Although Leigh RMI lost 3-1 on a pre-season visit to the Giant Axe last summer, a similar scoreline was never likely to be a prospect as Steve Bleasdale's side largely controlled the game from the outset.

With Saturday's 1-0 home defeat to Woodley Sports putting paid to Leigh's unbeaten pre-season record, they began in determined mood, midfielder Jonathan Goulding placing a shot narrowly wide of the left hand post after a neat Darren Mansaram lay-off.

Genesis might have taken the lead twice inside the first twenty minutes, striker Mark Smyth, returning to Leigh after a short spell in the UEFA Cup with Bangor City, first firing a right footed shot against the post before a lobbed shot thumped against the crossbar, the rebound being hit against the outside of the post by Brad Maylett.

Just half an hour in to the game, Leigh incredibly hit the woodwork for a fourth time, Richard Chetcuti volleying a pinpoint Alex Mortimer cross against the crossbar, but it certainly wasn't to be fifth time lucky just a matter of minutes later when Maylett drilled a shot across goal, only to strike the foot of the right hand post.

For once, the Lancaster goalkeeper wasn't to rely on his woodwork to save him shortly before half-time, doing superbly when falling backwards to claw away a Rob Marsh-Evans header.

Just a few minutes in to the second half and Leigh finally got the goal that they richly deserved, Darren Mansaram cutting inside on to his foot to swerve a shot in to the net, ironically gaining the benefit of a deflection after his side had previously been lacking the little bit of luck they may have required.

With the usual pre-season friendly pattern being followed as a multitude of substitutions disrupted the flow of the game, Karl O'Donnell was superbly denied by a diving Lancaster goalkeeper, seeing his shot tipped around the post before Thomas Moore saw a shot flash narrowly wide of the post.

Leigh had a huge scare towards the end when, with their first serious threat on goal, Genesis goalkeeper was beaten, only for Andrew Teague to superbly spot the danger and clear the ball off the line for a corner, albeit rather lucky to see it scrape the crossbar on it's way out.

That scare apart, Leigh dominated the game from start to finish and, another day, might have scored the hatful that their neat and incisive passing play might certainly have deserved.

The Genesis pre-season trail is now nearing it's conclusion with only two friendlies remaining before the first UniBond Premier League outing away to Eastwood Town, with Leigh facing two short trips in quick succession; travelling to Trafford on Saturday (3pm) before an away fixture at Salford City next Tuesday (7:30pm).

Leigh Genesis (all used); Steve Dickinson, Bradley Maylett, Alex Mortimer, Paul Booth, Andrew Teague, Rob Marsh-Evans, Jonathan Goulding, Chris Holland, Mark Smyth, Darren Mansaram, Richard Chetcuti, Jerome Watt, Karl O'Donnell, Thomas Moore, Josh Wilson

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