With the focus of Leigh boss Steve Bleasdale firmly on securing Blue Square North survival, places in the starting eleven were given to the likes of Steve Brockley, Sean Ferguson, Steve Hill and Richard Chetcuti to improve their match fitness, while youngsters Jamie Davis and James Wilkinson were given their first team debuts.

Winger Steve Settle has found himself in and out of the team in recent league fixtures and he was evidently keen to make a good impression on his new manager, being involved with the game's first chance when linking up nicely with Jonathan Goulding on the right flank, only for the full back's teasing low cross somehow managing to evade several RMI players inside the penalty area.

RMI managed to take a lead that they would eventually never lose after eighteen minutes when a shot from the left foot of Settle was deflected in to the path of Mark Smyth who made no mistake in diving forward to head the ball in to the empty net for his first goal of the club, taking advantage of Clitheroe goalkeeper Paul Horrid being deceived by the deflection.

Smyth and Settle were finding themselves at the hub of some enterprising RMI play on the attack, and they provided the key for RMI to double their lead seven minutes later with Smyth beating Clitheroe's offside trap to tee up Settle. Horrid made a smart save to deny the former Atherton LR winger, but Owen Roberts was on hand to convert the rebound to score against his former club, his second goal in two consecutive home games.

Leigh were keen to attack at every available opportunity and as such it took nearly half an hour before Wilkinson was tested for the first time in the RMI goal, comfortably keeping hold of a Neil Zarak shot from distance.

On the brink of half time, Clitheroe suddenly found themselves with a foothold in the game when a free kick from the edge of the penalty area looped in to the air via Wilkinson's legs, with visiting midfielder Kieron Fletcher rising highest to pull a goal back for his side.

This handed a certainly degree of momentum to the lower league side and the half-time whistle came as somewhat of a relief to the home side as they looked to preserve their lead.

The half time break saw Bleasdale make a double substitution with Sean O'Neil and Sam Fairhurst entering the fray, with young midfielder Fairhurst playing a big part in his side restoring their two goal advantage within minutes of the restart.

Steve Settle must have been wondering what he needed to do to get himself on the scoresheet after being twice denied in the lead up to both of RMI's first half goals before having a third attempt cleared off the line, but he finally lashed the ball in to the back of the net when a Fairhurst corner had rebounded to him.

O'Neil also made a bright impression on his introduction to the match, narrowly heading wide a pinpoint Goulding cross before Clitheroe again pulled a goal back when Wilkinson was slow to react to a cross from the left hand side, with substitute Sam Heap beating the goalkeeper to the ball to head home.

The RMI goal led a somewhat charmed life thereafter as the visitors laid siege in search of an equaliser, but the contest was settled with five minutes remaining when former Bangor City striker Smyth never gave up in chasing a hopeful long ball that prompted panic in the Clitheroe defence and eventually the goalkeeper colliding with one of his own defenders in the confusion of the edge of the penalty area, leaving Smyth with the simple task of dribbling his second goal in to the net.

Clitheroe certainly played their part in an entertaining tie that sees Leigh join the likes of Chorley, Southport and Rossendale in the hat for the quarter final, with the game being a welcome workout ahead of the visit of Nuneaton Borough to Hilton Park on Saturday afternoon in the Blue Square North.

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