By Matt Lawton
July 13 2010

An almighty amount of rain and a wind strong enough to blow away a section of the Andrew Street stand can mean only one thing, and that's the return of the football action a mere two days after the World Cup final in South Africa.

On an Oldham evening that was more akin to an autumn league fixture than the first pre-season friendly of the summer, the Leigh starting eleven featured just one player who had ever made a previous appearance for the club, and even then in the shape of player-assistant manager Gary Scott, who last appeared in a Leigh shirt nearly ten years ago.

Given the experimental nature of the Genesis side, it possibly came as no surprise that a useful Chadderton side who are well used to playing alongside each other took the lead on thirteen minutes, albeit in fortuitous circumstances when the Leigh goalkeeper found himself dispossessed on the edge of the own area as he looked to claim the ball from a long ball through the centre, with the ball being rolled in to the empty net.

That lead was doubled on thirty nine minutes when the trialist in the Leigh goal was beaten by a thumping header that had met a left sided free kick on the edge of the area.

The second period saw a little more familiarity in the Leigh side with the likes of Chris Dykes, David Hill and player-coach Andy Heald all making an appearance, while veteran defender Steve Brockley made his first Leigh appearance in over two years after spells with Skelmersdale United and Radcliffe Borough.

Chadderton's lead was halved on fifty three minutes when the imposing figure of the impressive Tom Obasi outmuscled two defenders in a challenge for the ball on the edge of the area and headed home via the goalkeeper's left hand post.

The hosts two goal advantage was restored on sixty five minutes when the linesman signalled for a free kick on the right hand side that was quickly taken and shifted inside for a Chadderton midfield mean to unleash a cracker of a shot that flew in to the top corner of the net.

Leigh pulled a goal back on seventy five minutes when a Chadderton defender volleyed a cross in to his own net, and the comeback was completed on eighty four minutes when Mick Vernon flashed home a half-volley at the back post.

The game will have certainly proved to be a worthwhile workout for the large squad of Leigh players that took part and will go some way to helping the Genesis coaching staff decide on their side as the pre-season campaign progresses, with Leigh's next fixture coming on Saturday 24th July with a trip over the Pennines to face North West Counties Premier Division side Silsden in a 3pm kick off.