Leigh RMI 2 Hereford United 1

TALK of the title and Leigh RMI in the same breath may once have been described as 'cloud cuckoo land' but the top clubs in the Conference are looking over their shoulders wondering what on earth is going on at Hilton Park writes Rupert Cavendish

The minnows of the division have taken everybody, including themselves, by surprise this season and a recent run of seven wins and a draw has shot them up the table to a strong fifth spot.

They are getting the rub of the green just when they needed it underlined by Friday night's last-gasp win over Hereford which saw them claim another big scalp and four points off the Bulls this season.

One man keeping his feet firmly on the ground, however, is RMI boss Steve Waywell who has worked a minor miracle in producing a side on a top side on a shoestring.

His cautious approach is summed up by his comments after the Hereford win.

"We have played them four times this season and come out even and taken four points in the league so every credit to my players. I can honestly say we are clear of relegation," he confessed.

"We are past my target of 50 points which is brilliant with 12 games to go. I can't stress what a fantastic achievement it is. Everybody wrote us off at the start of the season. We were 100-1 favourites to go down which was the highest ever odds. We have proved everybody wrong. I don't think the lads realise what they have done. I told the players 'do you realise you have just beaten a side who are full-time and two years ago were in the Football League'."

Waywell's pleasure was in stark contrast to Hereford boss Graham Turner who laid the blame for his side's dramatic injury time defeat with the referee.

"The game changed when we had a man sent off," fumed Turner. "It is almost a mystery to me why he has been sent off. He has been accused of elbowing but the player has been in the game long enough to know you don't do that in front of the referee.

"All he has done is fend off the player and he has been shown the red card.

"We have hit a spell of three straight defeats but I can't argue with the way we have worked and it is a travesty we have got nothing out of the game. It is largely a refereeing decision in sending him off."

After a goalless league game at Hereford and with full-time approaching another draw looked on the cards until Leigh's late pressure paid off in injury time. Dave Gardner's cross was flicked on by Tony Black for Dave Ridings to head into the top corner for his 11th strike of the season.

Waywell agreed the game had swung Leigh's way after Ian Rodgerson was shown the red card in the 74th minute after a clash with substitute Steve Jones, who had only been introduced 11 minutes earlier after he arrived late from Holland where he had represented England the previous night.

Chances had been at a premium in the first-half but Leigh took advantage of sloppy defending in the 21st minute when Ian Swan's long ball bounced on the edge of the box and Black's shot hit the advancing keeper and rebounded into the path of Ian Monk who gratefully cracked it home.

United came out in the second-half much more determined and equalised in the 54th minute when John Shirley's inswinging cross was superbly volleyed home on the turn by Robert Elmes.