Leigh RMI 2 Stevenage 1 by David Magilton

LEIGH managed their first win in seven outings to help lift the Hilton Park gloom.

The Railwaymen's small squad have had a month they would rather forget, as hampered by injuries and at times ill-luck, they lost their previous five games.

All that was forgotten as Leighy grabbed their fourth win of the season - all of them at home - albeit against a disappointing Stevenage side.

RMI should have won at a canter but too many chances were spurned and at the end were the more relieved side to hear the final whistle. They had a great start with a goal in the 10th minute when Neil Fisher's free-kick found the unmarked Ged Kielty, who headed home past a stranded keeper.

Not much else happened in a lifeless first-half until a minute from the break when Stevenage's first attempt on goal was only thwarted bya reflex save from Stuart Coburn.

The second-half was much brighter with defences more exposed, but when Dino Maamria spurned two one-on-one opportunities against former RMI keeper MarkWesthead and substitute Chris Ward missed another gilt-edged chance, Leigh were never able to relax.

A second goal finally came in the 84th minute when Ward made amends for his earlier miss. This time he found the spot after pouncing on to a defensive error to score his first goal since moving from Barrow.

The visitors responded four minutes later when Kirk Jackson chipped the ball for Macdonald to finish in style, but Leigh, with at times desperate defending, held on for five minutes of nerve-jangling added-on time.

It was a relieved assistant manager Mark Ward who said: "This was a big test for the players and management and we had to stand up and be counted. It was important we got three points. We had a great start and if we had put

our clear cut chances away it would not have left us hanging on at the end."