Leigh's groundhopping continued in their next match, but it was in the right direction when they played their second game at the Leigh Sports Village Stadium, with promotion chasing visitors Hednesford Town claiming a 3-1 victory in front of a crowd of 344.

Leigh fans had particular reason to love Valentines Day 2009 when, in a game that will live long in the memory, Lee Merricks' side upset the odds to claim a magnificent 4-2 victory over FC United of Manchester in front of over 1,800 fans at Gigg Lane.

Genesis took the lead in incredible fashion, winning a penalty within ten seconds of the kick off when Phil Marsh was bundled over by a combination of defender Dave Chadwick and goalkeeper Sam Ashton, with Marsh dusting himself off to despatch the resultant spot kick.

FCUM equalised with twenty six minutes remaining when Neil Chappell swept home the rebound after Danny Morton had parried a Simon Garner free kick, but Leigh were back in front just six minutes later when Marsh again drew a foul from Chadwick and converted his second penalty of the afternoon.

With just five minutes remaining, it looked as though Leigh were to heartbreakingly leave with just a point as Carl Lomax notched a debut goal, only for Genesis to go right up the other end and go 3-2 in front with a thrilling counter attack that saw Chris Thompson sweep home Kyle Lambert's cross. The victory was sealed in stoppage time when Marsh, who would become a United player later in the season, completed his hat-trick with a cheeky strike, latching on to a routine Danny Warrender throw in and nudging the ball past Ashton, sending the visiting support in to delirium.

With optimism restored, Leigh were hopeful of a positive result against Kendal Town at Hurst Cross the following Tuesday, only for Andy Heald to be sent off within the opening minutes of the game as Leigh fell to a 2-1 defeat.

Despite an Andy Heald equaliser, former Genesis defender Jerome Fitzgerald played a big part in securing a 3-1 win for Guiseley in West Yorkshire, before Leigh suffered a crushing 6-0 defeat to Ossett Town in front of their lowest crowd of the season, with just 59 spectators witnessing the fixture at Hurst Cross.

Ilkeston Town maintained their late promotion push as, despite a Phil Marsh equaliser, they clinched a league double over Leigh with a 3-1 win in the last game of February.

MARCH

March began with Radcliffe Borough's Stainton Park playing host to a home fixture with Boston United, with Genesis overcoming the sending off of midfielder Karl Brown to claim a credible 0-0 draw that, on another day, might have been all three points.

With manager Lee Merricks in Singapore in his other role as a coach with Manchester United, assistant Lee Doherty took charge as Interim Manager, but his reign began with a 2-0 defeat away to Ashton United.

What followed were two games that did much to sum up Leigh's season. First came in West Yorkshire when, despite a sterling performance, Genesis fell to a 2-1 defeat to Bradford Park Avenue despite dominating much of the encounter. However, the optimism generated from such a promising performance was dashed only a few days later when Nantwich Town visited Stainton Park and inflicted an 8-0 trouncing on a Genesis side that saw Alex Cunliffe controversially sent off.

Stainton Park was again the venue for the next fixture, and once again visitors Guiseley were lucky to leave with all three points from a 4-2 victory that saw Jordan Stepien make his second ‘debut' for the club after returning from a short spell with Burscough.

In the lead up to the next game saw things take a huge step-up with the appointment as Garry Flitcroft as Genesis manager, with Lee Merricks and Lee Doherty remaining on the Leigh coaching staff.

Flitcroft immediately set to work in improving the squad before the transfer deadline, calling on brother David, assistant manager at Rochdale, to loan defender Raphale Evans from the League Two outfit as Flitcroft's management career began with an encouraging performance in a 0-0 draw away to Frickley Athletic.

The final game of the month saw Leigh Genesis finally make their long-awaited return to home fixtures in Leigh, and a hugely vocal crowd of nearly 350 witnessed a goal in each half from Jordan Stepien seal an exhilarating 2-1 victory over Cammell Laird.

APRIL

With optimism boosted from the victory, Leigh made the long trip to Lincolnshire to face Boston United, and they returned with a point from a 1-1 draw, albeit earned the hard way with a Stepien penalty in the 88th minute.

Leigh's unlikely bid for survival was quickly gathering pace, and they stretched their unbeaten run to four games on what was a very Good Friday when Stepien was again the late hero, adding to Andy Heald's opener to seal a 2-1 win away to North Ferriby United.

However, the boost provided by the return to the Leigh Sports Village Stadium was dashed on Easter Monday when, with the LSV Stadium unavailable, the home fixture with Buxton was switched to Warrington Town's Cantilever Park, and young Genesis goalkeeper Dean Porter, deputising for the injured Stephen Drench, had to pick the ball from the back of his net no less than seven times in a crushing 7-0 defeat.

The following Saturday saw over 400 supporters witness Leigh's relegation from the UniBond Premier League with a 2-0 defeat to Matlock Town at the LSV, but the season was to end on a high with consecutive victories. First came a 2-1 victory over Bradford Park Avenue as Leigh signed off their home campaign for the season, before a dazzling display at Hednesford Town on the final day of the season sealed another 2-1 win for Leigh, preventing the hosts from getting in to the play-offs in the process.

Leigh finished the season in twenty first place, thirteen points clear of bottom side Prescot Cables, with the two rivals meeting again in UniBond League Division One North next season. It's fair to say that it's been another mixed bag of a season for Leigh, but I'm sure we wouldn't have our rollercoaster existence any other way!

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