Northwich V 0 Leigh RMI 1 by Martyn Hindley: RMI continued to play the role of bogey team to Northwich, winning away against the Vics for the third successive season.

Leigh move into the top half of the table after Wayne Maden became the surprise man to halt David McNiven's run of scoring all of RMI's goals with a winner six minutes before the break.

Maden returned to the starting line-up to replace injured Paul Shepherd and he was first on hand to smash home the loose ball left-footed after McNiven had seen his shot cleared off the line by Chris Blackburn.

Yet Leigh were no one-attack wonders. Through Neil Robinson, they thought they had broken the deadlock twenty minutes previously only for play to be brought back for offside.

And in a half dominated by the visitors, Ged Kielty and Ian Monk also went close - the latter missing the target after a McNiven pass.

The Conference's current joint top scorer worked tirelessly to prove to his former employers what they were missing out on and although it did not yield a goal, it almost provided an assist for Kielty midway through the second half.

But the midfielder ballooned over the top.

When Neil Robinson's header was somehow beaten away by Andy Woods' legs, Northwich seemed destined for a point but the athleticism of Stuart Coburn and organised defensive work from Lancaster, Hill and Durkin kept a clean slate.

Coburn in particular needed to be on form, pushing a header from Jonathon Allen against the woodwork and tipping an injury time effort from substitute Dean Butterworth around the post.