Match Preview City v Tranmere Worthington Cup Final 2000
Wembley Winterland

Peter Gilbert 24.2.00

If anyone has ever wondered about Emile Heskey they would have done well to have watched England v Argentina to witness the arrival of this Leicester Lad as a world class striker. World class? Yes world class; don't forget he was playing against arguably the best defence in the world and he turned them inside out. He obliterated them. He frustrated them. He was too quick, too agile and too strong. He sent panic waves across the footballing world......in fact he caused the Argies to make substitutions and whatever, but to no avail, he was untamable. Had it not been for the ineptitude of others around him England would have won the game easily thanks to his efforts. Emile you're a star.......stand up and take a bow.
If the Tranmere players were watching the game, and who can doubt they were, then they will not have been made any more confident than they already are after watching just part of our team flex it's muscles at Wembley.
Add to Emile Heskey 10 men true and brave and you have Leicester City in a nutshell at 'Filbert Nut'.
We have every right to go confidently into the League Cup Final against Tranmere, confidence and self belief after all are the qualities that got us here and if we turn it on we will win. If we play to our strengths if we're up for it......if.....if ........if.
But we'll see........ it'll be no pushover that's for sure and Tranmere will play like men possessed.......which after all is what they will be........possessed by their first ever Wembley appearance with the majority of the country willing them to win and that of course includes the sour faced football writers who will hover around the twin towers like vultures hoping to see a death. But we're not just going to lie down and let them pick through our bones now are we.
If we win......well we can't win really can we ? But if we win 1-0 people will say, they made hard work of that and it was only Tranmere. If we draw or lose they will say 'Can't even beat Tranmere!'
The only way we can really win will be to score 5 or 6 goals, simply wipe the floor with them............ and we are capable of that too.
It will be a strange occasion to go to Wembley in the winter, snow is forecast and I suppose it could be abandoned due to inclement weather.......but I doubt it really.
I expect us to go along there with our 'stars' and we'll twinkle and shine and glitter our way to a victory simply as a prelude to qualification into the European scene again.
I am fully aware that Tranmere can take long throw ins, can run at you at speed and can confuse referees and find it funny. I wish them luck, I hope they do well .........................next year!

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