Relgated Leigh Genesis dominate at play-off chasing Hednesford Town (From Leigh Journal)

Relgated Leigh Genesis dominate at play-off chasing Hednesford Town

12:46pm Sunday 26th April 2009

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Hednesford Town 1 Leigh Genesis 2

LEIGH Genesis finished a rollercoaster UniBond Premier League campaign in style, comprehensively defeating a Hednesford Town side that were still in with a shout of a play-off place on the morning of this final day of the season.

On a bright afternoon in the Midlands, one could be forgiven for thinking that hosts Hednesford would come out with all guns blazing in an attempt to keep alive their faint hope of reaching the promotion play-offs, but it was Genesis that started like the promotion hopefuls as they dominated the encounter from the outset.

Leigh duly took the lead after just eight minutes when Tom Ince did superbly to beat his marker on the left hand side of the penalty and dink a delightful cross to the back post that Jack Dorney was only to happy to head past Hednesford goalkeeper Stuart Brock for his first ever Genesis goal.

Although Genesis fielded only a lone striker, and an unfamiliar one at that in the shape of winger Steve Settle, it was the visitors that were dominating territory and possession, albeit without creating too many clear-cut chances despite the type of flowing football that was an absolute joy to watch at times..

Dorney had a golden opportunity to claim his second goal of the afternoon in the early stages of the second half, but his free header flew just over the crossbar with the goal at his mercy after Andy Heald ended a determined run with a cross that deflected off Ben Bailey to divert it into Dorney’s path.

Although Hednesford equalised on 61 minutes when Elliott Durrell slammed the ball home after a cross had eventually rebounded into his path, normal service was resumed just 13 minutes later when Leigh regained the lead in bizarre circumstances.

Hednesford goalkeeper Stuart Brock had looked decidedly uneasy whenever his defenders had passed the ball back to him to clear, and it was on one such occasion that Brock panicked when receiving a pass back from Cedric Abraham and virtually passed the ball to an almost disbelieving Dorney, who took his time to pick his spot and fire the ball in to the net, via the near post.

With manager Garry Flitcroft in charge for the final eight games of the league season, the victory confirms a particularly respectable start to Flitcroft’s managerial career, taking 14 points from a possible 24 with four wins and two draws.

Leigh end the season in 21st place and, despite their late revival, their project great escape arrived a little too late to become reality, though it fuels optimism ahead of next season’s UniBond League Division One campaign.

Details of Leigh’s pre-season programme will be confirmed once available.

Leigh Genesis: Stephen Drench, Paul Howarth (Scott Sephton), Kris King, Andy Heald (Dale Whitham), Jonathan Smith, Chris Page, Jack Dorney, Steve Settle (Jordan Stepien), Karl Brown, Steve Flitcroft, Tom Ince.

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