KEITH LATHAM is keeping his feet firmly on the ground.

Leigh's sensational 24-20 comeback victory over 12-man Swinton takes them to within two games of a place in the Silk Cut Plate Final at Wembley in May.

But, while coach Latham allowed his team to bask in the glory for a few hours, normal service will be resumed this week.

"They deserve to enjoy themselves for the way they have responded to last week's hammering by Sheffield," he said. "But I don't want to hear any talk of Wembley in our dressing room.

"Wembley, while it would be tremendous for the club and the town, has to be our second priority. Getting out of Division Two is the target - and I don't want any distractions.

"All our training and preparation is geared towards the start of the league season."

Tongan international Jimmy Veikoso was Leigh's matchwinner with his 77th minute strike. But there were magnificent performances spread throughout the team.

From inspirational skipper Tim Street through to packmates Andy Pucill, Mark McGughan and Neil Jukes, Leigh showed a tremendous fighting spirit as they picked themselves up off the ropes and battled back from 16-4 down after 51 minutes.

Veikoso's return from the sin-bin for deliberate offside was the spark Leigh needed to complete a recovery.

Leigh had levelled at 16-16 when Veikoso was yellow-carded. They briefly led with a Jason O'Loughlin drop goal but appeared to have thrown it away when they allowed Andrew Craig to slip through to give the Lions a 20-17 lead.

But there was still some fight in Leigh. Sub Tau Liku was held up over the line and busy winger Paul McLoughlin was knocked into touch at the corner before Stuart Donlan produced the sweetest of inside passes for Veikoso to stride over.

O'Loughlin's second drop goal a minute from time merely confirmed Leigh's victory.

Swinton's chances took a knock with the 24th minute dismissal of Mark Welsby for the use the elbow in a tackle on Mark Kay.

Marlon Gardiner had already nipped in for one try to put the Lions ahead, and, despite being down to 12, they went 10-0 up with a Sean Casey try goaled by Greg Pearce. Leigh had been outplayed in the first half but threw themselves a lifeline when Veikoso sent Dean Purtill in for a try.

Casey and Pearce split Leigh again to provide Gardiner with his second in the 46th minute and it seemed curtains for Leigh.

"Even then I wasn't worried," declared Latham. "We were playing well enough and creating chances. If we tightened up the defence I knew we'd come through."

Leigh did just that. Swinton never had a sniff again and a recovery was underway when sub Paul Daniel and Mark Sarsfield put McLoughlin in at the corner. It was 16-16 apiece four minutes later when sub Scott Hilton dummied his way over at the side of the posts with his first touch.

That all set up a feverish final 15 minutes. But Leigh kept their nerve.

LEIGH: Kay (Sarsfield 47); Purtill, Veikoso, Donlan, McLoughlin; Ingram (Hilton 56), O'Loughlin; Street, Bannister, Pucill (Liku HT), Smith (Daniel 47), McGughan, Jukes.

SWINTON: Welsby; Ashcroft, Birkett, Walker, Gardiner; Lomgo, Riley; L Casey, McCabe, Barrow, Pearce, Adams, S Casey. Subs: Craig, Rodgers, Armstrong, Sheals. Attendance: 1,627.

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