# 1987–88 Leicester City F.C. season

During the 1987–88 English football season, Leicester City F.C. competed in the Football League Second Division.

## Season summary

Leicester started the season poorly with five defeats from their first six league games, which put manager Hamilton under real pressure. He signed strikers Jari Rantanen from IFK Göteborg and Mike Newell from Luton Town for a club record £350,000 to make prospects a little brighter, but two wins in eleven league games cost Hamilton his job in December. He was replaced by former Tottenham Hotspur manager David Pleat, and fortunes turned in the second half of the season, with Leicester losing only four league games during that period and scoring in each of their final sixteen league fixtures.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 11 | Stoke City | 44 | 17 | 11 | 16 | 50 | 57 | −7 | 62 |
| 12 | Swindon Town | 44 | 16 | 11 | 17 | 73 | 60 | +13 | 59 |
| 13 | Leicester City | 44 | 16 | 11 | 17 | 62 | 61 | +1 | 59 |
| 14 | Barnsley | 44 | 15 | 12 | 17 | 61 | 62 | −1 | 57 |
| 15 | Hull City | 44 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 54 | 60 | −6 | 57 |

## Results

Leicester City's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League Second Division

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 15 August 1987 | Shrewsbury Town | H | 0–1 | 8,469 | |
| 19 August 1987 | Leeds United | A | 0–1 | 21,034 | |
| 29 August 1987 | Millwall | H | 1–0 | 7,559 | Moran |
| 31 August 1987 | Stoke City | A | 1–2 | 9,948 | McAllister |
| 5 September 1987 | Aston Villa | H | 0–2 | 10,286 | |
| 12 September 1987 | Crystal Palace | A | 1–2 | 8,925 | McAllister |
| 16 September 1987 | Oldham Athletic | H | 4–1 | 7,358 | Newell, Rantanen, Ford, Wilson |
| 19 September 1987 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 4–0 | 8,872 | Wilson, Ford, Newell, Rantanen |
| 26 September 1987 | Bournemouth | A | 3–2 | 7,969 | Newell, Osman, Mauchlen |
| 30 September 1987 | Ipswich Town | H | 1–1 | 11,533 | Moran |
| 3 October 1987 | Manchester City | A | 2–4 | 16,481 | Newell, Rantanen |
| 10 October 1987 | Barnsley | H | 0–0 | 8,665 | |
| 17 October 1987 | Sheffield United | A | 1–2 | 10,593 | McAllister |
| 21 October 1987 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 3–0 | 9,262 | Walsh, Moran (2) |
| 24 October 1987 | Hull City | A | 2–2 | 8,826 | McAllister, Walsh |
| 31 October 1987 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 1–2 | 8,650 | Moran |
| 7 November 1987 | Swindon Town | H | 3–2 | 8,346 | Ramsey, Walsh, Venus |
| 14 November 1987 | Birmingham City | A | 2–2 | 8,666 | Walsh, Cusack |
| 21 November 1987 | Bradford City | H | 0–2 | 11,543 | |
| 28 November 1987 | Huddersfield Town | A | 0–1 | 6,704 | |
| 5 December 1987 | Middlesbrough | H | 0–0 | 9,411 | |
| 12 December 1987 | Oldham Athletic | A | 0–2 | 4,785 | |
| 26 December 1987 | Bournemouth | H | 0–1 | 11,452 | |
| 28 December 1987 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 0–4 | 15,581 | |
| 1 January 1988 | Millwall | A | 0–1 | 7,220 | |
| 2 January 1988 | Crystal Palace | H | 4–4 | 10,104 | Brien, McAllister (pen), Reid, Wilkinson |
| 16 January 1988 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 0–0 | 5,025 | |
| 30 January 1988 | Reading | A | 2–1 | 6,645 | Osman, Walsh |
| 6 February 1988 | Aston Villa | A | 1–2 | 18,867 | Newell |
| 13 February 1988 | Leeds United | H | 3–2 | 11,937 | McAllister (2, 1 pen), Cross |
| 20 February 1988 | Ipswich Town | A | 2–0 | 11,084 | Reid, Newell |
| 27 February 1988 | Manchester City | H | 1–0 | 13,852 | Cross |
| 5 March 1988 | Sheffield United | H | 1–0 | 12,256 | Cross |
| 12 March 1988 | Barnsley | A | 1–1 | 7,447 | Walsh |
| 16 March 1988 | Stoke City | H | 1–1 | 10,502 | Mauchlen |
| 19 March 1988 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 3–3 | 9,564 | Reid (2), Newell |
| 26 March 1988 | Hull City | H | 2–1 | 10,353 | Newell, Weir (pen) |
| 2 April 1988 | Swindon Town | A | 2–3 | 9,450 | Osman, McAllister |
| 5 April 1988 | Birmingham City | H | 2–0 | 13,541 | Osman (2) |
| 9 April 1988 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 1–1 | 11,013 | Cross |
| 23 April 1988 | Reading | H | 1–0 | 9,603 | Walsh |
| 30 April 1988 | Bradford City | A | 1–4 | 14,393 | Reid |
| 2 May 1988 | Huddersfield Town | H | 3–0 | 9,803 | Cross (2), Groves |
| 7 May 1988 | Middlesbrough | A | 2–1 | 27,645 | Weir, McAllister |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 9 January 1988 | Oxford United | A | 0–2 | 7,557 | |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R2 1st leg | 23 September 1987 | Scunthorpe United | H | 2–1 | 7,718 | McAllister, Newell |
| R2 2nd leg | 6 October 1987 | Scunthorpe United | A | 2–1 (won 4-2 on agg) | 4,031 | Reid, Rantanen |
| R3 | 28 October 1987 | Oxford United | A | 0–0 | 14,586 | Newell, Reid |
| R3R | 4 November 1987 | Oxford United | H | 2–3 | 10,476 | Newell (2) |

