Leicester City comment by Nev Foulger: Defence set standard in show of real character

This was the night Leicester City stood up and stated the case for the defence. And a pretty compelling one it was as well.

Manager Nigel Pearson may still bring in reinforcements but, on the evidence presented on Saturday, Wayne Brown and Co deserve a thumbs-up.

Brown was Sky TV's man of the match in the thrilling 0-0 draw against Newcastle United at the Walkers Stadium, but the award could have just as easily gone to any one of half-a-dozen other players.

A team performance was how the returning Bruno Berner described it – and he was right.

An all-hands-to-the-pumps approach was the only way City could survive after Richie Wellens was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 30th minute.

But, in an astonishing display of spirit and defiance, City not only survived but also went desperately close to winning. And nobody could have begrudged them if they had.

It was a stirring response by the players after a run of three defeats.

In a match chosen to showcase the FA's Respect campaign, City certainly earned the respect of the Blue Army and, you would think, the armchair audience at home.

There is nothing we like more in sport than seeing the underdog prevail.

And, if City were not the underdogs at the start of the game, they certainly were after Wellens had been shown the red card.

There was a lot of argument and debate about whether referee Andre Marriner's decision had been correct. Television replays showed it was.

But the 10 men rose to the challenge, so much so that the biggest crowd of the season at the Walkers were treated to one of the best matches of the season despite the absence of any goals.

There were however, some outstanding performances. Brown played as well as he has done since joining City and, alongside him in the back four, Michael Morrison, Jack Hobbs and Berner helped to build a defensive barrier Newcastle rarely looked like breaking down.

In midfield, Matt Oakley worked tirelessly to make up for the loss of Wellens while, up front, Matty Fryatt and Martyn Waghorn virtually ran themselves to a stand-still for the cause.

With the club having just announced their season ticket package for 2010-2011, this was as good a marketing exercise as it gets.

The players have also laid down a marker for the rest of the season.

It is going to be tough, with City facing 14 games in the next two months.

They are playing twice a week throughout February and it is virtually the same during March.

Such a heavy schedule is bound to take its toll and City will need to summon up the determination and resilience they showed against Newcastle.

If they can do that, finishing in the top six is still not beyond them. Chairman Milan Mandaric certainly believes so.

In his message to the fans in Saturday's programme, he said: "We have grown from strength to strength, to the extent that the proposition of a return to the Premier League is no longer just a distant dream, but a very realistic goal."

The performance against Newcastle will have added to that belief.