Chrissy Powell praises fans at 750 not out

Last updated : 07 December 2008 By Shrimpers24

Now playing for yesterday's opposition, 39 year-old left back Chris Powell was overwhelmed to receive an engraved crystal glass from Leicester to mark his 750th professional appearance: "It was a lovely surprise and a fantastic gesture from the club and the fans. I got a nice round of applause from both sets of fans but I still have that burning desire to play the game I love."

Chrissy then focused firmly on the Foxes hat-trick hero Matt Fryatt: "Matty is on fire and has done an amazing job really. He is showing everyone what he is capable of at this level and it's now case of keeping that momentum going. I think he will get better and his attitude is very good. He is very calm, he is a good finisher and is a key player for us. But I know the boss won't let him get carried away and will keep him on his toes. Hopefully he will be with us when we return to the Championship at the end of the season."

Meanwhile, speaking to Blues World Tilly praised both strikers for the home side, (6ft 3 ex-Luton and Derby Steve Howard as well as hat-trick hero Fryatt), and felt they made the difference between the sides: "They would be a handful for any back four in this division. Fryatt is on fire, (well we all agree on that then), and is a good player; I have always liked him. It was certainly a fantastic finish for the first goal. When they were leading 1-0, we had actually more shots than them, but they scored a fantastic second and that was a hammer blow. I don't think it was a 3-0 defeat though. We had five or six shots and I don't think they really opened us up. We certainly weren't passed off the pitch and I felt we frustrated them at times. But we have a home game next Saturday and we have to be ready for it. It is one to look forward to and we have to aim to bounce back."

Not surprisingly Leicester boss Nigel Pearson, speaking to the press after the game, was looking at the success of the team overall, believing that while Fryatt will get the headlines, his sides new found resolve is key to the run that's taken them two points clear at the top of the table: "I think we were excellent all over the pitch and that was one of our better performances of the season to date. We got an early goal and then had to be patient, and we got our reward for that. Our attitude was excellent. We didn't panic and kept plugging away. Matty has now scored back to back hat-tricks which is some achievement in anyone's book, although he will be the first one to pay the respect to the players around him.