Leigh RMI 1 Dagenham 3 by David Magilton: LEIGH boss Mark Patterson has set a two game victory target to survive in the Conference.

After watching his side crash to a second successive 3-1 defeat, which leaves them next to bottom of the table, Patterson was naturally disappointed but still upbeat that RMI can avoid the drop.

"Saturday's game against Gravesend is now massive and a proper six pointer," admitted Patterson.

"We have to win it, there are no two ways about it. We need to win two of our remaining four games. If we can do that then I think we will stay up."

Time is fast running out but unless they stop making basic defensive errors then there is no way back.

Dagenham striker Steve West gratefully grabbed Leigh's latest offerings to notch a hat-trick to take his personal tally to 15 in the league this season.

For the second successive game RMI struck first only to buckle and let in three goals, further undermining their confidence.

They went ahead in the 39th minute with a brilliant finish from Ian Monk, who coolly slotted home after Keith Scott's header had put him in space.

The Daggers always posed the bigger threat but desperate defending kept them at bay until the final minute of the first-half, when the tricky Mark Janney's cross found Tim Cole and his shot was palmed out by Stuart Coburn to West, who rammed it home.

It was the worst possible time to let a goal in and a shaky RMI had a lucky escape three minutes after the break when John McGrath hit the post.

Their luck ran out in the 52nd minute when West's header was knocked back into his path and the big centre-forward rifled it home from the edge of the box.

RMI then staged a mini-revival but their chances of a point disappeared three minutes from time when Tarkan Mustafa's cross found West. His low header was cleared off the line by Martyn Lancaster but the ball went straight back to West and he stabbed it home at the second attempt.

The defeat was bitterly disappointing for Patterson. "We started well, got the goal and had chances, but we conceded at a bad time. The other goals were both from poor defending.

"Mistakes are starting to come in but I can't do anything about that. These are schoolboy errors and it is up to the players to stop making them.

"When you make mistakes against quality players, they will punish you. We created chances but didn't put them away.

Leigh will have to stop being as generous to the opposition's strikers if they are to achieve the manager's survival target.