On This Day - Feb 22nd 1983

Feb 22nd 1983     League Division Two v Shrewsbury (h)

It looked impossible. We'd just lost 1-0 at Grimsby - a third defeat in four games, and promotion seemed a million miles away. We were fully 12 points behind Fulham, who were 3rd. No play-offs then, of course. Just the top three went up automatically.

But that night, Tuesday February 22nd, we beat Shrewsbury 3-2, with two from Lineker and one from Ian Wilson. Then four days later, leaders Wolves came to Filbert Street for one of the great occasions of Gordon Milne's reign. We won 5-0, with the Lineker-Smith-Lynex attack irresistible and recent signing Gerry Daly crowning a great display with the 5th. Could we...??

Gradually we reeled Fulham in, the key result being that famous 1-0 win at Craven Cottage in April.

That fantastic promotion race had a distant echo from early in the century, and in that season too, February 22nd was a key turning point.

February 22nd 1908    Derby County (a)

Here too, it looked hopeless. Just two clubs went up at that time, and Leicester Fosse were down in 8th,  and our next four games were against teams above us in the table, Also, our top scorer had just asked for a transfer. Imagine the impact on the 1982./83 promotion race if Lineker had suddenly demanded a move. Back in 1907/08, it was Percy Humphreys, who'd got 19 in 26 games.

This was the table:

We went to second placed Derby that day and got a crucial 2-1 win. It was Humphrey's last game, and he left for Chelsea the following week. Three days after that West Brom came to Filbert Street and were hammered 3-0. A week later we went to leaders Bradford City - and won 5-1!!  5,000 fans greeted the team as they arrived back at Leicester station that night, and the city was suddenly alive with promotion fever, with people no doubt asking 'Percy Who??'. Then yet another promotion rival came to Filbert Street - Hull City. They were beaten 3-2, and we were now up to 4th. 

In the end, we could afford a couple of slip ups, as Derby, then 2nd, contrived to lose seven of their last nine games. A 1-0 win at Stoke clinched promotion, Fosse finishing second behind Bradford City,  leaving Leicester fans to sing 'Ee Aye, Ee Aye, Ee Aye Oh, Up the Football League we go' for the first time ever,