Leigh RMI 2 Kettering Town 2 By Martyn Hindley: WIDELY expected to be a home banker on many people's coupons, Leigh RMI and Kettering Town played out a fascinating draw that proved football isn't as predictable as it seems.

Even without the injured Dino Maamria and suspended Wayne Maden, the Railwaymen were still considered firm favourites against the rock-bottom Poppies, who had managed just two wins in 16 games and suffered a humiliating 5-0 defeat to lower-league Hastings in the FA Cup just four days previously.

But it was Carl Shutt's side who seized the early initiative. Stuart Coburn produced a tremendous one-handed save to deny a Mark Heron header from point-blank range, the stop being negated to some extent when the linesman's flag meant that it wouldn't have counted anyway.

Worked wonders

Town packed the midfield in an attempt to stifle RMI's slick passing through the area and it worked wonders for the visitors as they took a 24th minute lead.

Scott Goodwin got the better of debutant John Robertson to slip a neat ball through to Richard Butcher. The striker waited for Coburn to commit himself before confidently skipping around the stricken goalkeeper to open the scoring. An already quiet Hilton Park was silenced further.

With urgency still primitive in the Leigh ranks, chances were few and far between, although when they came it was due to the creativity of Neil Tolson - playing with verve and commitment in his first full game for the club.

His angled header was cleared off the line by Martin Matthews and within moments he was racing down the right to produce a superb cross for Ged Kielty - only for the little midfielder to alert traffic on the Atherleigh Way with an effort that would have scored two points had it been for Leigh's Centurion stable-mates.

Tolson was again in the thick of the action with a header that was easily saved by Gavin Kelly at the start of the second period, but it was a touch that he knew hardly anything about that carved the equaliser with little more than 20 minutes to play.

Phil Salt's shot cannoned off Tolson before falling perfectly for Ged Courtney to find the corner of the net.

Kettering heads didn't drop as they continued to frustrate the Railwaymen in the middle of the park. Nial Inman was replaced by the fresher legs of Simon Parker and he made that extra energy count with just 10 minutes to go with what seemed to be a shock winner - sliding the ball under the advancing

Coburn after Wayne Duik's intricate ball.

The stage was thus set for another Tolson-induced late show and it duly arrived within three minutes. Ged Courtney knocked down a hanging ball into the penalty area and Tolson's arrival couldn't have been staged better - his subsequent drive sparing RMI blushes.

RMI: Coburn, Durkin, Robertson, Harrison, Williams (Blakeman 55), Fitzhenry, Salt, Kielty, Courtney, Monk, Tolson. Subs Unused: Fisher, M Ward, Kendrick, Heald. Attendance: 402.