Great minds … small minds … think alike … never differ. Colin Randall and Pete Sixsmith both thought of writing about the opening game and both found themselves wallowing in memories of long ago. Colin has a nicer pic to go with his than Pete’s old Soapbox image – but come back in a couple of hours for the essential Sixsmith preview …

Every so often, a comment attributed to a female SAFC fan appears in the sadly neglected Salut! Smiles slot where you currently find Danny Dichio down the left-hand column. Those comments are usually from the lips, or keyboard, of Claire Reidlinger, from the only Washington the world needs to know about. A lovely e-mail offering this pic – “me and the bairn and Filbert the Fox at the Leicester friendly for yer nice Salut thingy” – inspired these thoughts about opening games …
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How can we put this, in a way that doesn’t offend Leicester and fans of Leicester City? Er, we can’t. This was one pre-season friendly to be avoided, at least by Pete Sixsmith. Pete saw it as an occasion to head in the opposite direction. But then, he’s never relied on a strong aversion to one place to encourage him to visit another, especially when there’s some Annan Athletic and Partick Thistle to savour …

See also: another dig at Leicester (FC, not the fans)

Didn’t bother with Leicester . It’s not a place I like. Joe Orton couldn’t get out of it quickly enough and I don’t blame him. Never liked Filbert Street, don’t like the Walkers Bowl or whatever it’s called, don’t like the fans and don’t like that bloody stupid Post Horn Gallop they play before each home game.

I once spent a thoroughly miserable week in Leicester c.1970 on a college field trip. The year before, the trip had gone to Scotland and there had been a number of “incidents” involving McEwans 80/- and a party of females from another educational institution.
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Image: Chris Ensell

A warm welcome from Salut! Sunderland to another writer. Harry Burrell, who this morning finds himself part of a squad that’s growing almost as big as Steve Bruce’s, encountered a classic slice of corporate football discourtesy (from Leicester City) as he prepared for his day out. As for Sunderland, he saw plenty to please him, but also signs of lingering weaknesses …

We had moved to the West Midlands in the early 50s and then across to the Leicester area in the early70s. I can’t exactly remember which match I first watched at Filbert Street, but it must have been during the early to mid 60s.

I don’t recall much detail of these early games, except for one of Jim Montgomery’s fabulous saves. One of the Leicester forwards powered in a header, from just inside the six yard box, which was heading for the bottom left-hand corner of the net.

The arms of the Leicester spectators were rising above their shoulders; from their throats came the cry “goa…” At that instant Jim hurled himself at the ball, deflecting it onto the post and away to safety. The arms dropped and the cry was stifled.
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The season gets ever closer, so the warm-up games begin to matter, whatever managers tell you about them being all about fitness, not results. So far? Narrow wins, mostly, against modest teams and a defeat to classier opponents (Benfica). Today, we were back to the narrow wins and, for the first of two likely reports, Rob Hutchison offers this thorough assessment …

If any Leicester fan wishes to offer a report, contact Colin Randall at the e-mail address to your left and up a bit …

Just back from Leicester; a few thoughts while they are still freshish.

We appeared to start with near to our strongest team with Campbell alongside Bent, and midfield of Ahmed al Muhammadi, Henderson, Catts, and Steed, with Bramble and Turner centre backs and Ferdinand and Richardson full backs. Brucey looks to fancy this line-up although imminent arrivals hopefully of Mensah and Welbeck may change things. (Mignolet was between the sticks).
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