Scarborough 3, Leigh RMI 4

STEVE Waywell celebrated a dream home tie with Second Division Millwall in the First Round proper of the FA Cup but then berated his Leigh RMI side for almost throwing away a three-goal lead.

"We definitely relaxed too much in the second half for my liking. We thought that we had won the game at 3-0 and were too complacent.

"We will have to learn from our mistakes in the second half in the future but to draw Millwall is something special.

"It's great for the Conference and most of all, its' great for the people of Leigh."

On a pitch that a turf accountant would certainly grade as good to soft, Leigh rocketted into an early lead.

Dave German provided a precise cross from the right-hand side, for Tony Black to rise powerfully above former Altrincham defender Paul Ellender and direct his unstoppable header past Woods and into the top corner of the net.

Whilst the "1-0 to the RMI" chant reverberated around the McCain stadium, Black seized on an error from Shaun Rennison, descended on goal and calmly slotted a second - no more than 30 seconds after the first.

It was a dream come true for RMI, with memories still rife of last season's humbling to North-East minnows Crook Town and it was to swiftly get better for the Railwaymen, when another Dave German centre found Steve Jones in acres of space to nod home a carbon copy of Black's first.

Three up at the break and the home fans finally were muted, sensing perhaps that their cup dream for this season was over almost before it had started.

However, the 858 present were treated to a second half of jangling nerves and goals aplenty as the Scarborough bravely fought back in a game that had everything.

After good spells of pressure during the opening minutes of the second half, substitute Cherif Diallo prodded in a response to open the hosts' account.

But it was soon followed by a moment of goalkeeping madness that was to prove decisive in the final analysis.

Andy Woods came charging out of his goal to clear a long ball from Swan, sliced his clearance and to his horror watched as Black stole in to claim the matchball - his side-foot into the empty net giving him his eleventh goal of the season and, more importantly, put the visitors 4-1 ahead. The lead was surely unassailable.

Or so it seemed. With a vengeance, Scarborough pounded Felgate's goal with effort after effort but could not make their superior possession pay until the 72nd minute, when they were awarded a much disputed penalty for handball against Jamie Udall.

In the challenge, Udall fell to the ground clutching his leg, departed the field by stretcher and watched the draw on crutches. How long his injury will keep him out for is not yet known but it would be cruel luck should his heroic performances not be rewarded with a place in the starting line-up against Millwall.

Betts planted the ball firmly in the top right hand corner from the resulting penalty-kick to bring the deficit back to 4-2 and with the RMI faithful already reduced to feeling physically ill and nail-biting through nerves, Rennison scrambled home a third to set up the Grandstand finale.

As tempers became a bit frayed on the field, maestro Ged Kielty was cautioned for a clash with David Pounder and soon after, Denny Ingram received his marching orders for a second booking induced by a rash late challenge on Steve Jones.

After a monstrous six minutes of added-on time, Leigh clung onto the victory, to the delight of hat-trick hero Tony Black.

He said: "It's a great time to score a treble, and I couldn't believe it when the opportunity came for my third.

"The 'keeper was unlucky but it's a reward for following it up and they all count.

"I also got some super service from Dave German today as well."

RMI: Felgate, German, Critchley, Udall (Durkin), Farrell, Swan, Kielty, Ridings, Harris, Black, Jones. Subs: Dootson, Morrell, Matthews, Mason, Monk. ATT: 858.

The game between Leigh RMI and Doncaster Rovers in the Nationwide Conference this coming Saturday has been changed to a 1pm kick-off at Hilton Park.