Soccer
Russell Martin delighted with first win but warns Leicester must still improve
Russell Martin paid tribute to Leicester’s players after they secured their first league win since being relegated from the Championship last term.
A match which perfectly illustrated where City are right now saw Will Alves and Harry Howell deliver a much-needed and timely victory over Plymouth.
After losing goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk during a collision almost straight from kick-off, the hosts’ insistence on overcomplicating the game threatened to hand Tom Cleverley’s men the advantage before two strikes on the cusp of half-time saw the momentum swing back in Leicester’s favour.
Martin said: “I’m delighted and really happy for everyone, the fans, the staff and the players because we were really pleased to win.
“But I’m going to be hard on the players because Alex (McCarthy, Stolarczyk’s replacement) had too much to do at the end, we had some fatigue.
“I loved the result and I really liked the performance overall, particularly after a difficult start with Jakub. That can really put a dampener on things. But we overcame it and did what we had to do.
“Still, we have to learn from that in terms of our game management towards the end of matches.”
In the third of five added minutes before the break, Alves opened his City account with a deflected effort from Louis Page’s pass. Two minutes later Howell, on loan from Brighton, followed suit with a simple finish when Murphy Cooper spilled a shot from the excellent Sammy Braybrooke into his path.
City could have stretched their lead after the break, with Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Wes Burns both spurning opportunities as their youngsters turned on the style before Argyle threatened during the closing stages.
“When we did start getting up the pitch, we started playing much cleaner and getting through them,” Martin added.
“We limited them right until the end of the game, when we had some tired legs. So we’ll have to get refreshed.
“The young lads, who haven’t played this way before, will learn so much.”
Cleverley, who saw Alex Hartridge draw a fine save from Stolarczyk’s replacement Alex McCarthy midway through the second period, was frustrated again when Tyreeq Bakinson struck a post as Argyle threatened late on.
He said: “There is an overwhelming feeling of that being an opportunity missed. We turned the ball over in their box four or five times in the first few minutes and you expect that to result in goals.
“That means we got the press right but we didn’t get the transition right. I can say we’ll work on it but, to be honest, you don’t get that time in League One. We are a group of players who desperately need time on the training pitch.
“Out there, we certainly forced them into making mistakes but we didn’t capitalise on it. That’s something we’ve got to look at – admittedly against a very good side, which they are.
“Like I say, the biggest feeling for me after that is one of disappointment because there were periods of the game where we didn’t do what I know we can do. Now we’ve got to bounce back from that.”
