Leigh RMI 0 Accrington Stanley 6
By Matt Lawton
December 11 2004
There was hope of three precious points for RMI prior to the game following the 2-0 FA Cup victory at Accrington earlier in the year and Tuesday's encouraging draw with high-flying Scarborough, but that was well and truly extinguised by half time as Leigh were humbled by Lancashire rivals Stanley.
December 11 2004
There was hope of three precious points for RMI prior to the game following the 2-0 FA Cup victory at Accrington earlier in the year and Tuesday's encouraging draw with high-flying Scarborough, but that was well and truly extinguised by half time as Leigh were humbled by Lancashire rivals Stanley.
If RMI officials ever needed a result to show exactly why the Railwaymen don't pull in the crowds, then today's 6-0 hammering at home to Lancashire rivals Accrington Stanley certainly demonstrated it.
Such is the fickle nature of sports fans in this country, let alone the town of Leigh in particular, the sad fact of British sport is that people just do not attend matches to watch and support a losing team, and that team is Leigh RMI. The lack of crowds brings a lack of money, which means a lack of quality in the side, and a lack of quality in the side brings a poor team and poor result, which in turn means poor crowds, and the cycle continues. Tuesday night's 1-1 draw with high-flying Scarborough was meant to be the turning point, a run of ten consecutive defeats ended thanks to a late goal from Gary Williams, but the old problems of Phil Starbuck and Mark Patterson's ill-fated reigns remain. Once one goal is conceded, heads will drop and the floodgates are opened.
Despite the midweek appeals for the town to turn out in force in support of it's premier football side, a paltry crowd of just 402 were present to witness RMI hold out for twenty five minutes until the visitors took the lead through Ian Craney's shot from outside the area. As was the case on Tuesday, there were encouraging signs with Leigh desperately trying to get back in to the game and refusing to allow the deficit to increase, but that resilience lasted only another twenty minutes when three quick-fire goals effectively ended the contest.
Paul Mullin doubled the lead for Stanley before both Rory Prendergast and Paul Howarth scored in first half injury time to give the visitors a comprehensive 4-0 half time lead.
Prendergast made it five twenty minutes after the restart, before Craney grabbed his second, and Accrington's sixth of the afternoon to pile on the misery for RMI, who are now back at square one in their attempts to try and get their season on track.
There is potential within the RMI side to develop in to a decent footballing outfit, but the Conference is unfortunately just too good a level to allow them to develop and progress as a team, and it's pretty likely that a lot of the season's results will continue to be as depressingly humiliating as today's, but as long as each and every player puts in 110% each and every time they enter that field, then there's not much that can be asked from them.
Such is the fickle nature of sports fans in this country, let alone the town of Leigh in particular, the sad fact of British sport is that people just do not attend matches to watch and support a losing team, and that team is Leigh RMI. The lack of crowds brings a lack of money, which means a lack of quality in the side, and a lack of quality in the side brings a poor team and poor result, which in turn means poor crowds, and the cycle continues. Tuesday night's 1-1 draw with high-flying Scarborough was meant to be the turning point, a run of ten consecutive defeats ended thanks to a late goal from Gary Williams, but the old problems of Phil Starbuck and Mark Patterson's ill-fated reigns remain. Once one goal is conceded, heads will drop and the floodgates are opened.
Despite the midweek appeals for the town to turn out in force in support of it's premier football side, a paltry crowd of just 402 were present to witness RMI hold out for twenty five minutes until the visitors took the lead through Ian Craney's shot from outside the area. As was the case on Tuesday, there were encouraging signs with Leigh desperately trying to get back in to the game and refusing to allow the deficit to increase, but that resilience lasted only another twenty minutes when three quick-fire goals effectively ended the contest.
Paul Mullin doubled the lead for Stanley before both Rory Prendergast and Paul Howarth scored in first half injury time to give the visitors a comprehensive 4-0 half time lead.
Prendergast made it five twenty minutes after the restart, before Craney grabbed his second, and Accrington's sixth of the afternoon to pile on the misery for RMI, who are now back at square one in their attempts to try and get their season on track.
There is potential within the RMI side to develop in to a decent footballing outfit, but the Conference is unfortunately just too good a level to allow them to develop and progress as a team, and it's pretty likely that a lot of the season's results will continue to be as depressingly humiliating as today's, but as long as each and every player puts in 110% each and every time they enter that field, then there's not much that can be asked from them.
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