Leigh Genesis 0 AFC Fylde 1

Matt Walwyn's goal early in the second half was enough to leave Leigh Genesis still searching for their first win of the season after a home defeat to big-spending AFC Fylde.

Both sides were back in league action just 48 hours after the two had differing fortunes in the FA Cup Preliminary Round, with a first Joe Evans goal enough to secure progress for Leigh with a 1-0 win over Runcorn Linnets at Crilly Park, while Fylde stumbled to an unexpected 3-1 defeat to league rivals Skelmersdale United.

Genesis striker John Lawless suffered an injury in that win over Runcorn, and as such Leigh boss Mark Maddox was forced in to a degree of re-organisation ahead of the meeting with Fylde, choosing to use Nick Eastham as a lone striker with Joe Evans playing just behind him as an attacking midfielder, with player/assistant manager Gary Scott coming in to the side to play alongside Andy Heald to form an experienced central midfield partnership.

Playing up the Crilly Park slope in the first half, Leigh had the first decent chance of the game when Mark King delivered a well-worked corner from the left hand side that found Paul Hopkins unmarked at the back post, with the Genesis right winger volleying over the crossbar on eleven minutes.

Leigh goalkeeper Adam Judge is only a handful of games in to his Leigh career, but he is already enjoying rave reviews, and they will keep on coming if he shows the type of form that he did on fourteen minutes, nonchalantly plucking the ball out of the air when Matt Kay played in Walwyn, who tried to dink the ball over the former Formby ‘keeper.

In a particularly physical encounter, the first booking arrived on thirty three minutes when Evans was shown a yellow card for a challenge that left Fylde midfielder Matt Mahoney particularly worse off, although some might suggest that Mahoney had left himself in a vulnerable position when going in to the tackle with his feet off the ground, though he was fine to continue after treatment from the visiting physio.

With the resultant free kick not even taken, the referee had his book out again, this time cautioning Fylde skipper Mick Stringfellow for an off-the-ball clash with Genesis centre back James Bell, with Stringfellow appearing to aim a kick at Bell and subsequently somewhat lucky to remain on the field.

Although Fylde had the upper hand in terms of possession and territory, Eastham and winger Adam Strode in particular barely stopped running for the Leigh cause, and it was with some optimism that Leigh went in at the break, deservedly on level terms against one of the pre-season favourites for promotion.

However, after such a hardworking first half performance, it came as a hammer blow to Genesis to fall behind after just two minutes of the second half when Walwyn was afforded enough space on the left hand side to run through on goal and slot past Judge.

Having virtually run himself in to the ground, Strode was given a well-earned rest on sixty eight minutes when Paul Williams was brought on to make his return from injury, but the visitors appeared to have sealed victory on seventy two minutes when Walwyn found the net again, only to be denied by the offside flag of the linesman.

Four minutes later and the visitors were again to be frustrated by the linesman's flag, this time Stringfellow seeing his celebrations cut short by an offside decision after heading in a Jamie Milligan free kick.

Rowan Garnett and Chris Dykes were both introduced from the substitutes bench in the hope of finding an equaliser, but Leigh struggled to create anything against a watertight Fylde defence and as a result are left still searching for their first points of the season.

Leigh's next outing comes on Saturday (4th September, 3pm kick off) with a short trip to Trafford, before Yorkshire side Garforth Town are the visitors to Crilly Park next Tuesday (7th September, 7.45pm).

Leigh Genesis; Adam Judge, Danny Lyons, Mark King, James Bell, Scott Sephton, Andy Heald, Paul Hopkins, Gary Scott, Joe Evans (Chris Dykes 76), Nick Eastham (Rowan Garnett 83), Adam Strode (Paul Williams 68)