Leigh RMI 4 Barnet 2 by Martyn Hindley

CAST your minds back to the summer of 1970. Brazil are strolling the World Cup final by 3 goals to 1 against the Italians and up comes that famous strike from Carlos Alberto.

Maybe Hilton Park is a slightly less glamorous setting than Mexico City, but the football that brought Leigh's fourth and defining goal against Barnet on Saturday was startlingly similar.

Paul Williams and Ged Kielty exchanged neat passes in the middle of the park before finding Phil Salt on the edge of the penalty area. The ex-Oldham anchorman cleverly held up play with one eye on Dino Maamria racing up on the outside and once the Tunisian striker arrived, he teed the ball up for a venomous drive into the bottom corner. Phoenix from the Flames minus Skinner and Baddiel was complete.

That was Maamria's seventh goal in three home games and wrapped up a victory that was far more comprehensive than the scoreline indicates.

Floodgates were opened on the half hour by Andy Heald whose sheer persistence deserved a place on the scoresheet. Tony Black claimed the assist with the final defence-splitting pass for Heald to fire at Lee Harrison, but the rebound fell to the midfielder's feet and he made no mistake at the second time of asking.

It could so easily have been more. Debutant Stuart Whittaker found his way past two stagnant defenders before forcing Harrison to turn his well-struck effort around the post and Maamria stretched to a Salt cross and could only send a looping header over the top.

The in-form Leigh striker was soon to become hero in RMI's third successive home victory but shortly before half-time he was certainly the villain.

Punching away

Maamria turned goalkeeper for a routine Bees' corner and after punching away the aerial threat, Ben Strevens made Leigh pay from the spot.

It was an unquestionable act of madness that was rectified as soon as the fourth official signified the start of stoppage time. Salt's lofty centre found Harrison in all sorts of trouble and with red and white shirts queuing up at the back stick, Maamria was there first to nod home and restore the advantage.

Barnet's half-time panic saw Lee Gledhill take to the field but it was to have an adverse effect as his backpass was grossly underhit, allowing Maamria to race in and slot into the unguarded net for his second.

Leigh were so dominant that the outcome should never have been in doubt, but when substitute Junior Agogo's long-ranger wrong-footed Coburn following a deflection off Neil Durkin, it looked like it might be one of those days after all.

The history of shared spoils in these fixtures though did not repeat itself and Leigh deservedly walked away with the points. Nine points from nine in Lancashire certainly makes home very sweet indeed!

RMI: Coburn, Durkin, Maden, Fitzhenry, Monk, Whittaker, Black (Williams 77), Maamria, Salt, Kielty, Heald. Subs unused: Courtney, McGill, Fisher, Whitehead. Attendance: 405. Booked: Kielty (27 mins; foul).