Wigan spy learns little

Mike Hulme reports from Hilton Park

JOHN Kear is astute enough to acknowledge that he didn't see the real Leigh when sent on a spying mission into the Centurions' camp.

Stuart Raper's assistant across the Borough at the JJB might have picked up a tip or two, but just how well Leigh can play will have to remain a mystery. Yet how poor they can be at times was plain for all to see.

Even coach Paul Terzis readily admitted that his team 'had got out of jail' and was critical of how his side had their eye on this weekend's Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Challenge Cup quarter-final.

"I was more nervous before this game than any other I've been involved with at Leigh - and that includes a Grand Final," he revealed. "It's hard for the players to get the mental preparation right when they've got such a huge match looming the following week. It's human nature.

"There were some uncharacteristic things from our players, things they wouldn't do normally. All my concerns came to fruition but we got the league points and that's all that really matters.

"If someone had offered us 17 points out of the first 18 at the start of the season, I'd have snatched their hand off."

Minus seven of his front-line troops - Baldwin, Morley, Bradbury, Turley, Ball, Anderson and Irwin were all missing - Terzis gave the rest of his squad the chance to push for places against Wigan. Some will have counted themselves in, others will have counted themselves out.

Liam Bretherton didn't do much wrong at full-back. He ran the ball back well but his lack of size sometimes finds him vulnerable in one-on-one situations such as Anthony Samuel's try soon after half time when the big second rower slipped between Paul Norman and Vila Matautia and run over the top of Bretherton to put Town ahead for the second time.

Dave Whittle, back after injury for his first game since December, made an impact in his two spells and scored a vital try from one of Leigh's favoured set-pieces. Another whose place in Sunday's squad looks assured is John Hamilton whose final 20 minutes again underlined what a fine young player he is.

Very few of the rest can be entirely happy with their performances in a game that barely got above the mediocre.

The gale force wind certainly played it's part but Leigh can't blame the conditions entirely for the amount of ball they turned over. Town were little better in that department either, at all adding up to a stop-start and scrappy game.

Town used the elements slightly better than Leigh but the Centurions did lose their major tactical kicker early on when Simon Svabic had to go off with a dislocated finger. No-one else was really able to take up the mantle.

Leigh were behind three times in the match, trailing 2-0 as early as the third minute when Tane Manihera stroked over a long range penalty.

But it wasn't long before Leigh were level, Svabic flighting a penalty over into the teeth of the gale after Hitro Okesene had poleaxed Norman with a high shot.

Svabic wasted Leigh's best early chance when his wayward pass missed it's intended target of Eric Andews. But within a couple of minutes Leigh were in front. Simon Knox - sadly cup tied this weekend - rampaged straight through the Town defence, linked with sub Mark McCully who, with his first touch, sent Andrews scrambling in at the corner. Jon Roper's goal shot faded wide on the wind.

Leigh had a lucky escape when Lokeni Savelio lost the ball in a two-man tackle over the tryline but Town's reward for some patient build-up play was rewarded just before half time. The pressure had been mounting on Leigh for some time when Manihera dropped the perfect kick over the defence for winger Graeme Lewthwaite to gather without breaking stride and cross out wide without a finger laid on him.

6-6 at the break soon became 10-6 in Town's favour. Just 90 seconds after the restart Samuel brushed through Norman and Matautia's tackle and carried Bretherton over with him for a try under the posts. Manihera's conversion attempt from straight in front came back off an upright - a vital miss in the final analysis.

Fifteen minutes into the half the Centurions regained the lead. Matautia's determination to win a loose ball gave them good field position and after Willie Swann and Adam Bristow had been stopped on the line, one of Leigh's favoured plays saw Paul Rowley bring Whittle on an angled run out of dummy half, the prop muscling his way over beneath the crossbar. Roper converted to give Leigh a two-point advantage.

But again it was a lead they couldn't hold onto. A quick passing movement from left to right found Town had numbers on the outside, Gary Charlton showing a dummy and then a clean pair of heels on a 15 metre sprint to the line.

From the restart the hapless Savelio knocked on to give Leigh possession within striking distance. And for once they didn't waste it. Across the line they went with the decisive pass coming from Gareth Price who sent Workington-born Roper in for what turned out to be the clincher.

Both sides missed presentable chances in the last 18 minutes, but Leigh were the more guilty of the two. Three times they bombed glorious scoring chances with a loose final pass.

Those closing phases didn't please Terzis. "Those last few minutes by us were appalling. Regardless of how we got into that situation we could have done things far more professionally. We nearly gave them the game back after working hard to get back into a winning position."

Match Facts

SCORERS: Leigh - Tries: Andrews (18), Whittle (55), Roper (62). Gls: Svabic 1 from 1, Roper 1 from 3.

Workington: - Tries: Lewthwaite (40), Samuel (42), Charlton (61). Gl: Manihera 1 from 4.

LEIGH: Bretherton, Ingram, Kendrick, Roper, Andrews; Svabic, Swann; Knox, Rowley, Norman, Price, Isherwood, Bristow. Subs: Whittle (for Price 26); Hamilton (for Kendrick 57), McCully (for Svabic 18); Matautia (for Norman 21); Norman (for Whittle BB 37, BBR 54); Norman (for Whittle BB 77); Price (for Knox 62).

WORKINGTON: S.Wood; Rowley, Frazer, McGrady, Lewthwaite; M.Wood, Manihera; Tunstall, Williamson, Okesene, Beaumont, Samuel, Charlton. Subs: Wright (for Okesene 27), Savelio (for Tunstall 22), Sice (for Lewthwaite 47), Hoyles (for Samuel 61); Okesene (for Wright 57); Wright (for Williamson 68).

PENALTIES CONCEDED: Leigh 8, Workington 7.

HANDLING ERRORS: Leigh 16, Workington 13.

REFEREE: Peter Taberner (Wigan).

ATTENDANCE: 2022.

Magic Moment

LOKENI Savelio's unforced error to give possession back to Leigh seconds after Town had gone in front for a third time. Jon Roper's try from that mistake will have been particularly sweet for the Workington-born lad.

Moan of the Match

SIMON Svabic's dislocated fingerin the first half threw a spanner in Leigh's attacking works. His passing and kicking game were badly missed and the team fumbled their way to victory.

Man of the match

PAUL Rowley was his usual all-action style, Willie Swann worked himself to a stand-still, but a lot of classy moments and the match-winner came from Jon Roper who is proving to be quite a shrewd signing.