CHORLEY 15 LEIGH 14

NEW skipper Tim Street and substitute forward Mark McGughan were sent off AFTER the final whistle as Leigh's shock defeat by bottom club Chorley ended in pandemonium.

The Leigh pair allowed their anger to boil over at the full time whistle and were dismissed by referee David Atkin for verbal abuse.

The reaction of Street and McGughan was understandable, if unacceptable.

Hull referee Atkin's interpretation of the rules had Leigh seething. Chorley's opening try appeared to contain a knock on and a forward pass and that set the pattern for a second half littered with refereeing errors.

But there is no disguising the fact that this Leigh side finished a clear second best in the commitment and enthusiasm stakes. Against a side that was previously without a win and conceding an average of 61 points per game, Leigh lacked direction and purpose.

Leigh hardly had a forward capable of making a break or a back with a craft to get through the League's worst defence.

"Our biggest downfall was that we lack leadership and guidance on the park," coach Eric Hughes pointed out. "If we had that sort of guidance, then we'd have had the likes of Hadcroft, Ball and Veikoso causing damage out wide.

New faces

"That tells me that our link play isn't there at the moment. We desperately need new faces in the side - the the cash isn't there.

"It was a really dark day for the club and I fear there will be a few more before we start to turn the corner."

Perhaps the writing was on the wall for Leigh's worst day of a miserable season when it took them 29 minutes to prise open the Chorley defence with Street's long pass sending substitute David Ingram in unchallenged for a 4-0 lead.

Chorley substitute Chris Honey's hotley disputed 42nd minute try briefly had his side level but within three minutes Rob Ball's strong run had opened the way for Alan Hadcroft to scramble in at the corner.

A missed tackle by Jimmy Veikoso let Honey in for a second try to level things at 8-8 before David Lyon burst over to put Leigh in front again.

Veikoso's second crucial missed tackle allowed Chorley's Craig Fairhurst to get in again for a try goaled by Andy Ruane.

It was with a touch of irony that Ruane, an ex-Leigh captain, should knock over what proved to be the winning drop goal 16 minutes from time.

LEIGH: Lyon; Hill (Cheetham 65), Hadcroft, Veikoso, Purtill; O'Loughlin (Ingram 22), Brown; Street, Quigley, Cain, Daniel, Ball, McGughan (HT). Sub not used: Conway.

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