Moor Green 2 Leigh RMI 1 - FOR a club as financially insecure as Leigh RMI, not allowing lightning to strike twice is imperative.

That deja vu at Sherwood Road was so comprehensive is almost inexplicable.

The run-up to the fourth qualifying round game with Birmingham outfit Moor Green was littered with reminders that they could not repeat the complacency and arrogance that saw them beaten by Worksop Town last year, but another giant-killing was still forthcoming to cost the Railwaymen £20,000 in prize money.

RMI controlled the first half of the game before pressing the self-destruct button in spectacular fashion and that was something that angered Leigh boss Waywell.

"This was worse than Worksop last year", said the much maligned manager, "because they were a genuinely good side and with all due respect, Moor Green are not.

Soft goal

"We were in control, and a soft goal for them at half time just proved to be the turning point. They scored again but we didn't have the heart, the desire or the passion to claw it back. They knew it was a massive game for the club but in the second half, our players just threw in the towel which I find hard to take. We were pathetic."

With Ian Monk causing mayhem for the Moor Green defence, a classy Leigh performance early on was unfortunate to produce just the one goal.

A long and mazy run from Monk saw him blaze the ball just inches over the bar and Ged Courtney didn't realise how much time was available to him as he bore down on goal and he offered Adam Rachael a comfortable save.

Courtney again went close when he headed wide from Monk's hanging cross and Richard Robinson was the hero on the goal-line to head the ball to safety after Neil Fisher's inch perfect lob had caught the goalkeeper off his line.

Moor Green were guilty of many a mistimed tackle as their frustration got the better of them and a trip from Chris Gillard on Courtney was well worthy of its punishment - Dino Maamria slamming the ball home from the penalty spot to give Leigh a 26th minute advantage that they well deserved.

Maamria had the perfect chanec to double his tally and put the hosts out of reach 11 minutes later but when Guy Saunders cynically upended Monk on the by-line, Maamria's shot thudded against the inside of the post.

Just inches away from a near-unassailable lead, RMI were punished for their lack of ruthlessness in first half stoppage time.

Danny Scheppel's vision and foresight produced a defence-splitting ball that sent ex-Wimbledon striker John Gayle racing away. His comprehensive lashing of the ball into the roof of the net put the Moors within sight of a cup upset.

That upset was complete five minutes into the second half when the man who found fame with the Crazy Gang scored an outrageous goal. Nathan Lamey's corner from the right found Gayle who had been deserted by his marker Wayne Maden and smashed an unstoppable scissor kick into the top corner to the adulation of the home fans.

For the second time in as many seasons, RMI were humbled.