By Matt Lawton
March 3 2009

A sterling performance from ten man Leigh Genesis saw them earn a well-deserved point from former Football League outfit Boston United in an entertaining, albeit goalless, UniBond Premier League encounter at Radcliffe Borough’s Stainton Park.

Although goalkeeper Danny Morton has returned to light training after picking up a rib injury in a 3-1 away defeat to Guiseley ten days ago, youngster Dean Porter continued in the Leigh goal, while the absence of midfielders Andy Heald and Steve Settle meant starts for David Hill and Dale Whitham.

With a particularly strong wind wreaking havoc for both sides, Leigh had the first serious chance of the game on fourteen minutes when the aforementioned blustery conditions meant that Boston goalkeeper Aaron Butcher misjudged a routine ball towards him, allowing Genesis striker Phil Marsh to nip in front of him and take the ball around the goalkeeper, only for the acute angle to prove troublesome for the former Manchester United man as he succeeded in only firing the ball in to the side netting.

Marsh was again involved two minutes later when he struggled to get the ball from under his feet and get a shot away from twelve yards out, with the Boston defence only clearing the ball as far as Karl Brown on the edge of the penalty area, with the midfielder's strike flashing past Butcher's left hand post.

With Leigh centre back pairing Rob Farrington and Alex Cunliffe working superbly well together only two games in to their partnership, Boston were struggling to create many clear cut chances, though Genesis were grateful for the sharp reactions of Porter on his own line to block Jon Froggatt's low snapshot.

Shortly before the half hour mark, Brown had a golden opportunity to put Leigh in front, but he perhaps made the wrong decision in trying to chip Butcher from the edge of the area after latching on to Cunliffe's deliciously-timed through ball, with the Boston goalkeeper relieved to find himself making a comfortable save instead of potentially picking the ball up from out of his net had Brown chosen to aim a low shot towards the corner of the goal.

The visitors may have been enjoying a touch more of the ball than Leigh, but it was Genesis that were creating by far the best chances as this time Scott Sephton flicked the ball over the crossbar from Phil Marsh's cross before Marsh himself came agonisingly close to scoring his second goal in two games as his powerful strike deflected off Boston full back Tom Matthews and looped on to the top of the crossbar.

Porter was called upon to make a smart save with his legs as the first half entered stoppage time but, after conceding two goals towards the end of the first period of Saturday's 3-1 defeat at Ilkeston Town, Leigh were relieved to be level at the break.

Though Phil Marsh tested Butcher with an ambitious free kick from a tight angle on the left hand side on forty seven minutes, the game was to change completely a few moments later when Alex Cunliffe was deservedly shown a yellow card for hauling back Boston man David Farrell. However, Leigh midfielder Karl Brown took his protests too far in the eyes of the referee and was shown two yellow cards within seconds of each other, with Brown's dissent meaning that his side were to play the final forty minutes with only ten men; the second season in succession that Leigh saw a man sent off against Boston after Andy Heald was given his marching orders in last season's 2-2 Blue Square North draw at Hilton Park.

Though this decision hardly endeared the referee to the vocal home crowd, the man in the middle certainly showed a degree of mental strength on fifty four minutes when booking Boston right back Tom Matthews for a rather desperate dive in the Leigh penalty area in search of a spot kick for his side.

Predictably, given their numerical disadvantage, Genesis were forced on the back foot for long periods and were indebted to timely interventions from Cunliffe, Farrington and Chris Page, while Porter was proving to be in inspired form as he continued to defy his opponents.

The introduction of Kyle Lambert from the substitutes bench brought fresh legs and fresh impetus to the Leigh midfield and, with front men Chris Thompson and Phil Marsh looking as though they were back to their mischievous best, Genesis posed a particular threat on the counter-attack, while Cunliffe proved almost Lothar Matthaus-esque in his confident distribution from the centre of defence.

Porter continued to impress in the Leigh goal as the game entered it's final stages, and Leigh might have grabbed an unlikely victory had Marsh's tenacious play and left foot strike not been denied by Butcher's spectacular diving save to his left hand side.

As it was, Leigh were left to celebrate an unlikely point that, in reality, doesn't do much for either side in their fight against relegation at the foot of the UniBond Premier League table, although it does give confidence to Genesis ahead of two away trips in the coming seven days, with Saturday's league game away to Ashton United (7th March, 3pm) being quickly followed by Tuesday's long trip to Cumbria to take on Kendal Town at the Lakeside Radio Stadium (10th March, 7:45pm).

Leigh Genesis; Dean Porter, Kris King, Chris Page, Rob Farrington, Alex Cunliffe, Karl Brown, Scott Sephton, David Hill, Phil Marsh, Chris Thompson, Dale Whitham (Kyle Lambert)