# 2009–10 Leicester City F.C. season

The 2009–10 season was Leicester City F.C.'s 105th season in the English football league system and their 58th in the second tier of English football. It was their first season back in the Championship after promotion from League One as champions in 2008–09. It was also the club's 125th anniversary season.
Having just been promoted, Nigel Pearson's side surprised many by spending most of the season in the play-offs. They eventually finished fifth, reaching the play-offs. This was considered an impressive finish and a stride forward by many, considering Leicester were relegated from the same division two seasons previously. They eventually lost out in the play-off semi-finals to Cardiff City on a penalty shoot-out.

## Pre-season

After winning League One by seven points, manager Nigel Pearson sought to strengthen the squad ahead of the Championship campaign. 2008–09 loanees Jack Hobbs and Wayne Brown were quickly signed on permanent deals from Liverpool and Hull City respectively. Veterans Barry Hayles, Bruno Ngotty, Paul Henderson, Patrick Kisnorbo and Marc Edworthy were released at the end of their contracts. The Foxes further added to their squad with the captures of goalkeeper Chris Weale, defender Robbie Neilson and midfielders Richie Wellens and Dany N'Guessan. However, the forward line remained unreinforced until 19-year-old Martyn Waghorn arrived on loan from Sunderland just before the opening game against Swansea City.
Joe Mattock, part of the England squad for the European U-19 Championships, handed in a transfer request just 48 hours before the first match of the season. He eventually moved to fellow Championship club West Bromwich Albion for an undisclosed fee.

### Kit and sponsorship

Leicester City's home kit for the 2009–10 season was unveiled before the final home game of 2008–09 against Scunthorpe United. To mark the 125th anniversary of the club's founding in 1884, the design of the front of the shirt had earlier been put to an online vote, with the fans deciding to keep the home shirt blank and sponsorless. A special badge was created for this kit, to be used for one season only.
The blue and black design of the away kit mirrors the shirts worn in the club's first game in 1884. It is branded with the logo of LOROS, a charity providing hospice care in Leicestershire. The charity will receive a percentage of the sale price of each shirt sold from their shops.
Both strips are manufactured by Joma, following the expiration of the club's previous deal with Jako.

### Friendlies

After reporting back for pre-season training on 1 July, the club remained unbeaten through six pre-season games:

## Record

2009–10 was Leicester City's 58th season at the second tier of English football. Their record of winning the division on six occasions (although not since 1980) is second only to Manchester City. Prior to the 2009–10 season, their record at this level was:
| Champions | 6 | 1924–25, 1936–37, 1953–54, 1956–57, 1970–71, 1979–80 |
| Automatic promotion | 3 | 1907–08, 1982–83, 2002–03 |
| Promotion play-off winners | 2 | 1994, 1996 |
| Promotion play-off runners-up | 2 | 1992, 1993 |
| Top half | 19 | |
| Bottom half | 24 | |
| Relegated | 1 | |

## Players
### 2009–10 squad

    Only includes players given a squad number. The squad listed is the squad which Leicester finished the season with.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Chris Weale |
| 2 | DF | SCO | Robbie Neilson |
| 3 | DF | NIR | Ryan McGivern (on loan from Manchester City) |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Michael Morrison |
| 5 | DF | BUL | Aleksandar Tunchev |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Wayne Brown (vice-captain) |
| 7 | MF | PER | Nolberto Solano |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Matt Oakley (captain) |
| 9 | FW | SCO | Steve Howard |
| 10 | MF | WAL | Andy King |
| 11 | MF | ENG | Lloyd Dyer |
| 12 | FW | ENG | Matty Fryatt |
| 13 | GK | IRL | Conrad Logan |
| 15 | DF | SUI | Bruno Berner |
| 16 | MF | WAL | Nicky Adams |
| 17 | MF | FRA | Dany N'Guessan |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 18 | FW | ENG | Martyn Waghorn (on loan from Sunderland) |
| 19 | MF | ENG | Richie Wellens |
| 20 | DF | ENG | Luke O'Neill |
| 21 | FW | ENG | Ashley Chambers |
| 22 | FW | FRA | Yann Kermorgant |
| 23 | FW | ENG | DJ Campbell |
| 24 | FW | SCO | Paul Gallagher |
| 25 | DF | ENG | Jack Hobbs |
| 26 | MF | SWE | Astrit Ajdarević |
| 27 | FW | ENG | James Vaughan (on loan from Everton) |
| 29 | DF | ENG | Chris Powell |
| 30 | DF | ENG | Tom Parkes |
| 31 | GK | ENG | Carl Pentney |
| 32 | MF | ENG | Aman Verma |
| 33 | DF | IRL | Alex Bruce (on loan from Ipswich Town) |
| 34 | DF | ENG | Jay Spearing (on loan from Liverpool) |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Pos. | Name | From | Fee |
| 29 June 2009 | MF | Dany N'Guessan | Lincoln City | Undisclosed |
| 1 July 2009 | DF | Jack Hobbs | Liverpool | Undisclosed |
| 1 July 2009 | DF | Wayne Brown | Hull City | Free |
| 1 July 2009 | GK | Chris Weale | Bristol City | Free |
| 1 July 2009 | MF | Astrit Ajdarevic | Liverpool | Free |
| 1 July 2009 | DF | Robbie Neilson | Heart of Midlothian | Free |
| 7 July 2009 | MF | Richie Wellens | Doncaster Rovers | £1,200,000 |
| 21 August 2009 | FW | Paul Gallagher | Blackburn Rovers | £900,000 |
| 24 August 2009 | FW | Yann Kermorgant | Stade de Reims | Free |

