Leicester Draw For Johnstone Paint Trophy

On Friday (13th June), Leicester drew Stockport in the first round of the Carling Cup for a home tie at the Walkers Stadium,last year this would have been a nothing tie but this year a league fixture.

This is the first step for Leicester towards possible cup runs in the FA Cup, Johnstone Paint Trophy and the Carling Cup with all of the finals being played at Wembley and the runs being started with a rare home tie against Stockport.

The last time that Leicester played Stockport, World War II hadn’t even taken place yet, they played during the year of 1925. Last season, Leicester’s Irish goalkeeper Conrad Logan spent the season on loan at Stockport and guided them to League 1 via the play-offs.

On the 11th of August, Leicester will find out their fate as to the first ever team that they will play in the first round of the Johnstone Paint Trophy for the first time in their 124-year history.

There are many views on the JPT by many fans, some see it as a chance of some silverware, one fan stating ‘Could give us Wembley visit at least though.’ where as another fan saw it as the sad demise of the club ‘It just made me even more depressed… a club like Leicester fighting for the Johnstone Paint Trophy…’.

The Johnstone Paint Trophy often attracts very few fans and a new rule had been brought in as many teams were fielding below-strength teams and so now the rule has been made that at least 6 of the players with the most appearances in their respective positions must start or the club will face a fine. Attendances are very poor with local rivals Nottingham Forest attracting the lowest attendance in their history when just 2,013 fans arrived to watch them play against Brentford.

Next season Leicester will also be playing in the first round of the historic FA Cup for the first time since Leicester was established in 1884.

Past winners of the Johnstone Paint Trophy include:

2004: Blackpool
2005: Wrexham
2006: Swansea
2007: Bristol Rovers
2008: Mk Dons

And so do you see the participation in the Johnstone Paint Trophy as a chance for some silverware or as the tip of the iceberg that tops of Leicester’s sad disintegration of recent years?

Give your views.