Leigh RMI 1 Stevenage 3 by Martyn Hindley: EVEN the debut of one of non-league's most travelled strikers failed to turn the tide for RMI as they crashed to their eighth home defeat of the season.

Steve Brodie - a loan signing from Chester City - exuded effort and battling qualities but it was a Hilton Park hero of the past who piled on the misery for Phil Starbuck's side.

All in all, it was a good day for Stevenage's Dino Maamria, almost a year to the day after he left the Railwaymen to steer Boro' away from the Conference trapdoor. His native Tunisia won the African Nations Cup for the first time and Maamria broke the deadlock two minutes shy of the break as the Hertfordshire side kept alive their outside chance of promotion via the play-offs.

Leigh 'keeper Ian Martin had to be alert to keep out a Maamria header after Anthony Elding had produced a menacing cross, but the striker made amends by glancing the opener at the near post.

With Brodie and McNiven on the field, RMI had certainly not given up the ghost on falling a goal behind but their reply almost came from the least likely of sources. Steve Redmond's search for his second goal of the season almost ended when he let fly from 25 yards only to see Lionel Perez guide his effort around the post.

Rather than being able to press for the points though, Leigh were rocked onto the back foot when Boro' doubled their advantage ten minutes after the break. Jon Brady's sliderule pass released Elding, and the former Boston striker made no mistake as he latched onto the ball and dispatched it past Martin from the edge of the box.

But the boys from Broadhall Way must have been worried about the consequences of their missed chances when Dave McNiven cut the difference to a goal on the hour - pacing down the right and smashing an angled shot past Perez.

For the visitors, a much needed source of motivation and for Leigh, a false dawn. It should have been over just five minutes later when Redmond pulled down Justin Richards in the box, but Martin made a simple save from Maamria's weak penalty as the early scorer turned from hero to villain.

But Redmond couldn't get away with a second error and was punished for giving the ball away twenty minutes from time when Elding squared for Richards to sweep the ball past Martin.