Username
Password
Season Review; Part One

By Matt Lawton May 2 2008
With RMI's Blue Square North tenure coming to an end with the recent home defeat to Blyth Spartans, the final game to take place at Hilton Park, we take a look back on another eventual season at the club that saw many changes, both on and off the field.
Despite a pre-season of Blue Square North play-off predictions, another season of upheaval at Leigh RMI saw the club relegated to the UniBond Premier League in the final season to be played at Hilton Park.

After ending the 2006/07 season with a late surge that saw the club finish in seventeenth position, a relative success after a season of doom-mongering prompting then-manager Stuart Humphreys to declare the club will be making an assault on the Blue Square North play-offs for 2007/08.

After a mixed pre-season that saw a victory on the North Wales coast at Colwyn Bay but defeats at Lancaster City and Welsh Premier side Caernarfon Town, RMI made a bright start to the season, with a 2-2 opening day draw with Hinckley United, the previous season's play-off runners up, being followed by an impressive 2-1 midweek victory amidst monsoon conditions at Barrow.

A Scott Willis goal, his only strike of the season, earned a 1-1 draw at Redditch United but Leigh's unbeaten start to the season ended the following week as visitors Harrogate Town impressively put RMI to the sword in a 2-0 victory, followed two days later by a heartbreaking 3-1 defeat at Stalybridge Celtic, the hosts scoring two goals in the final five minutes to seal all three points.

September began with eventual champions Kettering Town maintaining their 100% start to the season with a 4-1 dismantling of RMI at Hilton Park, with Leigh's plummeting league form continuing with a 1-0 loss to Southport, aided by the controversial sending off of Leigh striker Kevin Rapley, in front of Hilton Park's biggest crowd of the season before a 3-1 loss at Worcester City.

RMI's loss of form was ended with two Kieran Lugsden strikes sealing a 2-0 Hilton Park victory over rock-bottom Hucknall Town, though that was followed by a 1-0 loss to Nuneaton Borough in RMI's first ever visit to Liberty Way before RMI's hopes of a lucrative FA Cup run came to a crashing halt at the first hurdle with a humiliating 4-1 defeat at lower league Harrogate Railway Athletic, who would go on to gain nationwide exposure with a live TV tie against Mansfield Town in the First Round Proper.

RMI's interest in the Setanta Shield was ended only days later with a 4-0 defeat at Barrow and, although a rare Andy Heald header sealed a 1-1 home draw with Solihull Moors, the growing pressure on Stuart Humphreys saw him relieved of his duties, with new boss Steve Bleasdale taking charge ahead of the 2-2 draw away to Vauxhall Motors; Bleasdale denied a perfect start to his second spell at the club by a late David Roberts equaliser.

The departure of striking pair Dan Owen, for work related reasons, and Kevin Rapley, who joined league rivals Barrow for a small fee, saw Bleasdale return to former club Bangor City to sign ex-Liverpool striker Mark Smyth, who would go on to finish the season as the club's top scorer, also being awarded the ‘Goal of the Season' award for a stunning free kick scored in a home defeat to Barrow later in the season.

Smyth's inclusion, however, didn't prevent a 2-0 loss away to Blyth Spartans, while Bleasdale's difficult start continued with a comprehensive 5-1 home defeat to Hyde United.

The first point of Bleasdale's reign was a major one as RMI, reduced to ten men following the sending off of Andy Heald, came back from two goals down to claim a 2-2 draw with ex-Football League side Boston United at Hilton Park, thanks to goals from Owen Roberts and Richard Chetcuti.

RMI missed the chance to climb out of the relegation zone in mid-November when a late Josh Law strike saw Alfreton Town claim a 1-0 home victory, with league worries being put aside as claimed an entertaining 4-2 home win over Clitheroe in the Lancashire FA Co-Operative Challenge Trophy.

Leigh's relative cup success continued with a terrific 3-2 FA Trophy away win over Burscough, though that was sandwiched between a 3-1 home defeat to Nuneaton Borough and 2-0 loss away to Tamworth.

December saw RMI secure a spot in the semi finals of the Co-Operative Challenge Trophy with a 3-1 win over North West Counties League side Ashton Athletic, though their FA Trophy interest was ended with a 3-1 loss at home to league rivals Workington.

Despite an inspired performance from goalkeeper Tim Dittmer, the Festive period began with a 3-0 loss at Kettering Town, RMI finally enjoyed some Christmas cheer on Boxing Day when two Mark Smyth goals secured revenge over FA Trophy conquerors Workington in a 2-1 victory at Hilton Park.

The win over the Reds didn't exactly began a run of victories, though, as Stalybridge Celtic took advantage of Andy Heald's second red card of the season to win 3-1 at Hilton Park before a 2-1 New Years' Day defeat at Workington.

An early January visit to Boston saw RMI hit the woodwork on no less than three occasions, yet still fall victim to a 5-1 hammering, before losing 1-0 at home to Redditch United.

The deluge of goals that were heading in to RMI's ‘goals against' column was further exasperated with a 6-1 loss at AFC Telford United, that despite taking an early lead through Kieran Lugsden, though a feeling of optimism swept through the club as ambitious businessman Dominic Speakman was appointed as the club's new chairman prior to a comfortable 3-1 home victory over basement rivals Vauxhall Motors in late-January.

Free transport for supporters to take in the game at Solihull Moors, but they returned from the Midlands disappointed with a 1-0 defeat, before AFC Telford ran out 3-0 midweek victors in a re-arranged clash at Hilton Park.

To be continued...

Bookmark or share this story with: