Leigh RMI 5 Marine 1
By Matt Lawton November 16 2004
RMI progressed to the next round of the Marsden Trophy after two goals from Chris Simms helped them romp to a comfortable victory over Unibond League outfit Marine in torrential conditions at Hilton Park.
RMI progressed to the next round of the Marsden Trophy after two goals from Chris Simms helped them romp to a comfortable victory over Unibond League outfit Marine in torrential conditions at Hilton Park.
RMI avoided their second cup defeat to lower division opposition within a week in a match played out in front of a paltry Hilton Park crowd on a pitch that was barely playable, serving up a surprisingly entertaining game despite the constant torrential rain and the historically poor games that have taken place in this competition in the past.
After an early injury scare for Marine with their left winger lying injured for several minutes after the first tackle of the game, RMI took the lead after barely two minutes of play when Chris Simms finally swept the ball home from two yards out after a goalmouth scramble had seen Marine goalkeeper Terry McCormick save two previous close range efforts before the ball found it's way to Simms.
The lead was quickly doubled before the half hour mark when former Bury midfielder Lee Connell grabbed his second RMI goal with the Railwaymen cruising against a poor Marine outfit, with the hosts retaining their two goal advantage until half time.
That two goal lead was quickly added to almost immediately after the restart when the impressive Gary Williams ghosted past a couple of despairing Marine tacklers before clinically striking the ball home, extravagantly celebrating the goal by joining the rest of his team mates (including substitutes!) in running to the other side of the field to perform almost synchronised diving along the wet turf, much to the amusement of the small crowd, though maybe not the groundsman!
The scoreline reached rout proportions when midfielder Gareth Stoker rifled home a superb twenty-five yarder to make it four-nil, although his team-mates weren't so keen to join in with the "Klinsmann's" this time, with only Stoker and young goalkeeper Daniel Moreton, who to this point had been rather redundant on his debut, brave enough to have another go.
The visitors finally grabbed a consolation strike through a Steve Cain header but Leigh's four goal lead was restored in stoppage time when Simms scored his second, finally springing the Marine offside trap that had frustrated him and Gary Williams all night to make it five goals to one in RMI's favour and provide a timely boost to their confidence, with Saturday's mammoth trip to Exeter now at the forefront of their minds as they look to claw themselves from the bottom of the Conference table.
After an early injury scare for Marine with their left winger lying injured for several minutes after the first tackle of the game, RMI took the lead after barely two minutes of play when Chris Simms finally swept the ball home from two yards out after a goalmouth scramble had seen Marine goalkeeper Terry McCormick save two previous close range efforts before the ball found it's way to Simms.
The lead was quickly doubled before the half hour mark when former Bury midfielder Lee Connell grabbed his second RMI goal with the Railwaymen cruising against a poor Marine outfit, with the hosts retaining their two goal advantage until half time.
That two goal lead was quickly added to almost immediately after the restart when the impressive Gary Williams ghosted past a couple of despairing Marine tacklers before clinically striking the ball home, extravagantly celebrating the goal by joining the rest of his team mates (including substitutes!) in running to the other side of the field to perform almost synchronised diving along the wet turf, much to the amusement of the small crowd, though maybe not the groundsman!
The scoreline reached rout proportions when midfielder Gareth Stoker rifled home a superb twenty-five yarder to make it four-nil, although his team-mates weren't so keen to join in with the "Klinsmann's" this time, with only Stoker and young goalkeeper Daniel Moreton, who to this point had been rather redundant on his debut, brave enough to have another go.
The visitors finally grabbed a consolation strike through a Steve Cain header but Leigh's four goal lead was restored in stoppage time when Simms scored his second, finally springing the Marine offside trap that had frustrated him and Gary Williams all night to make it five goals to one in RMI's favour and provide a timely boost to their confidence, with Saturday's mammoth trip to Exeter now at the forefront of their minds as they look to claw themselves from the bottom of the Conference table.
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