Leigh RMI 3 Aldershot 3: IT is nearly two years since Leigh last won back-to-back league games - but surely they will not come any closer to a winning double than this.
RMI won their first game of the season over Forest Green last week and on Saturday led 3-1 with the clock showing one minute of normal time left, but in a heart-breaking finale they gifted two goals inside 60 seconds.
It was a devastating way to finish a game in which they had fought so hard against second in the table Aldershot.
Manager Phil Starbuck was bitterly disappointed at the way his side had thrown away their lead. He said: "We chucked it away. I feel sick at what has happened and I know the players do as well."
What Leigh lacked in class they more than made up for in work-rate, but there was no doubting the skill to all three of their goals. The Railwaymen went ahead in the 32nd minute when Ian Fitzpatrick's curling free-kick was powerfully headed home by Michael Byrne.
Aldershot were reduced to ten men in the 37th minute when Steve Watson was sent off for what the referee said was 'spitting at an opponent'.
Yet they continually tested Leigh's defence, which finally cracked in the 65th minute when Darren Barnard's cross caused panic and Chris Giles fired home.
The Railwaymen bounced straight back and regained the lead four minutes later when new signing Gary Williams crossed and Byrne's header hit the woodwork and rebounded out, only to hit unfortunate defender Phil Warner and bounce over the line.
There was nothing fortunate about their third goal when Karl Rose skipped past two defenders in the 82nd minute before rifling a 20 yards shot into the top corner, but then it all went wrong for RMI.
In the 90th minute, Jon Challinor cracked home a volley, and virtually from the re-start, Aaron McLean darted through to complete the great escape.
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