1997–98 Leicester City F.C. season

During the 1997–98 English football season, Leicester City competed in the FA Premier League.

Leicester City F.C.

1997–98 season
Chairman	Tom Smeaton
Manager	Martin O'Neill
Stadium	Filbert Street
FA Premier League	10th
FA Cup	Fourth round
League Cup	Third round
UEFA Cup	First round
Player of the Year	Matt Elliott
Top goalscorer	League: Emile Heskey (10) All: Heskey/Ian Marshall (10)
Highest home attendance	21,699 vs Newcastle United (29 April 1998, FA Premier League)
Lowest home attendance	18,553 vs Wimbledon (10 November 1997, FA Premier League)
Average home league attendance	20,615
Home colours Away colours Third colours
← 1996–97 1998–99 →

Season summary

Leicester City's return to European competition for the first time since the 1960s was short-lived, and they suffered a first-hurdle defeat at the hands of Spanish team Atlético Madrid. Their challenges in the domestic cups fared little better, and a 10th-place finish in the final table was not enough for another UEFA Cup adventure. But they managed to hold on to star players like Neil Lennon and Emile Heskey, and, most importantly, highly rated manager Martin O'Neill, giving fans hope of another challenge for honours in 1998–99.

Keller

Elliott

Kåmark

Walsh

Savage

Guppy

Parker

Lennon

Izzet

Heskey

Marshall

1997-98 Leicester City team

Final league table

Main article: 1997–98 FA Premier League

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
8	West Ham United	38	16	8	14	56	57	−1	56
9	Derby County	38	16	7	15	52	49	+3	55
10	Leicester City	38	13	14	11	51	41	+10	53
11	Coventry City	38	12	16	10	46	44	+2	52
12	Southampton	38	14	6	18	50	55	−5	48

Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
38	13	14	11	51	41	+10	53	6	10	3	21	15	+6	7	4	8	30	26	+4

Source: 1997-98 FA Premier League table

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38
Ground	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A
Result	W	W	D	D	L	W	W	D	W	L	L	W	D	L	D	W	D	L	L	L	D	D	D	W	W	D	W	L	L	L	D	W	D	D	W	D	W	L
Position	5	4	4	4	6	5	3	4	3	4	5	4	5	7	6	6	6	7	8	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	7	7	9	12	12	10	10	10	9	9	8	10

Source: 11v11.com: 1997-98 Leicester City results
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Results

  Win   Draw   Loss

Pre-season

Penzance v Leicester City

16 July 1997 (1997-07-16)	Penzance	1–7	Leicester City	Penzance
			Heskey ?', ?' Whitlow ?' (pen.) Fox ?' Skeldon ?' Robins ?' Izzet ?'	Stadium: Penlee Park

Torpoint Athletic v Leicester City

18 July 1997 (1997-07-18)	Torpoint Athletic	1–3	Leicester City	Torpoint
			McMahon ?' Guppy ?' Heskey ?'	Stadium: The Mill

Torquay United v Leicester City

19 July 1997 (1997-07-19)	Torquay United	3–1	Leicester City	Torquay
			Izzet ?'	Stadium: Plainmoor

Grantham Town v Leicester City

21 July 1997 (1997-07-21)	Grantham Town	0–5	Leicester City	Grantham
			Wilson ?', ?', ?', ?' Skeldon ?'	Stadium: South Kesteven Sports Stadium

Scunthorpe United v Leicester City

22 July 1997 (1997-07-22)	Scunthorpe United	0–4	Leicester City	Scunthorpe
19:30 BST			Claridge ?' Marshall ?' Wilson ?' Robins ?'	Stadium: Glanford Park

Notts County v Leicester City

23 July 1997 (1997-07-23)	Notts County	1–2	Leicester City	Nottingham
	Cunnington ?'		Oparaku ?' Savage ?'	Stadium: Meadow Lane

Olympiacos v Leicester City

28 July 1997 (1997-07-28)	Olympiacos	3–1	Leicester City	Athens
			Campbell ?'	Stadium: Olympic Stadium

Preston North End v Leicester City

1 August 1997 (1997-08-01)	Preston North End	0–2	Leicester City	Preston
			McMahon ?' Marshall ?'	Stadium: Deepdale

Northampton Town v Leicester City

3 August 1997 (1997-08-03)	Northampton Town	1–2	Leicester City	Northampton
			Heskey ?' Campbell ?'	Stadium: Sixfields Stadium

