LEIGH RMI face one of their toughest challenges of the season tomorrow when they travel to table-toppers Rushden and Diamonds.

RMI's hopes of a top five finish in their debut season in the Nationwide Conference took a nosedive on Wednesday when they were surprisingly beaten at relegation-threatened Forest Green. That was Leigh's first league defeat of 2001, ending a run of seven wins and a draw.

Rushden, on course for a place in the Football League, will be wary of Leigh, however. Back in October Leigh became the first side in the Conference to beat the big-spending Midlanders.

The match-winner that night was Steve Jones and Leigh will be hoping he can do the trick tomorrow, especially after he has now fully recovered from the bout of food poisoning that restricted his England semi-pro debut to just 18 minutes and still had him feeling under the weather on Wednesday.