The defeat leaves RMI eight points adrift of safety at the foot of the Blue Square North table but such a heavy defeat seemed to be the last thing on the cards after sixteen minutes when, after surviving an initially bright start from the hosts, RMI took a deserved lead when Robin Gibson broke free of a challenge in the left channel to cross for Kieran Lugsden to jubilantly head home his seventh goal of the season at the back post.

Though the hosts justifiably had two ‘goals' chalked off for offside, it was RMI that were creating the more clear-cut chances when on the counter attack, with Mark Smyth eventually managing to drag a shot wide of the target after it seemed that his progress had been slowed when having his shirt tugged by his marker, before the ex-Liverpool striker dipped a free kick just over Ryan Young's crossbar from outside the penalty area.

With RMI seemingly able to look forward to having a rare half-time lead, the hosts managed to equalise, much to the delight of the majority of the crowd, with the attendance figure of 1,784 coincidentally pushing Telford through the 26,000 barrier for the season, a figure that could take RMI several campaigns to achieve.

Mottram initially produced a superb save to stop Justin Marsden's shot from what was a potentially offside position, but the midfielder wasn't to be denied and swept home the rebound to level the scores in first half stoppage time.

With their timely equaliser and the half-time introduction of substitutes Gary Birch and Lee Moore proving to put extra wind in the Telford sails, it took the hosts only ten minutes of the second half to take the lead, with the somewhat rotund Birch making a mockery of RMI's defensive efforts to nod home a corner when left unmarked at the back post.

Mottram produced a terrific save to palm a shot over the crossbar before RMI's season was summed up in an instant on the hour mark when the ball struck the woodwork, only to rebound in to the net off the luckless Mark Maddox in the midst of the centre half attempting to clear the ball away from danger and give the hosts a two goal cushion.

It took only seven more minutes for the now rampant Telford to add to their lead when a right wing cross was deflected in to the path of the onrushing Jamie Vermiglio to slot home his side's fourth goal of the afternoon.

With the points safely in the bag and Telford heading for third place in the league, RMI found themselves chasing shadows as their hosts toyed with them, finally managing to claim their fifth of the game when slicing through the Leigh defence almost at will, with Birch grabbing his second goal of an impressive forty five minute cameo appearance when sweeping home a left wing cross.

Attackers Richard Chetcuti and Michael Oates were introduced from the RMI bench but it came as little surprise that the rout was completed in stoppage time as Steve Bleasdale's side conceded their sixth goal when substitute Lee Moore broke clear of the defence to slot the ball past Mottram.

RMI now face a mammoth relegation ‘six pointer' at home to Vauxhall Motors next Saturday, a game that they must collect maximum points from if they are to maintain any realistic hopes of avoiding relegation to the UniBond Premier Division.

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