Could Hannah Cain Be Leicester’s Play-Off Hero Against Charlton? 

Could the Foxes star make the difference in The Play-Off Presented by Mercedes?

On Saturday, 23rd May, Leicester City will have their date with destiny at The Valley against top-flight hopefuls Charlton in a Play-Off showdown. It will be the Foxes’ last chance to avoid relegation after finishing bottom of the Barclays Women’s Super League with an anemic nine points.

Considering their lacklustre performance, including a devastating run of 12 consecutive defeats leading up to this all-important fixture, it could be considered a mercy that such a difficult season has come during a league expansion. That gives them one final shot at survival. But only if they can seize the opportunity.

To do so, they will need to unlock weapons that have remained holstered for most of the year; few with as much firepower as Hannah Cain. Can she be the game-changer this Saturday? Let’s find out.

Cain Without Gain: Leicester’s Silent Striker Stuck All Season

Much of Leicester’s disappointment this year has come as a surprise. Neither the transfer window nor Passmoor’s tactical tinkering has had the impact they hoped for. But none have been more unexpected than the gifted Hannah Cain’s completely goalless run.

To put it into perspective, she has donned the royal blue jersey on 51 occasions and scored eight times. Not a single one of them came this season.

So, before this troubled campaign, she was averaging around 0.25 goals per game, meaning four to five goals would have been expected. Set that alongside the 10 she scored for her country, Wales, in 26 appearances, and the drought we have seen here looked about as likely as a January without rain.

One Last Bite: Leicester Look to Feed Hannah Cain Her Moment

So, how do Leicester unlock Cain’s potential come Saturday? Well, first things first, there is no question as to whether she still has it as a finisher. You just need to look at her spellbinding performance against Albania last month, where she dismantled the opposition with a brace, taking her to six goals across four internationals, as proof. Her direct, instinctive, poacher’s style of striking can still get the job done.

In truth, the issue has more to do with Leicester than Cain herself. She’s remained a reliable force across many tactical changes during the 1,597 minutes she’s played.

In that time, she contributed 24 shots, including six accurate long balls, 18 successful crosses, and an assist from a clever cutback that allowed Alisha Lehmann to score her first for Leicester. Make no mistake, Cain may not have scored, but she’s been buzzing around like a bee that means business, always looking primed to sting the opposition’s backline.

Why hasn’t it happened? To put it bluntly, very little has moved the needle for the Foxes this season, who have scored just 11 goals with a brutal - 41GD. Passmoor may not have hit the panic button, but he is guilty of prioritising composure in possession over attacking tempo, and made substitutions to strengthen the midfield rather than to push to victory.

Here, Leicester will need to go for broke against a defensively disciplined Charlton side. The Addicks, who ended third in BWSL2 after conceding a mere 21 goals all season, have proven themselves masters at shutting down complex attacks. Considering Leicester’s offensive struggles this year, it’s unlikely a convoluted approach would be effective. What they need is raw finishing power.

Hannah Cain, who excels in direct, aggressive football and is lethal in the box, may be the perfect striker to slip through Charlton’s robust defence. If Passmoor commits to high-pressing, attacking football and doesn’t fall into his habit of tweaking the game plan when things get hairy, then Leicester and Cain could really make the most of this final effort. In that case, there’s a strong chance they can put things right after a disappointing season and get the job done where it matters most: on the scoresheet.