The hopes of a nation rest on the slender shoulders of Leicestershire's Molly Smitten-Downes tonight when she bids for Eurovision glory.

Proudly representing Great Britain, the 27-year-old singer-songwriter will be the final act of 25 taking to the stage in Copenhagen.

Following a string of recent disappointments in the contest, Molly, who grew up in Anstey, is confident of turning around the UK's fortunes.

The former Leicester College student will be singing her self-penned song, Children of the Universe, to an estimated world-wide audience of 180 million.

"Hands down, it is the biggest audience I'll ever have performed in front of," said Molly.

"I don't think it really gets much bigger as a platform."

The singer was flown out to Denmark as a VIP by British Airways.

On leaving at Heathrow Airport, she said: "I feel so incredibly proud to be representing the UK in such a huge competition. I can't wait to make Britain proud."

Despite being relatively unknown, the singer has some impressive credentials.

A graduate of the Academy of Contemporary Music, she achieved top 10 chart success in 2008 as part of dance act Stunt, with Raindrops – a collaboration with German DJ Sash.

She has just signed a recording contract.

She has also supported Tinie Tempah and Labrinth on tour. BBC bosses approached Molly for the 59th Eurovision Song Contest after she had submitted her music to the BBC Introducing scheme for unsigned and undiscovered talent.

Molly describes Children of the Universe as "quite contemporary, with a bit of a tribal feel".

"I'm pleased with this song and I have confidence in it," she said.

If Molly triumphs, she'll be the first UK winner since Katrina And The Waves, with Love Shine A Light, in 1997.

Bonnie Tyler slumped to 19th place last year while Leicester's Engelbert Humperdinck, who opened the show in 2012, ended up finishing second from last.

Engelbert thinks Molly has every chance of success.

"As I found out myself, Eurovision is hard to predict and it's fair to say there are plenty of factors at play," said Engelbert.

"That said, I think she has a great song and seems to have a wonderful personality to go with it, so I hope that people back her.

"I wish her all the best, of course, she's representing our fine nation, which I'm sure will be a thrill for her as it was me – it's an incredible event in front of a massive audience so, above all, enjoy it!

"If she wins, it could be an amazing launch pad for her career – and it will mean she gets to sing the same song again in a year's time in the UK!

"Good luck, girl!"

Many of her friends and family will be following her fortunes in her local – The Woodies, in Rothley.

Bookmakers currently have her as their fifth favourite to win the contest at about 10/1. Sweden's Sanna Nielsen remains the favourite at about 5/2 with her song Undo. Second favourite is Austria's bearded glamour "girl'' Conchita Wurst.

Carr Lane, Belton is to be closed for about seven weeks from Monday, May 12, for culverts to be replaced.

Part of B6047 Melton Road, West Langton is to be closed so a railway bridge can be replaced. The road, 20 metres either side of the bridge, will be closed from March 29 until May 24.

A footpath in Ellistown is to close for up to 21 days from April 22, because of dangerous flooding. The path from Spencer View to its junction with Q80 will shut at 7.30am.

Bonehams Lane in Gilmorton will be closed between Ullesthorpe Road and Leicester Road for three weeks from Monday, April 28, for work.

Springwell Lane, Whetstone is to be temporarily closed for carriageway alterations from Tuesday, May 6. The road between Emperor Way and Countesthorpe Road will be closed for up to eight weeks.

Footpaths at Catthorpe and Swinford are to be closed from Wednesday, May 7, for up to 26 weeks.

Stuart Road, Market Harborough, is to be closed temporarily from 7.30am on Tuesday, May 6, for up to four days.

A stretch of Hearth Street in Market Harborough will be closed to through traffic for a week from 7am on May 12 for emergency repairs. The closure is required from Goward Street for a distance of about 80 metres.

Roadworks begin in The Parade, Oadby on Friday, May 9, and are expected to be completed in October. The Parade will be closed in a southerly direction from Saturday, May 26.

A footpath from Northampton Road to the mini-roundabout on Compass Point Market Harborough will be closed from 7.30am on Monday, May 12 for six months.

Ivydale Road, Thurmaston, will be closed between the junctions with Churchill Road and Thorndale Road from 8am on Thursday, May 15 for a day.

Anthony Street, Rothley, is to be closed between the junctions with Church Street and North Street for one day from 8am on Friday, May 16.

Hill Rise, Thurmaston, will be closed between the junctions with Colby Road and Herricks Avenue from 8am on Tuesday, May 13 for a day.

