Leigh RMI vs. Hinckley United preview

By Matt Lawton
February 19 2007

With Scarborough’s 1-1 draw with Hinckley on Saturday, RMI find themselves in the Conference North relegation zone, albeit on goal difference, and they will be looking to take advantage of one of their games in hand when Hinckley visit Hilton Park on Tuesday evening (7.45pm kick off).

After previously being one of the division’s front runners earlier in the season, visitors Hinckley now find themselves stuttering on the fringes of the play-offs after just one win in six league outings so far in 2007, although they do have up to four games in hand on the majority of their league rivals following the postponement of several games in memory of Hinckley player Matt Gadsby, who tragically passed away during a game at Harrogate Town earlier in the season.

The two sides last met in September when, despite a Dan Owen equaliser, RMI fell to a 3-1 defeat at the Marston Stadium, while a Gareth Stoker goal was enough to give RMI a 1-0 victory in August 2005 when Hinckley last visited Hilton Park.

Leigh boss Stuart Humphreys is likely to keep faith with the sides that battled valiantly in the 2-0 defeat at promotion chasing Hyde on Friday night, with recent signing Kevin Rapley likely to make his home debut alongside either Mark Jackson or Chris Simm in the RMI forward line, although former Bury defender Lee Unsworth is facing a race against time to be fit in time for the game after he withdrew from Friday’s game with a hamstring injury midway through the first half.