Forest Green Rovers 1 Leigh RMI 2 by Martyn Hindley: AN unexpected double strike from Leigh full-back Andy Heald helped RMI on their way to a comfortable victory at the Lawn that should stop them looking over their shoulders once and for all.

Relegation worries had been re-ignited by back-to-back home defeats and that run looked set to continue early on as the Gloucestershire side had the best of the play.

It took 18 minutes for the first attempt on target to be registered when Rob Cousins' dipping effort narrowly cleared the crossbar and Alex Meechan - who scored in this fixture last season - watching agonisingly as his piledriver whistled past the angle.

The best chance fell to Alex Sykes though, who hooked over after Mark Cooper had nodded down a steepling cross.

It was a measure of the Railwaymen's patience that Rovers were reduced to speculative efforts and the visitors edged their way tentatively back into the match.

Goalkeeper Steve Perrin remained untested after a half-volley from Marcus Hallows and a sliced effort from Tony Black while Michael Twiss surprisingly fired wide after Kielty's ball had split the defence.

Away from home, Leigh have an uncanny knack of scoring at the right times and achieved that eight minutes before half-time against a side whose last three games had yielded a maximum nine points. Ian Monk found sufficient time and space on the right flank to float a teasing ball into the middle and Heald did the rest with a thumping header that offered Perrin no chance.

Heald has been used sparingly during this Conference campaign to date and there could have been no more convincing a performance than this one. Solid for the most part at the back, the local lad enhanced his chances of regular first team football ten minutes after half time when he calmly slotted underneath the advancing Perrin.

Leigh's eighth league win away from headquarters in the league was virtually assured.

A second had been on the cards since the change of ends with both Ged Kielty and Hallows threatening the Rovers' goal - the latter heading against the bar before Cooper could scramble to safety. Neil Fisher crafted a superb third with a curling shot from 18 yards but the linesman's raised flag cancelled out the spectacular contribution despite the fact that Hallows was not interfering with play.

Former Chelsea player David Lee climbed off the bench and halved arrears with three minutes to go to pressurise Steve Waywell's men but anything less than three points would have been rough justice for RMI who should be able to consider themselves safe on 44 points.

The result was marred by a suspected broken leg to striker Black.