Leigh RMI v. Dagenham & Redbridge preview

By Matt Lawton
August 7 2003

Several new faces will make their competitive debuts for RMI on Saturday afternoon, along with the return of a prodigal son in RMI's colours, along with an ex-player will be lining up against RMI, when RMI begin their fourth consecutive Conference season at Hilton Park on Saturday afternoon.

Last season's play-off finalists will make the long journey to South Lancashire from their East London base full of hope that they can go one better this season than last, though they will know that RMI will be pushovers, the Daggers having ever only won two games at Hilton Park, with one of them coming almost three years ago to the day.

It is the third time in four seasons that the two clubs have been paired together on the opening day, the first meeting also being the Conference debuts for both clubs when the Londoners ran out 2-1 winners at Hilton Park on a warm August afternoon in 2000.

Latest signings, former Leeds midfielder Paul Shepherd and ex-Nuneaton defender Paul Browne, are expected to go straight into the squad for their Leigh debuts, though RMI manager Mark Patterson has selection dilemma's in more than one position.

With no injuries of note, Patterson has a full strength side to choose from which, although a problem, is certainly a welcome one for the inexperienced former Bolton Wanderers midfielder, who is in his first managerial position.

Patterson has to choose between recent signing Ian Martin, who has played in all of RMI's pre-season warm up games, and star of last season Stuart Coburn to decide who will line up in goal for the hosts on Saturday afternoon.

Patterson also has to make the choice of who will play up-front, with former Stalybridge pair Ged Courtney and Marcus Hallows, who is making his return to RMI after re-signing in the summer, battling it out with young striker Neil Robinson, who is on loan from Third Division side Macclesfield Town and impressed hugely in several pre-season outings, for what is expected to be only one starting spot as striker on offer with Patterson expected to continue with his favoured 4-5-1 formation.

Hallows isn't the only one returning to Hilton Park, though the other striker who is coming back to Lancashire won't be lining up in the red and white of RMI, but in the colours of visitors Dagenham. Former Scarborough striker Keith Scott, who scored the goal in the 1-0 win at Kettering Town on the last day of last season which meant RMI survived in their Conference relegation battle, left Hilton Park in the summer after not being offered a new contract and signed for Dagenham.

The visitors look set to be without former Welsh international goalkeeper Tony Roberts, who is rated very doubtful because of a troublesome ankle injury after playing for only five minutes during his own testimonial for former club Queens Park Rangers against Charlton Athletic. Daggers captain Lee Matthews will be looking to push for a place in the starting line-up, though the game may have come a little too early for the centre back as he isn't yet totally match fit, meaning it will be a mainly familiar side to that which has visited Hilton Park in recent years.

Unfortunately this reporter will be well on his way to a fortnight in Majorca when the game kicks off, though I will be trying desperately to find out the latest from Hilton Park.