LEIGH RMI continue to defy the odds, but whatever manager Steve Waywell achieves, it seems he must always have to dodge the bullets writes Martyn Hindley

With a weekly budget a third the size of Telford - the other paupers of the Nationwide Conference - Waywell has worked wonders to keep the trouble torn club away from relegation.

RMI are currently going through their worst spell of the season, leaking in 11 goals in three games, but still hover just above the top three. Yet still the almost mandatory Yuletide debate rages. Should Waywell's head be on the chopping block and if so, who should replace him?

Hamstrung by his own loyalty, Waywell decided to turn down a more lucrative deal to become boss of Unibond League strugglers Hyde and with even the most minimal squad burning a hole in the club kitty, he must now wish that he had made the short switch to Tameside.

The last 'gaffer' to be handed his P45 at RMI was shown the door with one more point at the start of the festive season than Leigh have gained thus far, although any comparison between Mick Holgate's circumstances and those of the present day are laughable.

Even still, the mood behind the scenes at the club is one of discontent and disapproval. And that comes despite several performances of great distinction in the first half of the season.

As the campaign has progressed, four goal thrashings of both Barnet and Burton Albion have looked even more impressive, while the whole Conference were made to sit up and take notice of victories over Morecambe and Margate.

The whole 'success' in keeping Leigh out of the bottom three can be put down in no small part to the contributions of goalkeeper Stuart Coburn and Tunisian striker Dino Maamria.

Maamria has taken on the role of dragging his team-mates out of the mire with frightening regularity, but Waywell is still counting the cost of his failure to find a productive strike partner.

Damien Whitehead disappointed before being loaned out to Irish side Finn Harps for three months, Tony Black left for Accrington citing personal reasons for a move, while Neil Tolson and Ged Courtney have been too inconsistent.

All of which puts tremendous pressure on Dino to produce the goods and he has not let his team-mates down. He brings an awareness to the final third of the field as well as predatory finishing that has culminated in 13 goals this season.

He has failed with two spot-kicks and one of those misses was in the FA Cup at Moor Green during a humiliating reverse that saw RMI miss out on a place in the first round proper for the second consecutive season. The five-figure cash sum that was also forfeited by that reverse still hurts the club's bank balance.

Conversely, Coburn has been a revelation in goal. The former Altrincham keeper managed to save four of the first six penalties that he faced but it is the commanding way in which he patrols his penalty box that gains the most admiration.

The remainder of the squad has been continually upset by claims of lack of effort and desire from management and fans alike, but this is probably the most cohesive set of players ever to don the red and white stripes. As if to prove a point, players even chipped in for a stereo to boost the dressing room atmosphere.

But they and their manager are undoubtedly victims of their own success.

Having pulled several rabbits out of the hat on the playing side of things, Waywell is now expected to do the same again. Limitations imposed on his staff will mean that odds of an RMI survival remain slim.

And if the run that has seen Leigh ship 11 goals in the last three games continues much further then you can expect the Christmas knives to be sharpened once again.