IT WAS the game against West Bromwich Albion in April when Nigel Pearson’s Leicester City, on their way to yet another defeat, managed to turn the match around and scored two goals in the final 10 minutes that supporters began to believe that they could preserve their top-flight status.

They did so, doggedly, in one of the stories of the 2014-15 season.

It will go down in Premier League folklore that the Foxes, rooted to the relegation zone for much of the season, produced arguably one of the greatest escapes in recent history.

A turbulent campaign ended with his jubilant side signing off with a 5-1 thumping of Queens Park Rangers, leaving City sitting six points clear of the drop in 14th.

However, that doesn’t come close to telling the full story.

After a good start to the season, including a remarkable 5-3 comeback victory over Manchester United when they were 3-1 down at half-time, things began to turn sour. Between the end of September and just before the new year, Leicester didn’t record a single win.

It didn’t help that the manager was drawing negative attention.

Pearson found himself involved in some of the more bizarre moments of the season, including telling a Leicester fan in December to “fuck off and die.”

It was an ugly and needless confrontation.

There was also the accidental clash with Crystal Palace’s James McArthur which resulted in Pearson forcibly holding down the player to the ground by the throat.

Pearson was reportedly sacked by the club’s Thai owners that evening following the defeat to the Eagles but bizarrely re-instated for the match against Arsenal three days later.

By the time Jamie Vardy, impressive for much of the season, scored the winner in a decisive victory over fellow strugglers West Brom on April 11, Leicester knew that a good set of results would make it possible to turn things around.

Seven wins in their last nine games was enough to do it. Pearson continued to court controversy with an embarrassing press conference in which he called a journalist close to the club an “ostrich.”

However, by now, Leicester were on their way.

Esteban Cambiasso was arguably the player of the season. The experienced midfielder, a former Argentina international, joined at the beginning of the campaign and was to become a fans’ favourite. Striker Leonardo Ulloa was to push him close with some important performances.

Ultimately Pearson will need to bolster his squad over the summer if they wish to avoid further struggles next season.