Ben Jacobs column: Leicester City keeper Chris Weale deserves the plaudits

​Leicester City once again had goalkeeper Chris Weale to thank for their plucky 2-1 win at Blackpool. No wonder the likes of Tottenham and Stoke have been tracking his progress.

In the end Harry Redknapp tried and failed to sign Manchester United’s Ben Foster, while Stoke pipped Spurs to Portsmouth’s Asmir Begovic.

Thankfully, Weale was never on the market. Prudent Leicester did not want to sell, and I can’t see why Weale would even consider playing second-fiddle at either club when he could be City’s first-choice keeper in the Premier League next season. Half-hearted enquiries were no doubt made, but I’m not aware of any offers tabled.

I think Weale is as good as Birmingham’s Joe Hart, who Fabio Capello is touting for the World Cup. He made some stunning saves at Bloomfield Road, frequently thwarting Stephen Dobbie, who afterwards said he was “like a brick wall”.

Without Weale, Dobbie might have bagged a hat-trick, instead of just a late consolation.

The Swansea loanee is one of the more enterprising strikers I’ve seen this season. He’s now scored in his first two Blackpool games, yet the Seasiders lost both, which tells you a great deal about their shoddy defence.

Leicester manager Nigel Pearson was spot-on to note if Blackpool “could defend like they attack they would be top of the league”.

If Leicester could attack like they defend they would also be top of the League.

Danny N’Guessan’s well-taken opener on Saturday was City’s first league goal in almost six hours.

And although Matt Gilks made some good saves himself, Matty Fryatt and Martyn Waghorn spurned two point-blank sitters, which they should have smashed in with their eyes shut.

Neither played badly, and both got an assist, but their misses made for a needlessly tense finale.

Leicester deserve huge credit for hanging on but, worryingly (for fans who have no nails left), five of their last six goals leaked have been in the final 20 minutes – three in the last minute.

That could have been four had cheeky Charlie Adams won a draw-earning penalty, but unsighted (or wise!) referee Andy Haines chose to book the Scottish midfielder for diving instead.

N’Guessan accused his ex-Rangers team-mate of “going down too easily”, but the French winger clearly tugged Adams’ shoulder. Yes, Adams made a meal of it, but it would probably have been a free-kick outside the area, so it was a risky challenge.

Another ‘Dobbie’ – Dobby the House Elf, aka Ian Holloway – felt it was a penalty, while even Pearson didn’t try and argue otherwise. He simply said Leicester deserved some luck after recent “horrific decisions”.

Fryatt could do with a bit of luck too. Doncaster Rovers tonight is a tremendous opportunity to break a goal-drought stretching back to Boxing Day.

Rovers, like Blackpool, boast an attractive attack but shaky defence, which third-bottom Reading made look pretty amateur on Saturday.

Meanwhile, history is on Leicester's side to secure back-to-back wins. Doncaster have not taken three points here since 1902, while their last trip was a 3-1 loss back in 1956-57 – the season Leicester won Division Two thanks to Arthur Rowley’s record 44 goals in 42 games

Although I’ve every confidence Fryatt will re-discover his goal-scoring touch, how Leicester could do with another Rowley to help cement a play-off place.

In the past, they’ve been linked with Doncaster striker Billy Sharp, but he’s probably too similar to Waghorn.

I think Birmingham’s Kevin Phillips would be the perfect addition. The ex-England striker was linked with a £750,000 switch to the Walkers Stadium, and was apparently open to a loan-move, but Birmingham say a bid was never made.

Plus, after his two superb finishes at the weekend to give the Blues an unlikely late 2-1 victory over Wolves, it’s not a transfer that will happen.