Yeovil Town 3 Leigh RMI 1 by Martyn Hindley: LEIGH'S last trek to Yeovil may have ended pointless on Tuesday, but there was no disgrace in losing to a side who are just three wins away from winning Football League status.

When the game eventually got underway 15 minutes late, the standard of football from the hosts was often so breathtaking that it was difficult to despair that the Railwaymen were on the wrong end of the Westcountry juggernaut.

Centre-half Martyn Lancaster looked understandably awestruck in the immediate prelude to an embarrassing slip that allowed the Glovers the game's first opportunity on the quarter-hour - Stuart Coburn sufficiently alert to parry Michael McIndoe's snapshot after Kevin Gall had found himself homing in on goal.

Any hopes that Coburn's stoicism could endure the ninety minutes were soon obliterated by the prolific Kirk Jackson though, as the striker crushed Mark Patterson's men with a three minute brace midway through the first half.

The goalkeeper was good enough to keep out Gall's shot at the near post but even his superhuman capabilities were powerless to prevent Jackson arrowing a left-footed volley into the opposite corner.

When Neil Durkin's untimely fall allowed Darren Way to steal in at the by-line, Jackson used his head to oblige two minutes later.

Leigh had made just two errors and both had proved costly enough to put them out of contention.

Their continued lack of presence upfront - even when there was little to lose - may be criticised by RMI fans, but at times they seemed overwhelmed by the professionalism of their surroundings.

Substitute Andy Heald stung the fingertips of Chris Weale three minutes before the break and Keith Scott slid in to reduce arrears.

Yeovil toyed with Leigh thereafter and their strength in depth can only be characterised by the quality emerging from their bench. Andy Lindegaard climbed off it to take part in the last twenty minutes, but Wayne Maden is no respector of reputations and he could easily have seen red for a wreckless challenge on the substitute with frustrations evident towards the end.

Patterson is unlikely to be handing out medals to the former Blackpool man for collecting his tenth yellow card of the season.

RMI: Coburn, Durkin, Williams (Harrison 89), Lancaster, Fitzhenry, Salt,

Monk (Heald 32), Maden, Ford, Scott (Courtney 81), Campbell. Subs unused:

Bates, Whittaker. Bookings: Campbell (45 mins; dissent), Maden (67 mins;

foul). Attendance: 5,330