LEICESTER CITY 1 CITY 1
League Division 1
7th December 1985
Attendance 10,289
Scorers
City Davies(75)
Leicester A Smith(2)
Ref C Downey
City Nixon, Reid, Power, Clements, McCarthy, Phillips, Lillis, May, Davies, McNab, Simpson – Sub Melrose(68)
Leicester Andrews, Feeley, Morgan, McAllister, Osman, O’Neill, Banks, Cunningham, A Smith, Mauchlen, Wilson – Sub R Smith
FROM THE PRESS BOX
PETER GARDNER WRITING IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS FOOTBALL PINK FINAL 7TH DECEMBER 1985
A Vital shot by Gordon Davies finally opened his First Division account for Manchester City today.
The Welsh international striker, a £100,000 signing from Chelsea in October, equalised for the Blues in the 75th minute of a Filbert Street cliffhanger.
It was a remarkable fightback by City, who had been shaken as early as the 90th second when hot-shot Alan Smith scored.
The Blues took control for much of the match, submitting the home side to intensive pressure. Then Davies earned the deserved breakthrough in the relegation battle between the two struggling sides.
City made two changes from the side that lost at Luton last week.
Simpson replaced Wilson, who was concussed and will be out for another fortnight, and Clements returned in place of Johnson in the centre of the back four.
Simpson marked his return with a sharp thrust from the left and it took the combined efforts of Feeley and Osman to curb the youngster, who was next caught offside as Davies drove an angled ball from the centre out to the flank.
But the game was only 90 seconds old when Leicester took a dramatic lead with their first raid.
Cunningham beat McCarthy to a long ball through the middle, cut in from the right before firing in a shot that beat Nixon only to come in from the off side of the post.
However, Alan Smith was following up to score from close in. It was his 10th goal in 13 games.
… There were more problems for City soon afterwards when Smith again moved purposefully through the middle. But this time the Blues got off the hook.
Lillis, whose wife presented him with a baby girl last night, saw his shot deflected for a corner as City made determined attempts to fight back.
Simpson broke just inside the Leicester half, Power came through on overlap to win a corner at the expense of Morgan. Although McCarthy got in a header, Osman cleared to provide the Blues with another flag kick.
This time McNab played a long ball back to Power and the City skipper fired in a crisp 25 yarder which Evans pushed on to a post with a flying leap to his right.
Power again played the ball in from the left, McCarthy got the touch on and Davies was denied as Andrews made another brave save.
… Three minutes from half-time McCarthy talked his way into the referee’s notebook by bitterly disputing the decision when he was penalised for a foul on Morgan inside the Leicester penalty area.
… Despite again enjoying a virtual monopoly of the play, City were failing to find a pay-off punch. And the approach by both sides now lacked the enertaining sparkle.
… Davies given yet another chance to open his League account for City, angled a shot over the bar from another excellent position.
In the 75th minute City finally got the goal they had worked so hard for with Davies at last earning a break.
Osman had scooped the ball over his own crossbar following more City pressure and from the flag kick on the right Andrews palmed the ball onto the bar but Davies followed up to fire home from close range.