Leicester Road edged out in poignant memorial contest
HINCKLEY’S Leicester Road FC matched Premiership Stoke City for 87 minutes, but were undone at the death in an entertaining game where they more than held their own.
They finished off pre-season with this high profile and meaningful home fixture in honour of John Perkins (JP) - a football managerial legend that put Leicestershire semi-professional football on the national map with his ability to build highly efficient and successful teams based on local players.
LRFC manager Neil Lyne organised the game after playing for JP at Leicester United before they were both snapped up by the legendary Brian Clough of Nottingham Forest in 1989.
JP went on to have 27 highly successful coaching years in the professional game bringing young players through the academy and into the first team – at Forest, Wolverhampton, Portsmouth, Derby County and latterly Stoke City - until he died last October aged 69 after a short illness.
The players from both teams led a minute’s applause at the start of the game (for the John Perkins Memorial Trophy) and this kindred spirit continued throughout a hard fought and evenly contested game, where the Stoke U23’s Premiership experience just tipped the scales.
LRFC began brightly and edged the early exchanges with new Portuguese striker Nuno Gomez full of strength and pace.
The midfield trio of captain Greg Downes, Joseph Lyne and Jake Holt pulled the strings and showed some deft touches.
After only 10 minutes Stoke were forced to readjust when their central midfielder Eddy Lecygne landed awkwardly and was stretchered off, to be replaced by Joel Kaduba.
It unsettled them for a while and LRFC continued to edge possession and territory with a hunger and desire that bodes well for the coming season.
Stoke captain Jack Devlin let fly from just outside the box on 18 mins though and was only inches wide, whilst three minutes later LRFC had their first clear cut chance when Lyne found a darting Downes but the skipper’s dink was just wide of the far post.
Gomez flashed wide on 23 mins but Stoke were well back in the game now with midfield dynamo Connor Russo a bag of tricks and tricky winger Tre Pemberton making inroads down the right.
And when they were awarded a free kick on the edge of the area on 26 mins LRFC keeper Will Highland did well to get down to his left and tip it around the post.
On 30 mins Gomez put Holt clean through but his shot was well smothered by keeper Máté Deczki, but Stoke then sprang into life. Devlin saw his efforts palmed away by Highland on 35 mins and also went close minutes later, while centre forward Sani (so far expertly handled by LRFC centre backs Callum Earls and Callum Rudd) was beginning to make his presence felt.
He stung Highland’s finger tips on 42 minutes, was inches away from a rasping cross across goal and then looked to have buried the opener – only for LRFC’s Josh Unsworth to block bravely on the line with Highland beaten. Honours even at half time.
LRFC had the first chance of the second half when Downes miscued in the box when well placed and on 51 mins Stoke centre back Barbir leapt highest at a corner to test Highland. Gomez then broke clear only to be denied by the Stoke keeper and then Highland made another smart save quickly after as the game ebbed and flowed.
A Stoke free kick curled just inches wide on 55 mins and then Highland denied Sani with his legs when one-onone. LRFC’s Sam Munton replaced John Grady on 63 mins and was lively and confident from the start, letting rip from 25 yards out and only just wide.
Stoke midfielder Toure was becoming increasingly influential and he had a couple of mazy runs that caused the Leicester Road defence problems, but then Gomez did likewise down the right and Callum Earls down the left to keep Stoke guessing.
Sani was then replaced on 80 minutes by physically imposing striker Greenidge and his introduction gave Stoke new impetus.
Unsworth again blocked a goal bound effort from Barbir, but then after good probing work down the left from Moha the teasing ball into the box wasn’t cleared quickly enough and after a couple of ricochets Greenidge smashed it in from five yards to hand Stoke the lead and ultimately the win.
Greg Downes saw a header flash wide on 90 minutes as LRFC pressed for an equaliser, but it was Stoke City who lifted the John Perkins Memorial Trophy at the end of a pulsating game.
Rather fittingly it was presented by JP’s son Ben Perkins, 18, who is a goalkeeper on Leicester Road FC’s books but currently recovering from a cruciate ligament injury.
LRFC manager Neil Lyne said: “This was a fitting tribute to a lovely man who dedicated his life to football.
“The players from both Stoke City FC and Leicester Road FC were a credit to themselves and their respective clubs, symbolising the values and ethos of JP.
“Knowing the man as I did, he would have been proud.”