CarlingNet - No 1 for Match Reports

Leicester v Leeds 28/09/96 3.00

Leicester               (0) 1 Leeds                   (0) 0 FT
Heskey 60

Emile Heskey left Leeds boss George Graham still searching for his first Premiership point with Leicester's winner at Filbert Street.

Leeds had fought a determined rearguard action that had Graham's stamp on it until Heskey struck on the hour.

Neil Lennon stabbed the ball past Nigel Martyn and 18-year-old Heskey, named in England's Under-21 squad for next week's clash with Poland, followed up to force the ball home from close range.

Leeds never looked like forcing an equaliser and it was Leicester who threatened to add to their lead in the closing minutes of the game.

Muzzy Izzet sneaked in behind the Leeds defence in the 89th minute and tried to lob the advancing Martyn but the Leeds keeper managed to stretch high enough to pluck the ball out of the air.

Leeds had gone into the game with Graham looking for his first League win since taking over from Howard Wilkinson.

Graham had secured the first win of his Leeds reign in midweek a 2-0 victory over third division Darlington in the Coca-Cola Cup and was hoping for a first success in the Premiership after defeats against Coventry and Newcastle.

Seventh-from-bottom Leicester, one point and one place above Leeds, had Ian Marshall making his first start in the League since his move from Ipswich.

Leeds, whose lengthy injury list includes Tony Yeboah, Ian Rush, Tony Dorigo, Brian Deane, Lee Bowyer, Mark Hateley and John Pemberton, fielded an inexperienced midfield trio of Mark Ford, 20, Andy Couzens, 21, and 18-year-old Mark Jackson, who was making his full debut.

Leicester made a bright start and Ian Marshall, starting a League game for the first time since his £900,000 move from Ipswich, went close twice inside the opening 10 minutes.

Nigel Martyn palmed his looping header onto the crossbar and Carlton Palmer cleared his goal-bound shot off the line after he had rounded Martyn.

Palmer was proving a rock at the heart of the Leeds defence and he made a vital block on the stroke of half-time when Spencer Prior's pass gave Marshall a shooting opportunity inside the box.

Lee Sharpe squandered Leeds' only chance of the half on the half-hour. Julian Watts gifted possession to Rod Wallace, whose quick pass had Sharpe bearing down on goal, but Kasey Keller spread himself well and parried the winger's low drive.

Leeds almost took the lead five minutes into the second-half. Ian Harte rattled the crossbar with a powerful header from Gary Kelly's cross, and Keller did well to keep out Wallace's effort from the rebound.

Leicester shrugged off their narrow escape and broke the deadlock on the hour. Wetherall's careless pass put Couzens in trouble and Lennon won the ball. The Northern Ireland midfielder surged into the area, and stabbed the ball past the advancing Martyn, but Heskey followed up to bundle the ball over the line.

Martin O'Neill's side tried in vain to press home their advantage but one goal was enough to earn them their second home win of the season.-