By Matt Lawton
September 18 2008

Leigh Genesis will be looking to quickly bounce back from the disappointment of last weekend's FA Cup First Qualifying Round defeat to Curzon Ashton when they face UniBond Premier League strugglers Whitby Town at Victory Park in Chorley on Saturday.

While it would be fair to say that the UniBond Premier League campaign is Leigh's number one priority this season, the loss of a potentially lucrative cup run for Steve Bleasdale's side with the 1-0 defeat at Curzon Ashton came as a huge disappointment to the club and it's supporters, but at least it does mean that Leigh can now concentrate on an instant return to Blue Square North.

In the firing line are Whitby Town, third bottom in the league after collecting just one win and one goal-less draw from their opening seven games, with the failure of Hilton Park to qualify for a safety certificate meaning that, for the third time this season, Chorley FC have kindly come to Leigh's assistance and offered full use of Victory Park for the day.

Irish striker Dean Barrett is expected to be in the Leigh squad after making his debut as a substitute at the Tameside Stadium last Saturday, while front man Darren Mansaram also appeared from the bench, making a welcome return from injury as Leigh's forward line starts to return to normality after a spate of injuries that means Richard Chetcuti remains on the sidelines.

Steve Bleasdale's main selection concern surrounds his two wide midfielders, with Mark Smyth withdrawing from action within the first fifteen minutes last weekend, a headache the Leigh manager could do without when considering right winger Brad Maylett is also sidelined after collecting an injury in the 2-0 win over Frickley Athletic nearly a fortnight ago.

Kick off is at 3pm at Victory Park, with normal admission prices applying and current season tickets valid for use. Get yourself to Chorley and cheer the lads on to what will hopefully be Leigh's third win in what would be a run of four unbeaten league games.