Leicester City are dark horses in promotion stakes – Steve Claridge

Leicester City have surprised quite a few people this season, none more so than former star Steve Claridge.

After rampaging to the League One title last season, Nigel Pearson's men have carried that momentum into their Championship campaign.

Just three defeats in 17 games have rocketed them into third place behind much-fancied West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle.

Claridge was back in Leicester to officially open Paddy Power's first bookmakers' shop in the city.

Now a much-respected television pundit, Claridge is still a keen follower of his former club's progress and, although he believes they will not be promoted this season, he admits they have exceeded all expectations.

"If you ask me if City can get promotion then I have to be honest and say no," said Claridge, now 43. "But if you ask if I think they are doing very well, then the answer is yes.

"Some say they may be punching above their weight. But, in the Championship, it is difficult to judge what the average weight is. Blackpool are up there with one or two others, yet clubs that have spent quite a lot of money, such as the Sheffield Uniteds, are not.

"Before the start of the season, I said Leicester would finish between 10th and 15th. Anything above 10th would be fantastic, anything below 15th would be disappointing.

"So far, they have exceeded those expectations, so they are having a fantastic year. On that basis, they can certainly make the play-offs, although I would rule out a top-two finish."

Claridge played against current City boss Pearson in the 1997 Coca-Cola Cup final and is full of admiration for the job he is doing at the Walkers Stadium.

"He's been absolutely marvellous," said Claridge. "He got a tough steer at Newcastle and an even tougher one under Rupert Lowe at Southampton.

"He came to City and has done a very difficult job well. There was an awful lot of pressure because of expectation levels, of getting out of League One at the first attempt.

"They had put that to bed almost by Christmas. They may have flagged a little towards the end but the job had already been done. It was a marvellous effort in his first full season in management. He's done brilliantly."

Saturday's victory over Plymouth has pushed City firmly into the play-off picture and bookmakers can expect some brisk business.

Not that Claridge will be having a wager. His gambling antics were legendary during his playing days and he admitted in his autobiography it had cost him more than £300,000 over a 10-year period.

"I had fun," he said. "In hindsight, I wouldn't have spent as much money as I did but you live and learn. Importantly, you learn from the mistakes you make. I very rarely have a bet now. It's a culmination of things, a natural progression of growing up.

"There are other things in my life that are more important.

"It was never more important than football but, probably at some stage, it was more important than it should have been.

"That is certainly not the case now and there is far more balance to my life."

So all bets are off for Claridge, but it is odds-on he will be following City's progress with as much interest as ever.