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Leigh RMI 1 Exeter City 1

By Matt Lawton November 22 2003
A fifty-eight minute goal from former Newcastle United striker James Coppinger may have denied RMI from claiming all three points, but the Leigh performance was once again full of encouraging signs for manager Phil Starbuck.
The match started in fairly dull fashion, with no particular goal-mouth action until RMI forced five corners in succession fifteen minutes in, but failing to get anything threatening on the end of it apart from a couple of near post flick-on's from Wayne Maden which finished with nobody on the end of them.

Leigh had the first real chance of the game when David McNiven had a header from six yards out, only for it to be saved by Exeter goalkeeper James Bittner.

The game then started to open up and former Barnet striker Sean Devine went close for the Grecians, forcing RMI goalkeeper Gary Kelly in to a smart save after shooting from the edge of the area, while Warren Peyton forced a decent save from Bittner.

Former Newcastle United striker James Coppinger hit the crossbar with Gary Kelly beaten, though it's certainly debatable whether Coppinger meant it, with a sliced cross suddenly turning in to a shot on goal.

RMI had the best chance when former Chester City centre back Martyn Lancaster shot from twenty five yards out which seemed a pretty simple save for Bittner, but the City goalkeeper fumbled it and the ball seemed to be trickling over the line until Bittner dived on the ball and grasped it barely inches away from the goal-line.

Former Barnsley winger Carl Barrowclough, who was originally expected to miss the game with a hamstring injury but was brought back in to action early when Ian Monk was struck down with 'flu, was having an excellent game and created a great chance when for the second time he beat more than three players on a thrillingly mazy run, only for his finish to fail to match the quality of his build-up.

RMI finally took the lead with the game on the brink of the first half, with Wayne Maden scoring his third goal of the season after drilling the ball home from eighteen yards out.

Exeter came straight up to the other end of the field but Gary Kelly and his RMI defence stood firm, with the home side keeping their shock lead until the half time whistle.

City held most of the pressure in the second half and they equalised with just over half an hour remaining when a James Coppinger strike wrong footed Gary Kelly to bring the visitors level.

David McNiven forced Bittner in to a good save and also fired over, while Andy Roscoe smashed a free kick over the crossbar from a promising position against his former club as Leigh looked to re-take the lead. However, neither side could grab the vital goal and each side went away with a deserved point.

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