JUST when Engage Super League newcomers Leigh Centurions thought life in the top flight could not get any tougher, it just did writes Mike Hulme

Reeling from the sudden departure of Australian playmaker Jason Ferris, the Centurions lurched into another crisis with the resignation of two members of their three-man executive board.

Phil Coffey, the man left holding the reins, says the club will regroup despite the boardroom split and continue the fight to stay in Super League.

Commercial director Derek Beaumont and football chief Stephen Blakeley resigned because they felt they no longer had the support of the rest of the board, although they remain shareholders.

"It's a sad blow for us," admitted Coffey, one of six directors left on the main board. "But the club will continue. We will have a board meeting next week and regroup. There will be no rushed decisions."

Beaumont was instrumental in a takeover of the club two years ago when he headed a consortium that won control from previous chairman Mike Nolan. Blakeley was already an existing director.

In a joint statement they said: "It is a difficult day for us personally and one we feel very sorry about.

"We have worked tirelessly in the past couple of years for the benefit of Leigh Centurions and will remain loyal and passionate fans of the club. We wish our fellow directors the best of luck for the rest of the season with the way they decide to operate the club and sincerely hope Leigh Centurions can remain in Super League."

Head coach Darren Abram declined to comment but his assistant, Tommy Martyn, said: "We are just coming to terms with the news. We are as shocked as anybody."

The Centurions, who had just 18 weeks to make the transition from part-time to full-time professionalism, are the only team without a point after the first six rounds of Super League and have conceded an average of almost 40 points a match.