Although they had lost their last two outings, mid-table Chorley ran out 2-0 victors when the sides met at the Leigh Sports Village Stadium just three weeks ago but a Jordan Stepien hat trick lit up a dazzling performance from Genesis in a game that they dominated from start to finish.

Despite playing, and scoring, for England Under 18 Schoolboys in their Victory Sheild clash away to Northern Ireland barely 24 hours previously, young midfielder Dale Whitham took his place in the Leigh starting line up alongside Steve Flitcroft, with Tom Ince restored to the left wing as Genesis made their attacking intentions clear from the outset.

As early as the eleventh minute, Chorley goalkeeper Jamie Scott was relieved to see a dipping Jordan Stepien strike thump his left hand post, though the visiting supporters had to wait only ninety seconds before they were able to celebrate the first goal of the game. A Steve Flitcroft strike from the edge of the area thumped against defender Stuart Howson and, as many in the penalty area stood still and expected the award of a penalty for handball against Howson, Jack Dorney remained alert and swept the ball past a static Scott for his seventh goal of the season.

Four minutes later and that lead was doubled when Kris King, having earlier seen an attempted through ball intercepted by Chris Smalley, managed to thread the ball behind the defence for Tom Ince to send a low cross for Jordan Stepien to clinically slot in to the net at the near post.

Having been little more than a spectator for the early stages of the game, Leigh goalkeeper Steven Drench proved his worth an alert double save on the twenty first minute admist a goalmouth scramble following a rare Chorley corner.

Leigh thought they'd got a third goal on thirty six minutes when Matt Jansen slotted in to an empty net, but the goal was disallowed for what the referee deemed to be a Mark Ross foul on Jamie Scott, despite the Chorley goalkeeper appearing to lose the ball in a collision with Chris Smalley, his own defender, rather than because of the attentions of Ross.

If that incident could be put down to a referee's decision, then Stepien was certainly unlucky to find a substantial bobble on the field when clean through on goal forty one minutes and seemingly odds-on to increase the Leigh lead, only for the ball to catch a divot in the field and cause Stepien to fire wildly over the crossbar, though the visitors comfortably remained two goals in front at the break.

After being swept away in the first half, Chorley came out in far more determined mood for the second period and, with the word's of boss Steve Waywell, Leigh's manager during their glory years at the turn of the Millennium, still ringing in their ears they pulled a goal back on fifty five minutes when Alex Porter flicked in a cross from one-time Genesis man Chris Amadi.

It took only two minutes for Leigh to restore their two goal advantage, and even then it appeared that the chance had gone when Tom Ince ran clear on goal, only to turn his back on goal when attempting to take the ball around goalkeeper Scott. However, with defenders retreating, Ince managed to spot Jordan Stepien in space to his right hand side, who in turn crossed for Ince to head home his ninth goal of the season at the back post.

That two goal lead quickly became a three goal advantage, albeit in bizarre fashion, on sixty two minutes when Chorley defender Wayne Maden, another ex-Leigh man, rolled the ball back for Scott to send back upfield, only his clearance to thump against Stepien's back when attempting to block the ball on the edge of the area and trickle over the line.

Tom Ince thought he'd got a fifth for his side on seventy eight minutes when he cleverly found space to collect the ball from Chris Dykes' short corner kick and lob Scott, only for Chorley substitute Matthew Tindall to be in the right place to hack the ball off the line at the back post.

A fifth goal for Leigh did finally arrive in stoppage time when a Whitham through ball released substitute Richard Ratcliffe to hare down on goal, only to be sent flying by Scott when attempting to dribble around the goalkeeper. Scott was yellow-carded for the foul, despite injuring himself in the process, but he got up to face Stepien's penalty and promptly pick the ball out of the left hand corner of his net as the prolific Leigh striker completed his hat trick, taking his goal tally to sixteen for the season.

Having played more games than many of their league rivals, Garry Flitcroft's sixth-placed side have a rare free midweek this week before they make the short trip to Urmston next Saturday (6th March) to take on a Trafford side who are in eighth position, albeit eight points behind Genesis, for a 3pm kick off.

Leigh Genesis; Steven Drench, Lee Woodyatt, Kris King, Mark Ross, Chris Page, Dale Whitham, Jack Dorney (Chris Dykes), Steven Flitcroft, Jordan Stepien, Matt Jansen (Richard Ratcliffe), Tom Ince (Scott Sephton)

View a Printer Friendly version of this Story.