Peterborough United v Leicester City

5 August 1997 (1997-08-05)	Peterborough United	2–2	Leicester City	Peterborough
19:45 BST	de Souza ?', ?'		Robins ?' Campbell ?'	Stadium: London Road Stadium

FA Premier League

Main article: 1997–98 FA Premier League

Leicester City v Aston Villa

9 August 1997 (1997-08-09)	Leicester City	1–0	Aston Villa	Leicester
15:00 BST	Marshall 37'			Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 20,304 Referee: Stephen Lodge

Liverpool v Leicester City

13 August 1997 (1997-08-13)	Liverpool	1–2	Leicester City	Liverpool
19:45 BST	Ince 85'		Elliott 1' Fenton 83'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 35,007 Referee: Jeff Winter

Leicester City v Manchester United

23 August 1997 (1997-08-23)	Leicester City	0–0	Manchester United	Leicester
15:00 BST				Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 21,221 Referee: Dermot Gallagher

Leicester City v Arsenal

27 August 1997 (1997-08-27)	Leicester City	3–3	Arsenal	Leicester
19:45 BST	Heskey 84' Elliott 90+2' Walsh 90+5'		Bergkamp 9', 61', 90+3'	Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 21,089 Referee: Graham Barber

Sheffield Wednesday v Leicester City

30 August 1997 (1997-08-30)	Sheffield Wednesday	1–0	Leicester City	Sheffield
15:00 BST	Carbone 56' (pen.)			Stadium: Hillsborough Attendance: 24,851 Referee: Paul Alcock

Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur

13 September 1997 (1997-09-13)	Leicester City	3–0	Tottenham Hotspur	Leicester
15:00 BST	Walsh 55' Guppy 68' Heskey 77'			Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 20,683 Referee: Alan Wilkie

Leeds United v Leicester City

20 September 1997 (1997-09-20)	Leeds United	0–1	Leicester City	Leeds
15:00 BST			Walsh 32'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 29,620 Referee: Keith Burge

Leicester City v Blackburn Rovers

24 September 1997 (1997-09-24)	Leicester City	1–1	Blackburn Rovers	Leicester
19:45 BST	Izzet 43'		Sutton 36'	Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 19,921 Referee: Neale Barry

Barnsley v Leicester City

27 September 1997 (1997-09-27)	Barnsley	0–2	Leicester City	Barnsley
15:00 BST			Marshall 55' Fenton 63'	Stadium: Oakwell Attendance: 18,660 Referee: Graham Poll

Leicester City v Derby County

6 October 1997 (1997-10-06)	Leicester City	1–2	Derby County	Leicester
20:00 BST	Elliott 67'		Baiano 21', 62'	Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 19,585 Referee: Gerald Ashby

Chelsea v Leicester City

18 October 1997 (1997-10-18)	Chelsea	1–0	Leicester City	London
15:00 BST	Leboeuf 88'			Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 33,356 Referee: Uriah Rennie

Leicester City v West Ham United

27 October 1997 (1997-10-27)	Leicester City	2–1	West Ham United	Leicester
20:00 GMT	Heskey 16' Marshall 82'		Berkovic 58'	Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 20,201 Referee: Mike Reed

Newcastle United v Leicester City

1 November 1997 (1997-11-01)	Newcastle United	3–3	Leicester City	Newcastle
15:00 GMT	Barnes 4' (pen.) Tomasson 45' Beresford 90'		Marshall 12', 32' Elliott 54' Heskey  90'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 36,754 Referee: Gary Willard

Leicester City v Wimbledon

10 November 1997 (1997-11-10)	Leicester City	0–1	Wimbledon	Leicester
20:00 GMT			Gayle 50'	Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 18,553 Referee: Mike Riley

Leicester City v Bolton Wanderers

22 November 1997 (1997-11-22)	Leicester City	0–0	Bolton Wanderers	Leicester
15:00 GMT				Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 20,464 Referee: Graham Barber

Coventry City v Leicester City

29 November 1997 (1997-11-29)	Coventry City	0–2	Leicester City	Coventry
15:00 GMT			Fenton 32' Elliott 75' (pen.)	Stadium: Highfield Road Attendance: 18,309 Referee: Martin Bodenham