### Full Members Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 10 November 1987 | Huddersfield Town | H | 1–0 | 3,440 | Ford |
| R2 | 1 December 1987 | Charlton Athletic | H | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | 1,327 | Jobling (2) |
| R3 | 19 January 1988 | Stoke City | A | 0–0 (lost 3-5 on pens) | 5,161 | |

## Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | GK | ENG | Ian Andrews |
| - | DF | ENG | Simon Morgan |
| - | MF | WAL | Robbie James |
| - | DF | ENG | Russell Osman |
| - | DF | ENG | Tony Spearing |
| - | DF | ENG | Steve Walsh |
| - | MF | SCO | Ian Wilson |
| - | MF | ENG | Gary Ford |
| - | MF | SCO | Gary McAllister |
| - | MF | ENG | Nick Cusack |
| - | MF | NIR | Paul Ramsey |
| - | MF | IRL | Martin Russell |
| - | DF | ENG | Mark Venus |
| - | FW | ENG | Steve Moran |
| - | FW | ENG | Steve Wilkinson |
| - | DF | ENG | Phil Horner |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | MF | ENG | Paul Reid |
| - | GK | ENG | Paul Cooper |
| - | MF | SCO | Ali Mauchlen (captain) |
| - | FW | FIN | Jari Rantanen |
| - | FW | ENG | Mike Newell |
| - | DF | IRL | Tony Brien |
| - | DF | IRL | Dave Langan (on loan from Oxford United) |
| - | MF | ENG | Kevin Jobling |
| - | MF | NOR | Kjetil Osvold (on loan from Nottingham Forest) |
| - | MF | SCO | Kevin MacDonald (on loan from Liverpool) |
| - | MF | SCO | Peter Weir |
| - | DF | ENG | Steve Prindiville |
| - | FW | ENG | Nicky Cross |
| - | MF | ENG | Phil Turner |
| - | DF | ENG | Grant Brown |
| - | MF | ENG | Paul Groves |