Nuneaton Borough 0 Leigh RMI 2 by Martyn Hindley

RMI grafted their way out of the relegation zone after a gritty, if inelegant display at Nuneaton earned them a much-needed three points.

And after recent controversy regarding RMI's supply of goals, the immediate resolution was found not in Scarborough but in Leigh as local hero Andy Heald's second half double applied a touch of cosmetic surgery to an away record that had previously read played 15, lost 12.

Heald had been denied by Borough's reserve goalkeeper Clint Davis at the start of the second period but soon made amends when he received a ball from on-loan midfielder Mark Ford and lashed a venomous effort into the roof of the net from the edge of the box.

By this time the hosts had already started to rue selling their crown jewels after allowing Mark Quayle to leave for Chester last month. Dean Barrick had woefully volleyed wide after finding himself in a good position in the early stages and after the change of ends Carl Alford forced Stuart Coburn into a crucial parry.

Both Keith Scott and Neil Campbell, leading the front line for RMI after defecting from Scarborough, struggled to make an impression on the game.

But three points were sealed deep into stoppage time when Ford and Heald linked up again for the latter to drill past Davis from 20 yards out.

"We played ever so well and I am delighted with a win," said manager Mark Patterson. "Before the game I would have settled for a point so to get three is a real bonus. I thought we defended well and came more into it as the game progressed. The two new strikers battled hard upfront but did not have the best of service.

"Everyone played well. Ian Monk in particluar had his best game while I have been in charge, but it was a team effort."