Leicester City v Crystal Palace

6 December 1997 (1997-12-06)	Leicester City	1–1	Crystal Palace	Leicester
15:00 GMT	Izzet 90'		Edworthy  29' Padovano 43'	Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 19,191 Referee: Uriah Rennie

Southampton v Leicester City

13 December 1997 (1997-12-13)	Southampton	2–1	Leicester City	Southampton
15:00 GMT	Le Tissier 2' Benali 54'		Savage 84'	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 15,121 Referee: Stephen Lodge

Leicester City v Everton

20 December 1997 (1997-12-20)	Leicester City	0–1	Everton	Leicester
15:00 GMT			Speed 89' (pen.)	Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 20,628 Referee: Jeff Winter

Arsenal v Leicester City

26 December 1997 (1997-12-26)	Arsenal	2–1	Leicester City	London
12:00 GMT	Platt 36' Walsh 56' (o.g.)		Lennon 77'	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,023 Referee: David Elleray

Leicester City v Sheffield Wednesday

28 December 1997 (1997-12-28)	Leicester City	1–1	Sheffield Wednesday	Leicester
15:00 GMT	Guppy 28'		Stefanović   43' Booth 85'	Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 20,800 Referee: Graham Poll

Aston Villa v Leicester City

10 January 1998 (1998-01-10)	Aston Villa	1–1	Leicester City	Birmingham
15:00 GMT	Joachim 87'		Parker 53' (pen.)	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 36,429 Referee: Mike Riley

Leicester City v Liverpool

17 January 1998 (1998-01-17)	Leicester City	0–0	Liverpool	Leicester
15:00 GMT				Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 21,633 Referee: Steve Dunn

Manchester United v Leicester City

31 January 1998 (1998-01-31)	Manchester United	0–1	Leicester City	Manchester
15:00 GMT			Cottee 30'	Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 55,156 Referee: Gerald Ashby

Leicester City v Leeds United

7 February 1998 (1998-02-07)	Leicester City	1–0	Leeds United	Leicester
15:00 GMT	Parker 44' (pen.)			Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 21,244 Referee: Neale Barry

Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City

14 February 1998 (1998-02-14)	Tottenham Hotspur	1–1	Leicester City	London
15:00 GMT	Calderwood 51'		Cottee 34'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 28,355 Referee: Stephen Lodge

Leicester City v Chelsea

21 February 1998 (1998-02-21)	Leicester City	2–0	Chelsea	Leicester
15:00 GMT	Heskey 3', 89'			Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 21,335 Referee: Paul Durkin

Blackburn Rovers v Leicester City

28 February 1998 (1998-02-28)	Blackburn Rovers	5–3	Leicester City	Blackburn
15:00 GMT	Dahlin 11' Sutton 25', 45', 47' Hendry 63'		Wilson 68' Izzet 80' Ullathorne 81'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 24,854 Referee: Neale Barry

Wimbledon v Leicester City

14 March 1998 (1998-03-14)	Wimbledon	2–1	Leicester City	London
15:00 GMT	Roberts 14' Hughes 62'		Savage 57'	Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 13,229 Referee: Mike Riley

Bolton Wanderers v Leicester City

28 March 1998 (1998-03-28)	Bolton Wanderers	2–0	Leicester City	Bolton
15:00 GMT	Bergsson  26' Thompson 52', 89'		Ullathorne  41'	Stadium: Reebok Stadium Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Uriah Rennie

Leicester City v Coventry City

4 April 1998 (1998-04-04)	Leicester City	1–1	Coventry City	Leicester
15:00 BST	Wilson 78'		Whelan 80'	Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 21,137 Referee: Graham Barber

Crystal Palace v Leicester City

11 April 1998 (1998-04-11)	Crystal Palace	0–3	Leicester City	London
15:00 BST			Heskey 45', 60' Elliott 74'	Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 18,771 Referee: Alan Wilkie

Leicester City v Southampton

14 April 1998 (1998-04-14)	Leicester City	3–3	Southampton	Leicester
19:45 BST	Lennon 18' Elliott 52' Parker 90' (pen.)		Østenstad 17', 27' Hirst 49'	Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 20,708 Referee: Graham Poll

Everton v Leicester City

18 April 1998 (1998-04-18)	Everton	1–1	Leicester City	Liverpool
15:00 BST	Madar 2'		Marshall 38'	Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 33,642 Referee: Stephen Lodge