### Out

| Date | Pos. | Name | To | Fee |
| 1 July 2009 | MF | Joe Cobb | Wycombe Wanderers | Free |
| 1 July 2009 | DF | Marc Edworthy | Burton Albion | Free |
| 1 July 2009 | MF | Lee Cox | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Free |
| 1 July 2009 | MF | Jonny Hayes | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Free |
| 1 July 2009 | MF | Ryan Beswick | Kettering Town | Free |
| 13 July 2009 | FW | Barry Hayles | Cheltenham Town | Free |
| 22 July 2009 | FW | Billy McKay | Northampton Town | Free |
| 10 August 2009 | DF | Joe Mattock | West Bromwich Albion | £1.2 million |
| 25 January 2010 | MF | Max Gradel | Leeds United | Undisclosed |
| 29 January 2010 | FW | Ricky Sappleton | Macclesfield Town | Free |
| 1 February 2010 | FW | Paul Dickov | Released | Free |

### Loans in

| Date from | Date to | Pos. | Name | From |
| 7 August 2009 | End of season | FW | Martyn Waghorn | Sunderland F.C. |
| 30 August 2009 | End of season | DF | Ryan McGivern | Manchester City |
| 1 February 2010 | End of season | DF | Alex Bruce | Ipswich Town |
| 10 March 2010 | End of season | FW | James Vaughan | Everton |
| 23 March 2010 | End of season | MF | Jay Spearing | Liverpool |

### Loans out

| Date from | Date to | Pos. | Name | From |
| 1 August 2009 | 31 December 2009 | MF | Aman Verma | Crewe Alexandra |
| 4 August 2009 | End of Season | MF | James Wesolowski | Hamilton Academical |
| 14 August 2009 | End of Season | MF | Harry Worley | Crewe Alexandra |
| 21 August 2009 | | FW | Ashley Chambers | Wycombe Wanderers |
| 28 August 2009 | 1 January 2010 | FW | Paul Dickov | Derby County |
| 11 September 2009 | | MF | Levi Porter | Mansfield Town |
| 17 September 2009 | | FW | Craig King | Hereford United |
| 11 September 2009 | 2 January 2010 | MF | Max Gradel | Leeds United |
| 26 November 2009 | 31 January 2010 | FW | DJ Campbell | Derby County |
| 15 January 2010 | 14 February 2010 | MF | Nicky Adams | Leyton Orient |
| 19 January 2010 | 18 February 2010 | DF | Luke O'Neill | Tranmere Rovers |
| 21 January 2010 | End of season | FW | Ashley Chambers | Wycombe Wanderers |
| 1 February 2010 | End of season | DF | Lathaniel Rowe-Turner | Torquay United |
| 1 February 2010 | End of season | FW | DJ Campbell | Blackpool |
| 1 February 2010 | End of season | MF | Aman Verma | Histon |
| 25 March 2010 | End of season | MF | Astrit Ajdarevic | Hereford United |

## Results
### Football League Championship

* Leicester City scores given first

### Football League Championship play-offs

* Leicester City scores given first
* Away goals do not count.

