I spent Saturday in the Ricoh Arena's £200,000 Jaguar Bar sipping overpriced Cabernet Sauvignon (I'm pretty sure you can get a handy French striker with the same name and still get more loose change from your money).

As I glanced at posters of Leicester legends, wondering why Gary McAllister and Dion Dublin were wearing sky blue shirts, the waitress, armed with spicy gourmet chicken, told me about the stadium's history.

Legend has it a City supporter, who was part of the construction firm, buried a Leicester shirt in the foundations to jinx Coventry. Let's hope it was the shameful mustard number from the late 1980s.

It hasn't been the most productive curse – City are yet to win at the Ricoh, while Martyn Waghorn's clinical finish on Saturday was just their second goal there.

However, it was a gutsy point in an open, honest derby. Without question, it was the kind of game City would have lost in their last spell in the Championship.

It's already the fourth time in 11 games that City have come from behind to take points – compared to five times in the whole of the 2007-2008 season.

The F word is the key to the early success… no, not Fryatt (well, him too), but fortitude.

City were pretty dire at Middlesbrough, but Dyer still popped up to steal a gutsy victory.

Hopefully this put to bed the previous visit to Teesside, when Micky Adams' Leicester took a 3-1 lead into the final minute but drew 3-3, as John Curtis and, arguably, Nikos Dabizaz, both scored own-goals.

The point is City are now mentally stronger, while they also have a bench that can change games.

Nigel Pearson isn't exactly Leicestershire's answer to Jose Mourinho, but the bold move to bring on three strikers on the hour at the Ricoh rather reminded me of the Special One.

I'll also make a prediction: Steve Howard, DJ Campbell and Waghorn will score 15 goals between them from the bench this season – and if this happens, City will make the play-offs.

Promotion aside (and let's not get carried away), it is as important that City demolish Derby on Saturday week.

Last weekend I fancied a comedy, so I put on Cardiff's 6-1 silencing of the Rams, followed by the sweetest of desserts – the 1998 Premier League win, where City took just 15 minutes to take the pride out of Pride Park with four goals.

I've seen Derby twice this season and I still believe that, in Nigel Clough, they have the wrong manager with the right father. He's very likeable but, I suspect, defensively clueless.

Derby have been very poor on their travels too, but in all honesty, a mid-table finish would be a decent season for what is a young, injury-hit squad.

Preston totally outplayed us at the Walkers last time out – Derby is the ideal fixture for us to bounce back.

BEN JACOBS is a Radio 5 Live reporter and Leicester City fan