Derby County v Leicester City

26 April 1998 (1998-04-26)	Derby County	0–4	Leicester City	Derby
16:00 BST			Heskey 1', 8' Izzet 2' Marshall 15'	Stadium: Pride Park Attendance: 29,855 Referee: Gary Willard

Leicester City v Newcastle United

29 April 1998 (1998-04-29)	Leicester City	0–0	Newcastle United	Leicester
19:45 BST				Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 21,699 Referee: Martin Bodenham

Leicester City v Barnsley

2 May 1998 (1998-05-02)	Leicester City	1–0	Barnsley	Leicester
15:00 BST	Zagorakis 57'			Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 21,293 Referee: Dermot Gallagher

West Ham United v Leicester City

10 May 1998 (1998-05-10)	West Ham United	4–3	Leicester City	London
16:00 BST	Lampard 15' Abou 31', 74' Sinclair 65'		Cottee 59', 83' Heskey 66'	Stadium: Upton Park Attendance: 25,781 Referee: Uriah Rennie

FA Cup

Main article: 1997–98 FA Cup

Leicester City v Northampton Town

3 January 1998 (1998-01-03) R3	Leicester City	4–0	Northampton Town	Leicester
15:00 BST	Marshall 17' Parker 26' (pen.) Savage 53' Cottee 58'		Clarkson  69'	Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 20,608 Referee: Alan Wilkie

Crystal Palace v Leicester City

24 January 1998 (1998-01-24) R4	Crystal Palace	3–0	Leicester City	London
15:00 BST	Dyer 33', 62', 66'			Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 15,489 Referee: Paul Alcock

League Cup

Main article: 1997–98 Football League Cup

Grimsby Town v Leicester City

14 October 1997 (1997-10-14) R3	Grimsby Town	3–1	Leicester City	Cleethorpes
19:45 BST	Jobling 68' Livingstone 72', 78'		Marshall 17'	Stadium: Blundell Park Attendance: 7,738 Referee: Mike Riley

UEFA Cup

Main article: 1997–98 UEFA Cup

Atlético Madrid v Leicester City

16 September 1997 (1997-09-16) R1 1st leg	Atlético Madrid	2–1	Leicester City	Madrid
21:30	Juninho 70' Vieri 72' (pen.)	Report	Marshall 11'	Stadium: Vicente Calderón Stadium Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Roy Helge Olsen

Leicester City v Atlético Madrid

30 September 1997 (1997-09-30) R1 2nd leg	Leicester City	0–2 (1–4 agg.)	Atlético Madrid	Leicester
19:45 BST	Parker   59'	Report	López  50' Juninho 72' Kiko 88'	Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 20,776 Referee: Rémi Harrel

Squad

^[1] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  USA Kasey Keller 4 DF  ENG Julian Watts 5 DF  ENG Steve Walsh (captain) 6 MF  TUR Muzzy Izzet 7 MF  NIR Neil Lennon 8 MF  ENG Scott Taylor 9 FW  ENG Steve Claridge 10 MF  ENG Garry Parker 11 FW  ENG Emile Heskey 14 MF  WAL Robbie Savage 15 DF  SWE Pontus Kåmark 16 MF  SCO Stuart Campbell 17 DF  ENG Spencer Prior 18 DF  SCO Matt Elliott (vice-captain)

No. Pos. Nation Player 19 DF  ENG Robert Ullathorne 20 FW  ENG Ian Marshall 21 MF  ENG Graham Fenton 22 GK  FRA Pegguy Arphexad 23 MF  ENG Sam McMahon 24 MF  ENG Steve Guppy 25 MF  ENG Stuart Wilson 26 FW  SWE Lars-Gunnar Carlstrand 27 FW  ENG Tony Cottee [nb 1] 29 MF  ENG Stefan Oakes 30 GK  ENG Ian Andrews [nb 2] 33 DF  ENG Martin Fox 37 MF  GRE Theodoros Zagorakis

1. Issued number 8 in the UEFA Cup.
2. Issued number 13 in the UEFA Cup.

Left club during season

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 3 DF  ENG Mike Whitlow (to Bolton Wanderers) 9 FW  ENG Steve Claridge (to Wolves)

No. Pos. Nation Player 12 FW  ENG Mark Robins (to CD Ourense)

