Clitheroe 1 Leigh Genesis 2

Clitheroe’s Shawbridge ground might prove an unlikely setting for a police drama, but the TV writers would do well to stage a reconstruction after Leigh cruelly stole the three points from their hosts.

Just three minutes were on the clock when Clitheroe took a shock lead, former FC United of Manchester wingman Danny Williams, a constant thorn in Leigh's side throughout the evening, delivered a left wing cross that Nathan Taylor fired first time past Genesis goalkeeper Stephen Drench, who got a hand to the strike but not enough to keep the ball out.

Not the first time this season, Leigh struggled to dictate the pace of the game in midfield and were distinctly second best for long periods, getting their first glimpse of goal when Matt Jansen headed a Jordan Stepien corner kick over the bar after the ball was cleared behind just as Jamie Baguley was about to pull the trigger for a shot on goal.

Centre back Jonathan Smith was the unlikely source of Leigh's best half of the game when he saw his diving header fly inches past Danny Hanford's post after a pinpoint Stepien cross, but it was hardly indicative of the flow of play, with Leigh indebted to Karl Munroe for preventing a second Clitheroe goal, clearing the ball off the line after Williams had looked set to double his side's lead with a back post header.

Winger Jack Dorney had a quiet game by his normal high standards and was replaced in the early stages of the second half by Chris Thompson, and it was the former Barrow striker that came within a whisker of levelling the scores, collecting the ball from a Chris Page long throw and ingeniously backheeling the ball agonisingly wide of the target.

As the game wore on, an equaliser was looking less and less of a prospect for Leigh and, as they had been in the first half, they were thankful for the shot stopping abilities of Drench, who came to his side's rescue on countless occasions. However, even Drench was powerless to stop what looked set to be a winning strike for Clitheroe, only for Liam McManus' strike from a Taylor cross to thump against the crossbar with the game nearing it's final stages.

The only side looking likely to add to the scoreline was Clitheroe, and that made it all the more surprising that Leigh pulled level on eighty four minutes, albeit from the penalty spot, when the referee adjuged that Ryan Fisher fouled Tom Ince as the Leigh winger, fresh from scoring a hat trick in Saturday's 3-1 FA Trophy win at Atherstone Town, cut inside on to his right foot inside the penalty area. Ince didn't hit the ground, but there was enough contact to make the referee's mind up, and Thompson duly dispatched the resultant spot kick.

Just as Leigh were celebrating an undeserved point, they were sent in to dreamland just two minutes later when they were awarded a second penalty after a handball was spotted in the penalty area from a Leigh corner, with Thompson again stepping up and hammering the ball past Hanford.

Even with four minutes left on the clock at that point, the drama was far from over and, with an almost Alex Ferguson-esque period of five minutes time added on in a game that hadn't seen a single injury, Drench saved all three points for his side with a world-class save, tipping the ball on to the crossbar from a deflected strike from the edge of the area.

The final whistle blew shortly afterwards and Leigh were left to breathe a huge sigh of relief, and pack the three points in to their SWAG bags for the trip back to South Lancashire.

After nearly a month of away fixtures that followed September's 6-0 win over Prescot Cables, Genesis return to the Leigh Sports Village Stadium on Saturday when Mossley, including ex-Leigh favourites Steve Settle and Karl Brown, are the visitors for a 3pm kick off. Tickets are on sale now from the Leigh Sports Village Stadium Ticket Office, which will be open from sales until kick off on matchday.

Leigh Genesis; Stephen Drench, Chris Page, Kris King (David Gbemie), Karl Munroe, Jonathan Smith, Jamie Baguley, Jack Dorney (Chris Thompson), Steve Flitcroft, Jordan Stepien (Dale Whitham), Matt Jansen, Tom Ince