t need reminding of that day in 2008 when Stoke clinched their place in the Premiership. It was the same day that the Foxes were condemned to relegation to the third tier of English football for the first time in their history. It was a day of contrasting emotions at the Britannia Stadium with the joy of the home supporters spilling onto the pitch while the Blue Army looked on disconsolately. You can’t blame the Stoke fans for being so happy that day; they hadn’t played top flight football since 1985. Having said that, some Leicester followers remember being antagonised by the home supporters that day. The joy of gaining promotion was understandable but the apparent pleasure that they had also witnessed our relegation is something that left a bitter taste in the mouth.
Credit must go to Stoke. They’ve gone on to secure their Premiership status ever since, even reaching an FA Cup Final and participating in the Europa League. Their playing style hasn’t always been admired but it has been relatively successful. On the other hand, Leicester were promoted at the first time of asking and have spent the past four and a half seasons at the right end of the Championship, competing for promotion. You could say relegation that day was a blessing in disguise. The three seasons prior to the 2007/08 relegation had seen Leicester scrapping for survival and looking a million miles away from promotion. Playing in League One gave players like Andy King, Joe Mattock and Max Gradel the chance to play first team football and other young players such as Jack Hobbs and Michael Morrison came in and played a lot of games. Most of the senior players who had contributed to City’s demise left the club or hardly played a part. It’s true that sometimes you have to take a step back to be able to start moving in the right direction once again.
I’m sure there will be a large away following at Stoke for the 3rd Round tie; City travel in large numbers anyway but the Cup always attracts an extra few. Thoughts of revenge will be on the minds of some Leicester supporters, especially those who were there that day in May 2008, but first and foremost will be dreams of progressing in a competition that we’ve never won before. It’s unlikely to happen this time around but just look at Wigan last season.
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