FORMER Leigh RMI sharpshooter Steve Jones blasted Crewe Alexandra into an automatic position in the Second Division promotion race on Saturday at Colchester with manager Dario Gradi saying: "If his first goal had been scored in the Premiership by Van Nistelrooy or Bergkamp it would have been one of the favourites for Goal of the Month."

Steve, aged 25, and born in Londonderry, admits be owes a lot to the chance he was given by Steve Waywell at Leigh and says: "I still look for their results, and get up to see them play if I am free for any midweek games. I was top scorer there with 23 goals, and still have a lot of friends there. Things look grim for them at the moment, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that they can get out of trouble."

An Everton supporter who is highly regarded by Sammy McIlroy and modelled his early career on the wing on Andrei Kanchelskis, put £250,000 in the Leigh coffers when he signed for Crewe, and only had one first team appearance last season, but has cashed in on injuries to strikers Rob Hulse and Dean Ashton, and will be hard now to displace from first team football at Gresty Road.

His electric pace gave him Saturday's match winners after Micky Stockwell had put Colchester in fron. Steve's goals in the 55th and 62nd minutes had manager Gradi saying: "He's a natural goalscorer and is learning his trade well. He can become a regular in the Northern Ireland national team, and on his present form it is going to be hard to shift him out of our first team."