Jamie Vardy’s brace helped Leicester City storm to a 3-0 victory against Preston North End and clinch the Championship title
The 37-year-old former England striker, whose goals previously fired the Foxes to a Premier League title and FA Cup glory, added to his reputation as a Leicester legend with a goal in each half to take his season tally to 20 in all competitions.
Kasey McAteer added a third with a close-range header for a completely dominant Leicester, who have become the fourth club – after Burnley, Fulham and Norwich – in as many years to make an immediate Premier League return as Championship title winners following relegation.
Leicester can now equal a 104-year record for most second division wins – set by Tottenham in the 1919-20 season with 32 – when they host Blackburn on the final day of the campaign on Saturday.
The 31 wins the Foxes already have equals the club record, matching the side that went up a decade ago.
Victory would also see Leicester become the first club to twice win promotion to the top flight by amassing 100 points or more.
Foxes boss Enzo Maresca, who was appointed after they dropped out of the Premier League, said going back up as title winners was a “fantastic” achievement after a “tough, difficult and intense” campaign.
“In the end we did it and we have brought this club to where it deserves to be,”
Tenth-placed Preston, whose lingering play-off aspirations were snuffed out by QPR nine days earlier, made the Foxes work hard for their first-half chances as they tried to avoid having the Championship trophy hoisted by Leicester at Deepdale.
In his 12 years with Leicester, Vardy has now scored 190 goals in 463 appearances.
The striker was there 10 years ago when they last won promotion and the Championship title and, after symbolising all the success that followed, he returned with the Foxes to the second tier once more.
His dominant presence and goals have been vital in returning Premier League football to King Power Stadium but with the striker out of contract in the summer, the value of his continued presence will undoubtedly be emotively debated in the coming weeks.
Championship: Jamie Vardy Fires Leicester City
To Championship Title
