By Matt Lawton
April 26 2006

The pressure is mounting. And I mean mounting. Another three days to go, and the tension is already unbearable as Saturday approaches. Will we stay or will we go? After umpteen relegation battles in the past few years under the guidance of so many managers it would make Dave Whelan squirm, you'd think we'd be used to this. I hoped we'd be used to it by now. Why aren't we just shrugging this off as a hazard of the job? After all, RMI in a relegation battle is now just as much an annual occasion as Christmas, Bonfire Night or National Talk Like a Pirate Day.

But this year, it's different. Last year we were down almost as soon as the season had started. Put it alongside Sunderland's efforts in the Premiership this season and the Mackems look almost Brazilian.

The season before was a pretty similar situation, with relegation only prevented thanks to various circumstances involving poor grounds and financial irregularities. For a change, those weren't actually directly involving RMI, but this season RMI have made a good go of getting themselves in a decent position outside of the heat, only to throw themselves back in to the boiling point because of off-field matters. As recently as last Saturday it looked as though we were in the driving seat, when despite throwing away a 2-0 lead as only RMI could, we managed to grab an invaluable point just as relegation rivals Redditch were getting a royal tonking at the hands of Stalybridge. Advantage Leythers, or so we thought until we looked on Teletext - level on points with Redditch! But we got a draw? And they got hammered? So that puts a point in front? Sort it out lads, must be a mistake? As it turns out, it was a bloody big mistake, but not by our good friends at the BBC. No, RMI had proceeded to shoot themselves in the foot and getting themselves a point docked for fielding an ineligible player. We did wonder at the time how John Lamb had managed to get back so quickly from his loan at Bradford Park Avenue, and now we know.

Only RMI could get themselves in a situation like this. I mean, we somehow managed to beat Redditch home and away so far this season, so how do they find themselves in the driving seat ahead of Judgement Day?

More ramblings to come soon from various sources, I don't think I can stand the tension - I'm a Leyther, get me out of here!!