- Leicester City’s Development Squad beat Everton 2-0 at Finch Farm
- Tawanda Maswanhise and Wanya Marcal-Madivadua scored the goals on Monday afternoon
- The young Foxes will play in Premier League 2 Division 2 next season
- The players got their reward, Ben Petty commented after full-time
After a long and gruelling season for the Under-21s, they concluded the season with a win on the road at Finch Farm, courtesy of goals in either half from Tawanda Maswanhise and Wanya Marcal-Madivadua.
Three days on from a 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Trafford Training Centre, Petty spoke to LCFC TV to explain his thoughts on the performances over the last two games of the season.
“We’ve had two really positive away performances,” the coach stated. “And I think we've shown signs that some of these young players are getting to grips with the level. And I thought it was a really good performance this afternoon.
“We knew that Everton were a good side from the home game last month. But I thought we matched them really well. We nullified the space in behind, and I thought Harvey [Godsmark-Ford], [Lewis] Brunt and Ben [Grist], when he came on, did a great job.
“We've come out on top today, but both games have been close. But if you can get your noses in front like we did today, it always gives you a foothold in the game. And we looked good on the counter-attack.”
Maswanhise opened the scoring from the penalty spot 34 minutes in to finish the 2022/23 campaign with eight goals, before Marcal-Madivadua confirmed the win when a corner from the midfielder flew all the way into the back of the net just after the interval.
“I’m pleased for JT (Tawanda Maswanhise),” Petty continued. “Obviously he went back on the penalties today. I thought he dispatched it brilliantly. And it was a great corner in from Wanya for the goal and very difficult for the goalkeeper when there's so many bodies around them. We'll take the two set plays. We've worked hard on them. You don't always get your rewards, but we did today.”
City’s fate in Premier League 2 Division 2 next season was already confirmed, however Petty was keen to speak about the development of individuals during his interview, and said he was hopeful of what’s to come next year.
He added: “Obviously, we're very disappointed in terms of the league position. But I think with the amount of young players that have played this year, I think they've shown a lot of development.
“Mirsad [Ali] and Bobby [Amartey], two first-year scholars, have played the last six games, and they've been terrific. And I think they'll learn a lot from that.
“Some ups, some downs, but we've got a few weeks now of training, and then we're off to the Hong Kong Soccer Sevens, so we've still got a lot to play for.”