Football: Lili gets new boss Levein off to flier; LEAGUE ONE SPECIAL: LEICESTER 3 COVENTRY 0 CRAIG'S HOME DEBUT FOXTROT.

Byline: IAN EDWARDS 

CRAIG LEVEIN broke the curse of the Walkers Stadium at his first attempt last night and it looks like the good times are ready to roll again under the Scot recommended by Martin O'Neill.

Levein's debut in front of his new Leicester fans was an instant hit as his new side recorded only their second home win of the season and heaped more pressure on struggling Coventry boss Peter Reid.

Frenchman Lilian Nalis' fourth goal of the campaign and Danny Tiatto's first goal in two-and-a-half years laid the platform for Leicester to move up to 12th place in the Championship table.

Matt Heath's second-half header, after a mistake by keeper Luke Steele, confirmed Leicester's rapid improvement under Levein.

But it was another kick in the teeth for Reid's Coventry who, after a promising start this season, are now starting to slide dangerously towards the wrong end of the table after only one win in their last 12 outings.

Levein is apparently not one for making rash promises, but before the kick-off the Scot let his guard down for a moment.

He admitted he knew all about Leicester's designs on making a return to the Premiership, which was part of the reason he opted to leave Hearts.

The 40-year-old hard-liner is equally ambitious and announced "let's hope we both get there together". To do so he will have to make some serious improvements on Leicester's dreadful home form.

One of the main reasons Micky Adams quit his post was the awful statistic of just two home wins in the previous 12 months ahead of Coventry's arrival last night.

If the assessment of former Leicester boss Martin O'Neill is anything to go by, that should not be too much of a problem for the Scot.

O'Neill rates him so highly he believed that it would be virtually impossible for his old club to lure Levein to the Midlands because of growing interest from the Scottish FA in the search for a replacement for Berti Vogts.

There is certainly a look of cold steel about him, but his remit is no different to the one facing Reid at Highfield Road.

Premiership football next season, in time for Coventry's move into their new stadium, is a must for chairman Mike McGinnity.

He is desperate to reduce debts of around pounds 25m, but with only one win in their previous 11 games, Reid's job security is quickly diminishing as the pressure mounts.

And the pressure on the Sky Blues boss must have jumped a notch when Nalis put Leicester in front after 26 minutes of sparring between these two neighbours.

Peter Canero's cross was only half cleared to the edge of the box by Adie Williams and Nalis pounced on the loose ball to drive a low shot past the fingertips of Steele.

It was the second time in six days that Nalis had found himself on the scoresheet and Leicester doubled their advantage right on the stroke of half-time.

James Scowcroft's flick-on was held up by David Connolly in the box and when Coventry defender Florent Laville slid in trying to clear the ball, he succeeded in presenting it on a plate to Tiatto.

The Australian rifled home a first-time shot beyond Steele from the penalty spot.

Reid wasted little time in ringing the changes at the break, but it was too late to rescue matters.

Leicester refused to drop the pace and Heath added to their lead with a header from Keith Gillespie's corner - after Steele elected to come and punch and got nowhere near the ball.

With more than half the season remaining, and Levein at the helm, Leicester's ambitions could yet be realised. The same cannot be said for McGinnity and Reid.

CAPTION(S):

WELL DONE LADS: Levein was proud of his team last night; IN THE PINK: Lilian Nalis (second left) is mobbed after scoring