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Leigh RMI 2 Aldershot Town 2

By Matt Lawton October 4 2003
Two goals from David McNiven gave RMI a credible draw against high-flying Aldershot, though RMI will feel aggrieved after a late disallowed goal ultimately robbed them of a vital three Conference points.
The visitors may have gained a point, but they probably would've been happy to surrender that point if that'd mean they would've had a less damaging afternoon in terms of injuries, with no less than five players suffering injuries, two of them resulting in substitutions with one man being stretchered off.

The Shots started the brightest and took an early lead through Jon Challinor, who fired past Gary Kelly at the back post, although Challinor left the field with an injury only minutes later.

The concession of the goal was exactly the wake up call that RMI needed and instead of crumbling as has been the case previously this season, they got more and more in to the game and piled pressure on the Aldershot goal.

The Railwaymen got a deserved equaliser when top scorer David McNiven got the ball just inside the penalty area and he scored a right volley on the turn to pull his side level.

Aldershot finished the half the strongest but several decent saves from former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Gary Kelly, again replacing Stuart Coburn in the RMI goal, kept the hosts in the game and the sides went in level at the interval.

RMI took the lead early in the second half when McNiven scored his second of the afternoon, a stunning left-footed solo strike from just outside the penalty area, despite being surrounded by defenders.

In reverse to the situation in the first half, it was this time Aldershot who had conceded and stepped up another level. Kelly pulled off two stunning point-blank saves before Town finally equalised through Ian Sills who headed home at the back post.

The game looked to be heading for a draw until the very last few minutes when McNiven lobbed the Town goalkeeper with a majestic thirty-five yard shot, though his celebrations were cut short by a controversial offside decision from the linesman.

RMI will be pleased at gaining a point against a side who are in such a high flying position that anything would be considered a bonus, although RMI may feel they had enough chances to win the game and they will be concerned about when their winless streak will end.

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