LONDON: Local teenager Tommy Wright virtually guaranteed Leicester City Premier League football next season with the only goal in a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the English First Division on Tuesday.
Leicester, relegated from the top flight last year, remain in the second automatic promotion spot behind leaders Portsmouth on goal difference with both teams on 86 points.
Only Forest, who stay in playoff contention in fifth place on 68 points with a game in hand, have a mathematical possibility of catching their East Midland rivals.
Eighteen-year-old Wright, who was making his first start for his hometown club, latched onto the rebound after Darren Ward had parried a Jordan Stewart attempt, sending the ball back past the Forest goalkeeper with a fierce shot in the 37th minute.
Leicester, who have five games left, can make certain of their rapid return to the Premier League if they draw at Rotherham on Saturday and Forest slip up at home to Wolves. Wolves improved their position among the promotion playoff contenders with a 1-0 victory at relegation-threatened Grimsby Town.
The victory moved them above Reading, who have played a game less, into fifth place on goal difference and opened up a six-point gap on Ipswich and Norwich at the head of the chasing pack.
Wales striker Nathan Blake, who was sent off against Rotherham last weekend, got the goal – his 12th of the season – in the 13th minute.
In other matches, Crystal Palace’s mediocre finish to the season continued when they lost 1-0 to Watford at Selhurst Park, a David Hunt own goal just before the break proving decisive.
Burnley bounced back from their extraordinary 7-4 home defeat by Watford on Saturday by beating Preston North End 2-0. – Reuters
Leicester, relegated from the top flight last year, remain in the second automatic promotion spot behind leaders Portsmouth on goal difference with both teams on 86 points.
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