With Saturday's 1-0 victory at leaders Kettering Town extending their unbeaten run, hosts Burscough were on the crest of a wave as they faced an RMI side, fresh from ten days rest since their last outing, that featured debutant defender Matt Lawlor, a loan signing from Blackpool, with Tim Dittmer being preferred in goal to Richard Mottram.

Although RMI's player curiously wore shirt numbers that were decidedly different to the positions in which they would ordinarily be listed, the only confusion that was going on was in the Leigh defence as the Linnets took advantage of almost gale force winds blowing behind them, taking the lead after twenty five minutes when Craig Noone broke clear of the defence to lash the ball past Dittmer from the left hand side of the penalty area.

With such a strong wind behind them, Burscough adopted something resembling a 'shoot on sight' policy, and Dittmer was called upon to make a terrific save to tip the ball over the crossbar after a long distance shot had been caught by the wind and swerved dramatically in mid air.

However, there was little that Dittmer could do about Burscough's second goal of the evening as the hosts found it all too easy to slice through the middle of the RMI defence, leaving Allan Smart to knock the ball over Dittmer and in to the net after thirty nine minutes.

Prior to that, hapless striker Gavin Salmon wasted RMI's first genuine chance of the game, having a shot blocked at the near post after a swerving Owen Roberts free kick had eventually rebounded in to his path.

Within barely a minute of doubling their lead, Burscough had grabbed their third as, almost in a demonstration of how to take advantage of a strong wind, Alan Moogan lined up a shot from distance that arrowed in to the top corner and left Dittmer, or indeed many other goalkeepers, with no chance of keeping it out.

The scoreline reached rout proportions, even before the half-time whistle, when Dittmer's miserable first half was completed as Ciaran Kilheeney latched on to an unfortunate mistake from the goalkeeper, Dittmer spilling the ball at the feet of the prolific striker.

With the victory well and truly sewn up, Burscough took their foot off the pedal to an extent and as such conceding a goal after seven minutes of the second period as Robin Gibson scrambled home his third goal of the season after a bright run down the wing from Richard Chetcuti, a half-time substitute for Jonathan Goulding.

Burscough's four goal advantage was extended with eighteen minutes remaining when Chris Price converted a right wing cross after a smart counter attack from his side.

Chetcuti pulled another goal back for RMI with virtually the last action of the game, but it proved to be far too little, too late, as Leigh slumped to a heavy defeat, not exactly the ideal preparation for the visit to Hilton Park of in-form Barrow this coming Saturday (1st March, 3pm - reduced prices of £7 for adults, £4 for concessions and just £1 for Under 16's).

Leigh RMI; Tim Dittmer, Steve Settle, Rob Marsh-Evans, Mark Smyth, Owen Roberts (Paul Booth), Matt Lawlor, Jonathan Goulding (Richard Chetcuti), Gavin Salmon (Brad Maylett), Neil Carroll, Robin Gibson, Luke Prosser

• Don't forget that February's meeting of the Leigh RMI Supporters Club takes place tomorrow evening (Wednesday 27th February) at Leigh Conservative Club on Railway Road at 7:30pm. All members, new and old, are more than welcome to attend the meeting.

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon

SPORTNETWORK SPECIALS

• Think you know your sport? Click here to try the Sportnetwork Prize Quizzes