THIS was the classic tale of the one that got away.

Throughout the 90 minutes, Stanley were more than deserving of at least one goal after dominating their Championship opponents for large chunks of the game.

But, agonisingly, their attacking football wasn't rewarded with a precious goal and their Carling Cup adventure ended at the first round stage.

But the result aside, Stanley were more than a match for the Foxes and there was little evidence that two divisions separate the sides.

On this showing, Milan Mandaric will have to dig deep to improve a decidedly average side.

The searing sun that kissed Wycombe Wanderers' Adams Park on Saturday was replaced by gloom and drizzle at the Fraser Eagle Stadium last night.

The pitch looked in immaculate nick for the first home game of the season with the rain that had poured down during the day making the pitch lightning quick.

Leam Richardson replaced Graham Branch in the only change for Stanley while Leicester made four changes to the side that lost to Blackpool at the weekend.

Foxes boss Martin Allen is unorthodox and under-fire after a defeat on the opening day and the controversey over the Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink affair. The Dutch striker claims Allen ordered him to take a trial once he had agreed personal terms and taken a medical at the Walkers Stadium.

And it's fair to say that all the pressure was on the visitors against their League Two hosts.

Leicester, three times winners of the League Cup, started with three up front with the lightning quick DJ Campbell causing havoc and the excellent Matt Fryatt raiding down the left.

And the decision paid immediate dividends as they made the breakthrough just four minutes in.

The Foxes won a corner, which Stanley failed to clear. The ball was fed out to Bruno N'Gotty, whose cross hit the upright with Kenny Arthur stranded. But the ball was fed back by Iain Hume to James Wesolowski who crashed the ball from 12 yards.

But with the Foxes seemingly rampant, Stanely should have been level on eight minutes.

Stanley broke through midfield with Jay Harris and with Darren Kenton slipping on the wet turf, Harris played in the unmarked Lee McEvilly but his first touch badly let him down and allowed Paul Henderson at save at his feet.

But the Foxes keeper almost made himself look a clown on 12 minutes when he dawdled over making a clearance. McEvilly got his ample frame in the way of his attempted punt upfield and the ball fell to the striker's feet but his shot luckily hit his legs as the red-faced keeper retreated towards his goal.

As the rain heaved down, Stanley began to push the Championship side back with Rommy Boco and John Miles getting some change out of a City defence that looked plenty porous and a keeper who didn't look up to Championship standard.

Time and time again, Henderson flapped under crosses and looked dodgy on the deck.

On the stroke of half time Roberts failed to deal with a ball into Hume, he couldn't get his shot away put fed Fryatt but Cavanagh got in a partial block to save the day.

Despite being one down at the break, Stanley were a long way from out looked a different side after the break and again came close just three minutes into the second half.

A short-corner was played to Harris, who smacked in his shot. With Henderson beaten, the ball re-bounded back off the post and just evaded Roberts.

But the ball was fed back into to Procter whose shot was cleared off the line by Darren Kenton.

Wesolowki blazed a shot over the bar at the other end just moments later and then Campbell whacked a shot from the edge of the area into the massed raks of soggy travelling fans gathered in the Coppice End.

Boco is quickly getting himself cult status at Stanley and almost scored a phenomenal equaliser on 56 minutes.

The Benin international won the race to collect McEvilly's knockdown, flicked the ball over a defender before unleashing a fabulous right-foot volley but Henderson made up for some of his earlier slopiness with a superb flying save.

And from the corner, McEvilly out-leaped the Leicester defence but powered his header just wide.

At this stage it was all Stanley and they carved Leicester open again just after the hour when a neat piece of link-up play between Richardson, McEvilly and Miles saw the latter scamper past Gareth McAuley but find Henderson in the way again.

Play was held up for four minutes after the Foxes keeper Henderson came out to punch a long ball but landed on team-mate Kenton and he was forced off.

The stoppage could have killed Stanley's momentum but they got straight back at the Foxes and still looked most likely to score.

But the Foxes were still a threat and Canadian international Hume turned smartly on the edge of the area, lost his marker, and screamed a shot just past the upright.

Ten minutes from time, Leicester got another huge slice of luck whe Peter Cavanagh's free-kick whizzed around the wall, clattered the post and bounced to safety.

As the minutes ticked down, Stanley began to throw everything at the Foxes, Boco screwed a shot wide from the edge of the area then Miles tamely side-footed a shot straight at the keeper when he should have done better.

Despite the fourth official showing four minutes of added time on the board, time ran out on Stanley as so ended their League Cup campaign for another year.

But Stanley can take heart and belief from a fantastic display against supposedly superior opposition.

And so to the important business of League Two football as Darlington visit East Lancashire at the weekend.