Ashby Road, Coalville, is to be closed for a day on Sunday, May 11 for carriageway patching.

Melton Road, Thurmaston, will be closed between the junctions with Lea Close and Red Hill Close and Church Street and Newark Road, southbound, for resurfacing, from 7am to 5pm on Sundays, May 18 and 25 and June 1.

Church Hill Road, Thurmaston, will be closed between the junctions with Earls Way and Dickinson Way for one day from 8am on Wednesday, May 14.

Federation Street and Equity Road, Enderby, will be closed for up to a week from Wednesday, May 28 for maintenance.

Barkby Thorpe Lane and Highway Road, Thurmaston, will be closed from 7am to 5pm for a day on Sunday, June 8 for resurfacing.

Chiltern Avenue, Cosby, will be closed at the junction with Main Street and Main Street will be closed between Bradbury Close and Ashtree Road on May 27 for maintenance.

High Street and Hotel Street, Coalville, are to be temporarily closed at the junctions with Belvoir Road and Whitwick Road for level crossing maintenance from 11pm on Saturday, May 17. The work is expected to take up to 14 hours.

A track between Ashby Road and Mere Road, Peatling Parva, is to be closed for surface repairs for three weeks from 7.30am on Monday, May 18.

Church Street: Road is one-way only, towards Charles Street.

St George's Way: Temporary signals and lane closures at junction with Charles Street.

Leicester City may be revelling in the euphoria of reaching the Premier League but manager Nigel Pearson admits it has been a rollercoaster ride.

The City boss has an outstanding record with the club. In his four full seasons he has led them to two titles and two play-off semi-finals.

However, he admits those two play-off defeats, at Cardiff and Watford, were difficult to get over, but said they were all part of the journey and there is still a long way to go while he steers the City ship.

"It (his record) is pretty good but it doesn't make up for the heartache of the two play-off scenarios," said Pearson.

"But I have always said I am part of a team. It has been a very interesting journey.

"What you have to do is be able to reflect on the whole time. People want to talk about this season in isolation but we talk about the good times and bad times, and we try to be consistent with how we work.

"We all want to be successful but, sometimes, success is relative. Even though last year had ultimately a disappointing end to it, I have to look at it longer-term to realise that a lot of the groundwork that has allowed us to be successful this season has been done over a more extended period.

"That will be the case again moving forward. I don't know what people's expectations will be next season. I know what mine are.

"I think we can have a really good season and I am looking forward to it, and I know the players are."

Pearson said the way City finished the campaign, by clinching promotion and the celebrations that have followed lifting the Football League trophy, has given his players a taste of what it is like to be successful and he hopes it has driven them to achieve even more.

"We finished the season well and it has given the players a taste of what it is like to be successful, and that is also something you can reflect back on when you get older and stay with you," he said.

"But the players have to stay hungry and keep pushing forwards.

"We will enjoy this but now we start planning for the next step."

Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson is relishing the prospect of seeing his young charges take on the elite of English football next season.

Young prospects like Liam Moore, Jeff Schlupp, Matty James, Danny Drinkwater, Riyad Mahrez, Anthony Knockaert and Jamie Vardy have never played in the Premier League before.

The more seasoned campaigners, like Wes Morgan, Andy King and Marcin Wasilewski, will also be experiencing Premier League football for the first time in their careers.

Pearson said City's target next season is to be competitive in every game and he is confident that, with a few additions, they will be.

"I am really looking forward to seeing a lot of our players performing in the top flight," he said. "I think they will do very well.

"We have a squad here now which is actually worth something. We have spent a lot of time and energy, and financial resources, in moving players on.

"The club is in a much healthier position.

"Of course, we have to make sure we are competitive, and I know we can be."

Survival may be the first target for newly-promoted sides, but Pearson said City will be aiming higher.

"I know it will be tough because it is a division full of quality," he said.

"We have to make sure we set our sights high enough, but also that we believe enough in ourselves to be competitive.

"Every club that goes up is slightly different but we have to make sure our own model is right for us.

"Now we have the basis of a very good side.

"It may lack the experience of the Premier League but, technically, we have some very good players.

"It is important that any players we add to the squad are the right players to complement what we have already."

Pearson reiterated his determination to try to get any business done early, although he says that is not guaranteed.

"It is an opportunity because the Premier League season has continued, and there were a number of sides involved in a relegation battle who were not too clear on how they could move forward," he said.

