By Matt Lawton
August 11 2009

Neighbours Wigan Athletic might have eventually taken the spoils in front of a near-500 crowd at the Leigh Sports Village Stadium, but the scoreline didn’t tell the full story in what was a keenly-contested final pre-season game of the summer for Genesis.

In pouring rain against a youthful Wigan side, the hosts started brightly and had struck the woodwork within nine minutes when centre back Karl Munroe headed a pinpoint Tom Ince corner against Lee Nicholls' crossbar.

Though Polish midfielder Tomasz Kupisz tested Genesis goalkeeper Stephen Drench with a shot from distance that skidded across the turf, Leigh took a deserved lead on twenty two minutes when another excellent right wing delivery, this time courtesy of Jamie Baguley, was gleefully glanced past Nicholls by Matt Jansen, the first time that the former Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers striker has hit the target since joining the club earlier in the summer.

Jansen almost had a second shortly before half-time when a determined Andy Heald run saw the ball deflected in to his path, only for the ex-England Under 21 star to drag his shot narrowly wide of the target.

With marauding striker Gomez Dahl a commanding figure up front on his debut, Leigh were creating the majority of chances and held a one goal lead at the break.

Dahl was at the forefront of the first major incident of the second half as he was crudely brought down thirty yards from goal after a strong run, with Jansen's resultant free kick curling a whisker past Nicholls' post.

With Saturday's opening UniBond League Division One North fixture away to Rossendale United at the forefront of his mind, Genesis boss Garry Flitcroft made a host of changes to his side to preserve their fitness, and it was after seven such substitutions that the virtually unchanged visitors got back on level terms when Callum Williams headed a Joe Holt corner past Drench on fifty eight minutes.

Having gained a foothold in the game, Wigan began to take control against a Leigh side by which point had seen all eleven starting players substituted, and the visitors sealed their victory on sixty four minutes when wide man Daniel Redmond scored something of a wonder goal, dribbling his way past three Leigh challenges before coolly rounding substitute goalkeeper Dean Porter to slot the ball in to the net.

Considering Leigh continued to hold the lead with their ‘full' starting eleven, the game will have posed plenty of questions to Flitcroft ahead of Saturday's trip to East Lancashire, before an away fixture at Curzon Ashton two days later.

Saturday's game at Rossendale United (15th August), the first league game of the season, is a 3pm kick off, with admission costing £7 for adults, £4 for concessions and £1 for under 14's, while Monday's trip to Curzon's Tameside Stadium home in Ashton-under-Lyne (17th August) is a 7:45pm kick off, with admission costing £6 for adults and £2 for concessions and juniors.

Leigh Genesis; Stephen Drench, Chris Page, Kris King, Karl Munroe, Jonathan Smith, Andy Heald, Tom Ince, Jamie Baguley, Jordan Stepien, Gomez Dahl, Matt Jansen. Subs (all used); Dean Porter, Paul Howarth, Mark Ross, Steve Settle, Chris Baguley, Scott Sephton, David Hill, Chris Dykes, Lee Green, Jamie Waldron, Danny Aaron

Wigan Athletic; Lee Nicholls, Callum Morris, Jordan Mustoe, Adam Buxton, Josh Langley, Jonathan Breeze, Daniel Redmond, Jon Routledge, Tomasz Kupisz, Callum McManaman, Joe Holt. Subs (all used); Callum Williams, Nick Meace, Thomas Amos, Stephen Chiocchi, Abian Serrano, David Mayer

LEIGH GENESIS 1 WIGAN ATHLETIC 2
Date:	Tuesday 11th August 2009
Venue:	Leigh Sports Village Stadium, Leigh
Attendance:	485
Half time:	Leigh Genesis 1 Wigan Athletic 0
Competition:	Pre-season friendly
Scorers:
Leigh Genesis	Matt Jansen
Wigan Athletic	Callum Williams, Daniel Redmond