Leigh Genesis 1 Ilkeston 2

Unfortunate final third for Genesis

  SUN 24 AUG 2008

After the delirium that greeted Tuesday night’s hugely impressive Victory Park debut for Leigh Genesis as they defeated Ashton United 3-0, the conceding of 2 late goals was hard to take for the Genesis faithful.
 

The early stages of the game largely began to Leigh, Brad Maylett thumping a free kick against Chris Adamson’s right hand post after sixteen minutes, shortly before Jerome Watt fired over after some incisive build-up play.
 

Despite missing key defenders Andrew Teague and Rob Marsh-Evans through injury and midfielder Tom Field still awaiting his debut because of suspension, the home support travelled to Chorley with a degree of confidence that their side would claim their second successive victory, and that faith seemed to be well placed after twenty seven minutes when Brad Maylett’s corner was headed home at the back post by stand-in right Paul Booth, his first goal for the club.
 

Former Droylsden striker Matt Berkeley, an impressive substitute in midweek, was restored to the Leigh starting line up and he had an influential part to play as Genesis came close to doubling their lead, stealing the ball from Ilkeston goalkeeper Chris Adamson before laying off to man-of-the-match Jerome Watt, who’s shot was headed off the line when Town centre back Kieron Murphy, just as it seemed to be heading for the back of the net.
 

With the second half seeing Leigh apparently happy to drop deeper and defend their slender one goal lead, Ilkeston began to take control of the game, both in terms of territory and possession as they poured forward in search of an equaliser.
 

They showed a degree of their capabilities in the early stages of the second period, Dickinson doing superbly to palm away a bullet of a free kick from right back Lee Thompson, with a Chris Holland shot past the post providing only a sporadic attacking threat from the hosts.
 

Despite a long-awaited debut for striker Jordan Stepien, a replacement for Berkeley, Leigh were being pushed deeper and deeper towards their own goal, Ilkeston finally getting the equaliser that their pressure deserved with five minutes remaining when Ben Pringle’s right-sided free kick was headed by Dickinson by ecstatic substitute John Douglas.
 

With the balance of the game turned completely in to the favour of David Holdsworth’s side, the visitors grabbed a winning goal just two minutes later when Chris Adam diverted the ball past Dickinson after an original shot had been blocked on the edge of the area.
 

 

Leigh Genesis; Steve Dickinson, Paul Booth, Alex Mortimer, Jonathan Goulding, Josh Wilson, Jerome Fitzgerald, Bradley Maylett, Chris Holland, Matt Berkeley (Jordan Stepien), Darren Mansaram, Jerome Watt