Report: Coalville 3 City XI 1

After a quiet opening, the home side raced into a 2-0 lead by half time courtesy of some brilliant finishes from Mitch Piggon and Cameron Stuart and added to it shortly after the break through Jamie MacAteer.

City midfielder Rob Paratore pulled one back on the hour mark but it wasn’t to be for the young Foxes, as the hosts did enough to see out the match and get their hands on the trophy.

Striker Marko Futacs started for a youthful City side at Coalville alongside Jacob Blyth in a 4-4-2 formation that also saw a return to action for Alie Sesay in defence.

It was Steve Beaglehole’s Foxes who had the better of the opening exchanges, and in particular Futacs, who won a free kick on the edge of the area after some good play before firing it into the wall.

Both teams struggled to retain the ball in the opening period, but City did have joy down the flanks – on 17 minutes Australian Callum Elder fired a low cross in for Futacs, but leaning back the Hungarian scooped it over.

The home side made City pay two minutes later though when a looping ball into space at the far post found Piggon, and the striker produced a moment of quality to rifle the ball into the top corner.

City attempted to muster a response, but consecutive shots from Blyth and Futacs were wide of the mark.

However not long before the break Coalville struck again. This time left back Stuart ran into space down the flank and was able to lift a subtle finish over City ‘keeper Adam Smith for 2-0.

City made no changes after the break but it was again the hosts who began the brighter and stormed into a commanding 3-0 lead just three minutes into the second period.

First MacAteer directed a powerful header at goal that Adam Smith did brilliantly to tip over, but the big defender was still a threat and at the resulting corner he stabbed the ball home from six yards.

In need of a swift response, Futacs led the charge down the left channel, firing in a stinging drive that was saved into the path of both Harry Panayiotou and Joe Dodoo, but neither man could finish after a frantic scramble in front of goal.

The Foxes finally got their foothold in the game on 58 minutes, when Academy Graduate Paratore finished clinically at the near post after a spell of City pressure.

Paratore’s goal seemed to give City renewed hope, as Blyth surged into the box chasing a long ball and was bundled over for what looked to be a penalty, only for the referee to was away Leicester protests.

In an increasingly scrappy and physical contest, Coalville were making it difficult for City to really get going, and in truth the score could have been 4-1 on 75 minutes when Anthony Carney broke away and struck the base of the post.

A flurry of corners followed for City, but the more they pushed forward, the more they were left exposed at the back – but fortunately Adam Smith was able to step in with several brave stops to keep the scores at 3-1.

But in the end City were unable to break down their opponents, who held out for the victory and deservedly lifted the trophy at full-time.

Coalville: Bowles, Dean, Stuart, Watt, MacAteer, Kay, Miveld, Evans, Piggon, Johnson. Carney

Subs: Maddison Gibson, Jenno, Leigh, Crouchman 

Goals: Piggon 19, Stuart 38, MacAteer 48

City XI: A. Smith, Anton , Elder (Moore 66), McCourt, Sesay, Taft, Paratore. Panayiotou, Blyth (Larrauri 66), Futacs (Ngoma 80), Dodoo

Subs not used: J. Smith, Samba, Moore

Goal: Paratore 58

Attendance: 372