### FA Cup

* Leicester City scores given first

### League Cup

* Leicester City scores given first

## Awards
### Club awards

At the end of the season, Leicester's annual award ceremony including categories voted for by the players and backroom staff, the supporters and the supporters club, saw the following players recognised for their achievements for the club throughout the 2009–10 season.
| Player of the Season | Jack Hobbs |
| Young Player of the Season | Martyn Waghorn |
| Player' Player of the Season | Jack Hobbs and Andy King (joint winners) |
| Supporters' Club Player of the Season | Jack Hobbs |
| Academy Player of the Season | Elliott Chamberlain |
| Goal of the Season | Paul Gallagher (vs. Nottingham Forest, 27 February 2010) |

### Divisional awards

| Date | Award | Winner |
| February 2010 | Championship Manager of the Month | Nigel Pearson |
| February 2010 | Championship Player of the Month | Paul Gallagher |

## Championship statistics
### Championship table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 3 | Nottingham Forest | 46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 65 | 40 | +25 | 79 | Qualification for Championship play-offs |
| 4 | Cardiff City | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 73 | 54 | +19 | 76 | Qualification for Championship play-offs |
| 5 | Leicester City | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 61 | 45 | +16 | 76 | Qualification for Championship play-offs |
| 6 | Blackpool (O, P) | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 74 | 58 | +16 | 70 | Qualification for Championship play-offs |
| 7 | Swansea City | 46 | 17 | 18 | 11 | 40 | 37 | +3 | 69 | |

### Club standings

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 24 April 2010. Source: LCFC Championship Results

## Club statistics
### Appearances

| No. | Name | FLC | PO | FAC | LC | Total |
| 1 | Chris Weale | 45 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 51 |
| 2 | Robbie Neilson | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 |
| 3 | Ryan McGivern | 9 (3) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 (3) |
| 4 | Michael Morrison | 30 (1) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 34 (1) |
| 5 | Aleksander Tunchev | 1 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 (1) |
| 6 | Wayne Brown | 38 (1) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 39 (1) |
| 7 | Max Gradel* | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) |
| 7 | Nolberto Solano | 6 (5) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 (5) |
| 8 | Matt Oakley | 37 (1) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 41 (1) |
| 9 | Steve Howard | 17 (18) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20 (18) |
| 10 | Andy King | 37 (6) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 41 (6) |
| 11 | Lloyd Dyer | 25 (8) | 2 | 0 (1) | 1 | 28 (9) |
| 12 | Matty Fryatt | 26 (3) | 1 (1) | 2 | 1 (1) | 30 (5) |
| 13 | Conrad Logan | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) |
| 15 | Bruno Berner | 34 (1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 36 (1) |
| 16 | Nicky Adams | 1 (17) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 (17) |
| 17 | Dany N'Guessan | 16 (11) | 0 (1) | 2 | 1 (1) | 19 (13) |
| 18 | Martyn Waghorn | 27 (15) | 1 (1) | 1 | 0 (1) | 29 (17) |
| 19 | Richie Wellens | 41 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 46 |
| 20 | Luke O'Neill | 0 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 (1) |
| 22 | Yann Kermorgant | 9 (11) | 0 (2) | 1 (1) | 0 (1) | 10 (15) |
| 23 | DJ Campbell | 0 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (3) |
| 24 | Paul Gallagher | 31 (10) | 2 | 0 (1) | 2 | 35 (11) |
| 25 | Jack Hobbs | 44 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 49 |
| 27 | Paul Dickov* | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (2) |
| 27 | James Vaughan | 2 (6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (6) |
| 29 | Chris Powell | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 33 | Alex Bruce | 2 (1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 (1) |
| 34 | Jay Spearing | 6 (1) | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 7 (2) |
Note:
* Substitute appearances given in brackets.
* Asterisk indicates player left the club mid-season.

### Top scorers

| Pos. | Player | FLC | PO | FAC | LC | Total |
| 1 | Matty Fryatt | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
| 2 | Martyn Waghorn | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 3 | Andy King | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| 4 | Paul Gallagher | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 5 | Dany N'Guessan | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 6 | Steve Howard | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 7 | Bruno Berner | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 8 | Michael Morrison | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| = | Lloyd Dyer | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | Nicky Adams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| = | Jay Spearing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| = | James Vaughan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| = | Richie Wellens | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| = | Yann Kermorgant | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |

### Disciplinary record

| Player | | |
| Richie Wellens | 8 | 1 |
| Martyn Waghorn | 6 | 1 |
| Steve Howard | 6 | 1 |
| Matt Oakley | 7 | 0 |
| Bruno Berner | 7 | 0 |
| Matt Oakley | 7 | 0 |
| Wayne Brown | 5 | 0 |
| Ryan McGivern | 4 | 0 |
| Paul Gallagher | 4 | 0 |
| Michael Morrison | 3 | 0 |
| Robbie Neilson | 3 | 0 |
| Lloyd Dyer | 3 | 0 |
| Dany N'Guessan | 2 | 0 |
| Jack Hobbs | 2 | 0 |
| Andy King | 2 | 0 |
| Nolberto Solano | 2 | 0 |
| Matty Fryatt | 1 | 0 |
| James Vaughan | 1 | 0 |
| Alex Bruce | 1 | 0 |
All Stats obtained from LCFC.com