"You have the sides who are vying for the play-offs and that extends the season. They won't be quite sure as we have been in that situation.

"You have two plans in place but you can't activate it until you know the outcome.

"So we do have an opportunity to do the business we want to do, but whether we can do that or not will depend on a number of criteria.

"It is easy to say we would like to do it quickly, but you can't always do it quickly."

He added: "We know how we are trying to work but there are a lot of variables to getting that business successfully concluded."

Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill said the "pressure is all on Northampton" as the two sides face a Friday night showdown in the Aviva Premiership semi-finals.

Tigers made sure of a third-place finish in the league table with a scrappy bonus-point 31-27 win over leaders Saracens at Welford Road.

A penalty try was added to scores from Manu Tuilagi, Blaine Scully and Graham Kitchener for Leicester.

Saints, meanwhile, ran in a cricket score against woeful Wasps as they racked-up 11 tries in a 74-13 win at Franklin's Gardens.

The Gardens will be buzzing again in just four days time as the two local rivals face a mammoth encounter in front of what is sure to be a sold-out crowd.

With Saints having home advantage and set to start as favourites, Cockerill said the pressure will be off Tigers as his side try to become one of only a few to have tasted victory away from home in a Premiership semi-final.

"Saracens and Saints have been the best sides all year, Sarries in particular, and we have not earned the right to be at home," he said.

"We will go to Saints and it will be one hell of a game.

"It's a local derby in a semi-final and all the pressure is on them – not us.

"They have had the season of their lives – now they have got to finish it off.

"But we know we are a good side on our day and we have done all right against them in the past few years.

"That was some turnaround from them against Wasps, being 13-0 down and going on to win 74-13. Fair play to them.

"They are a good side. If they get momentum, they will punish you. We rested the core of our team against Saracens whereas Saints played most of theirs."

Opposite number Jim Mallinder said Saints' romp over Wasps was a "good dress rehearsal" for Friday.

"It's great for momentum but Friday will be much tighter and opportunities will be scarce," he said. "We must be lethal in attack."

Mallinder also confirmed that, apart from long-term injury worry Dylan Hartley (shoulder), Saints should have a "clean bill of health" going into the game.

Leicester, meanwhile, will fret over knocks to Owen Williams (leg), Geoff Parling (head), Blaine Scully (shoulder) and Boris Stankovich (head) as they lost four players to injury before the half-time whistle against Saracens in a game that Cockerill felt his side were "far too loose" in.

The visitors fought back from 24-8 down with only 14 men after flanker Justin Melck was sent off in an alleged eye-gouging incident which the club strongly denied after the game.

"It was bizarre and frustrating," said Cockerill.

"The red card was the moment we got on top but we made some silly errors after that. They got back into it and it was tight at the end.

"Both sides did some good things but we were loose all around the pitch.

"Owen has a bit of a dead leg which he could not run off and it was the sensible option to take him off.

"Geoff got a bang on the head which we need to assess and Boris got a bang on the head."

Ticket details for the semi-final at Franklin's Gardens can be found at:

www.leicestertigers.com

There was definitely a pre-season element to some of the play in the second half.

Balls were flung left to right, then dropped and then kicked, before the whole process started again.

In between that, there were some superb tries and some lamentable defending.

It was strange to watch. Tigers were far too loose with plenty riding on it for them as they looked to avoid a trip to Allianz Park in the semis for a re-match.

They almost let a 24-8 lead evaporate but they hung on after leading 24-8 at one stage and will head to Franklin's Gardens on Friday for a tete-a-tete with their old mates down the A6.

Northampton warmed-up for that game by running in 11 tries and 74 unanswered points at home to Wasps.

Tigers will send a much-changed outfit for that game. But they will be crossing their fingers over three of the players who may be expected to feature in the starting XV.

Geoff Parling will be assessed for a bang on the head, while Owen Williams joined him as a first-half substitute after getting a dead leg and Blaine Scully suffered what looked like a nasty shoulder injury.

Add to that injuries to David Mele and Boris Stankovich – who would have hated leaving the field within the opening minute on his final performance at Welford Road – and Tigers will have a busy medical room this week.

In the grand scheme of things, their performance here did not matter a jot. It was job done. Five points and four tries.

They dominated territory but struggled to break down the visitors until the game became more unstructured after Sarries lost two men within two minutes.

Leicester led 10-8 at the break with a late penalty try pushing them ahead after a huge push on a five-metre scrum.

