Dodds and Reserves both miss out

Louis Dodds scored a 'hat-trick' that wasn't and Leicester City Reserves drew a game they should have settled in the first half at Hinckley tonight.

City's 4-4 draw with Portsmouth Reserves was one of non-stop incident especially for striker Louis Dodds who scored what the announcer declared was a hat-trick in the first half except that one of the goals belonged to Andy King.

Had City turned round 5-1 ahead Portsmouth could not reasonably have complained. City took them apart, scoring three goals, having one disallowed and hitting the woodwork.

Portsmouth replied twice to turn only 3-2 down, their first goal coming courtesy of a missed handball that looked more like a basketball move and by a second goal which looked distinctly offside.

City skipper Alan Sheehan was first to unlock Portsmouth's hopelessly flat defence, flighting a precision 30-yard through ball to Dodds who ran through unchallenged to take his chance calmly.

Another splended move down the left allowed Eric Odihiambo to tee up Andy King for a tap-in second and City seemed to be heading for a landslide victory when Portsmouth responded in unlikely style.

Ivica Mornar appeared to simply flick the ball around a City defender to burst clear down the centre but the referee refused City's pleas for handball, even booking one of the protesters, and Mornar finished clinically.

Within a minute Leicester restored their two-goal lead when Dodds took advantage of woefully hesitant defending to score unchallenged from close range.

City were rampant and the impressive Odihiambo's inward swerving piledriver somehow rebounded clear off a post before moments later City goalkeeper Alex Cisak tipped a Portsmouth strike onto the right side of his own near post.

Portsmouth's second goal just before half-time, also by Mornar, looked blatantly offside and, although Max Gradel appeared to clinch the match with a crisp City fourth, late goals from the always dangerous Franck Songo'o and Kyle Swayne somehow pinched a draw for Portsmouth.

For the second Premier Reserve League fixture running at Hinckley, City's Reserves had provided a spectacular for the fans but conceded an avalanche of goals.

City: Cisak, Magunda (Smedley), Sheehan (Mattock), Wykes, Norval, Franklin, Gradel, King, Odihiambo (Chambers), Dodds, Hamill.

Portsmouth: Guatelli, Eyles, Donaghey, Wilson, Day, Swayne, Fordyce, Cousins, Mornar (Roberts), Song'o, Bye (McClorry-Cuthbertson).