After scoring twice in the previous round's 4-2 win over Clitheroe at Hilton Park, former Liverpool striker Smyth continued an impressive run in the competition with a stylish all round display as he excellently linked up with fellow front men Leon Osborne and Richard Chetcuti throughout the evening.

Hosts Athletic, four divisions below RMI with just one league defeat in third place of the North West Counties League Division Two, made a bright start with a shot narrowly deflected wide of Ben Saynor's goal in the first few minutes.

Leon Osborne, a bright performer in RMI's previous cup encounter at Burscough a couple of weeks ago, had RMI's first chance when blazing over the crossbar before Ashton came within a whisker of taking the lead when a miscued shot ballooned bizarrely on to Saynor's crossbar after twenty five minutes, with the rebound being headed well over the crossbar.

As Ashton started to dictate matters, RMI took the sting out of them shortly before the forty minute mark when Steve Settle released Jon Goulding down the right flank, with the impressive full back crossing for man-of-the-match Sam Fairhurst to knock the ball in to the empty net.

Within a minute of Fairhurst's strike, RMI doubled their lead and effectively killed off the game when Smyth set off on a solo run on the right hand touchline before cutting inside and sending an unstoppable left foot shot curling past the goalkeeper to give Leigh a comfortable advantage at the break.

Not long after the break and the Railwaymen extended their lead to three goals when a superb Osborne through ball put Smyth in the clear to smartly dribble around the goalkeeper and slot the ball in to the empty net.

Ashton pulled a goal back with twenty minutes remaining when their substitute striker scrambled the ball home, but it was largely against the run of play as RMI's attacking play started to open up the Athletic defence at will, with Smyth denied a hat trick by a smart save before Osborne smashed a terrific volley against the crossbar.

The full time whistle heralded a comfortable win for the visitors and a certain boost to their confidence ahead of Workington's visit to Hilton Park on Saturday (15th December, 3pm) for an FA Trophy First Round tie.