Within three minutes of the re-start, Michael Tagicakibau had been sin-binned for a tip-tackle on Marcos Ayerza and flanker Justin Melck had been red-carded for an alleged eye-gouging incident on Neil Briggs.

Whether scorned by criticism of the TMO system in recent weeks or not, referee Greg Garner surprisingly took the touch judge's word for it and dismissed Melck without 'going upstairs'.

Saracens were incredulous after the match and released an almost immediate statement on their website to announce they were going to try to get the card rescinded.

It looked to have changed the game. Manu Tuilagi ran in a try on 43 minutes and, just four minutes later, Blaine Scully finished a lovely try made by Tuilagi and Niall Morris.

That was 24-8 and Sarries would spend the rest of the game a man short, despite Tagicakibau's return from the bin.

They would, however, win the remainder of the contest 19-7 to pick up four tries in a game that director of rugby Mark McCall said "felt like a win".

Leicester took their foot off the gas, relaxed and paid the price. In scrum-half Ben Spencer and flanker Maro Itoje, Saracens had two players who typified their tenacity.

Itoje played his part in a rolling maul that earned a 55th-minute penalty try. And Spencer made a sensational finish from 70 metres when he intercepted Thomas Waldrom's pass and ran it in for their fourth try on 75 minutes.

In between that, Jack Wilson scored their third try when the busy Waldrom coughed the ball up coming out of defence and Itoje pounced to set up the winger.

Graham Kitchener's 58th-minute score meant Tigers always stayed ahead, but it was the second mini-collapse in two games after Sale the previous week.

For Tigers, Steve Mafi made a busy return to the starting line-up, Pablo Matera was big and aggressive and had cut out the infringements that marred his last start at Harlequins, and Tom Croft returned from eight months out to play 20 minutes at the end.

Indeed, it was his line-out steal with 30 seconds to go that finally sealed a topsy-turvy game for Leicester.

Since making his debut at Nottingham Forest in August 2003, under Paul Hart, Morgan has played under Joe Kinnear, Mick Harford, Gary Megson, Frank Barlow and Ian McParland, Colin Calderwood, John Pemberton, Billy Davies, Steve McClaren and Steve Cotterill before joining City in January 2012.

However, by making the decision to switch to City, Morgan has finally achieved his Premier League ambitions and he says it is all down to Pearson, who he states is the best manager he has worked for.

Pearson has an impressive record as City boss.

In the four full seasons under him, City have claimed two titles and reached two play-off semi-finals, while his win ratio is the highest of any permanent Leicester boss, at over 50 per cent.

"I think you can see from his stats and what he has done for the club that his abilities cannot be doubted," said Morgan.

"The way he looks after the boys and the way he gets us through the season, giving us days off or making us work harder when we need to, it is all ingredients for a fantastic season.

"We all knew he could do it. He is a fantastic manager. Now he has achieved it.

"There are a lot of young lads in the squad and sometimes he has to put his foot down, but all in all I can't speak highly enough of the guy.

"He has been unbelievable for me personally, and I know all the boys love him too.

"He has been the best manager of my career, definitely. To achieve what we have achieved is fantastic." Morgan may have been torn over leaving the club he joined as a 15-year-old having been released by Notts County, especially to join their East Midlands rivals, but he said his concerns were eased after one conversation with Pearson.

"When I joined, I spoke to him over the phone and it was 100 per cent the right decision I made," said Morgan.

"I knew he was the manager and had played against his teams many times, so I knew a bit about him.

"I was told he was a good manager and that has been proven right."

Morgan admits he had hoped to reach the Premier League before this point in his career, but the 30-year-old is determined to make the most of his opportunity and he is convinced City can make an impact.

"From a career point of view, to be in the Premier League is something I have wanted to achieve all my life," he added.

"It has been a long time coming, longer than I thought it would be, but it is finally here now. It is one of the highlights of my career.

"To finish as the champions with 102 points is amazing. It is one of the best moments of my life and we just have to enjoy it before preparing for next season.

"It is unbelievable what we have achieved this season, and it is hard to put into words exactly how I feel right now. It is amazing.

"We have strived for this all season, and to achieve it in the way we did is unbelievable.

"We are definitely the best team in the league.

"All the lads are extremely happy but we know it is a rarity in our careers, to be champions.

"We just have to enjoy it until next season.

"It has been 10 years since we were Premier League. It has been a long time and I am sure the fans have been waiting for this.

"We just have to prove ourselves in the Premier League.

"I am sure that, once we have come through pre-season, we will give a good account of ourselves."