Reserve squad

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

No. Pos. Nation Player - DF  ENG Guy Branston - FW  ENG Lawrie Dudfield

No. Pos. Nation Player - DF  SCO Gary Neil

Club staff

Directors & Senior Management
Role	Person
President	Ken Brigstock
Chairman	Tom Smeaton
Vice Chairman	John Elsom
Directors	Roy Parker
	Martin George
	Terry Shipman
	John Sharp
Chief Executive	Barrie Pierpoint
Deputy Chief Executive	Charles Rayner

First Team Management & Youth Team Management
Role	Person
First Team Manager	Martin O'Neill
First Team Assistant Manager	John Robertson
First Team Coach	Steve Walford
Goalkeeping Team Coach	Jim McDonagh
Reserve Team Coach	Paul Franklin
Physiotherapist	Mick Yeoman
Physiotherapist	Alan Smith
Youth Academy Manager	David Nish
Head Coach of Youth Development	Neville Hamilton
Youth Development Officer	Steve Sims
Chief Scout	Jim Melrose
Kit Manager	Paul McAndrew

Source: Leicester City F.C.

Transfers

In

Date	Pos.	Name	From	Fee
23 July 1997	MF	Robbie Savage	Crewe Alexandra	£400,000
8 August 1997	MF	Graham Fenton	Blackburn Rovers	£1,100,000
14 August 1997	FW	Tony Cottee	Selangor	£500,000
20 August 1997	GK	Pegguy Arphexad	Lens	Free transfer
5 February 1998	MF	Theodoros Zagorakis	PAOK	£750,000

Out

Date	Pos.	Name	To	Fee
17 June 1997	MF	Jamie Lawrence	Bradford City	£50,000
22 June 1997	DF	Neil Lewis	Peterborough United	£75,000
23 July 1997	DF	Simon Grayson	Aston Villa	£1,350,000
2 August 1997	GK	Kevin Poole	Birmingham City	Free transfer
19 September 1997	DF	Mike Whitlow	Bolton Wanderers	£500,000
16 January 1998	FW	Mark Robins	Ourense	Signed
26 March 1998	FW	Steve Claridge	Wolverhampton Wanderers	£350,000

Transfers in: £2,750,000

Transfers out: £2,325,000

Total spending: £525,000

Statistics

Appearances, goals and cards

(Starting appearances + substitute appearances)

No.	Pos.	Name	League		FA Cup		League Cup		UEFA Cup		Total		Discipline
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	Kasey Keller	32	0	2	0	1	0	2	0	37	0	2	0
4	DF	Julian Watts	0+3	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	2+3	0	0	0
5	DF	Steve Walsh	23+3	3	1	0	1	0	1	0	26+3	3	3	0
6	MF	Muzzy Izzet	36	4	2	0	0	0	2	0	40	4	6	0
7	MF	Neil Lennon	37	2	2	0	1	0	2	0	42	2	8	0
9	FW	Steve Claridge	10+7	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0	10+8	0	0	0
10	MF	Garry Parker	15+7	3	2	1	0	0	2	0	19+7	4	1	0
11	FW	Emile Heskey	35	10	2	0	0	0	2	0	39	10	4	1
14	MF	Robbie Savage	28+7	2	2	1	1	0	0+1	0	31+8	3	4	0
15	DF	Pontus Kåmark	35	0	2	0	0	0	2	0	39	0	2	0
16	MF	Stuart Campbell	6+5	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	7+5	0	1	0
17	DF	Spencer Prior	28+2	0	1	0	0	0	2	0	31+2	0	2	0
18	DF	Matt Elliott	37	7	2	0	1	0	2	0	42	7	7	0
19	DF	Robert Ullathorne	3+3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	3+3	1	0	1
20	FW	Ian Marshall	22+2	7	2	1	1	1	2	1	27+2	10	2	0
21	FW	Graham Fenton	9+13	3	0+1	0	1	0	0+2	0	10+17	3	1	0
22	GK	Pegguy Arphexad	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0	0	0
23	MF	Sam McMahon	0+1	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0	0+2	0	0	0
24	MF	Steve Guppy	37	2	2	0	1	0	2	0	42	2	4	0
25	MF	Stuart Wilson	0+11	2	0+2	0	0+1	0	0	0	0+14	2	0	0
27	FW	Tony Cottee	7+12	4	0+2	1	1	0	0+1	0	8+15	5	0	0
37	MF	Theodoros Zagorakis	12+2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	12+2	1	1	0