Leigh RMI v. Shrewsbury Town preview

By Matt Lawton
November 18 2003

Former Football League outfit, and FA Cup giantkillers of last season, Shrewsbury Town make the trip north to Lancashire this evening with RMI facing a daunting evening against Jimmy Quinn's outfit.

The hosts will be desperate to end a miserable run which has seen them pick up only one victory since defeating fellow strugglers Northwich Victoria away from home late in August.

RMI had two games during the course of last week and fell to two defeats, conceding nine goals in the process and only Wayne Maden's early goal against Scarborough last Tuesday to show for their attacking efforts, though former Hamilton Academicals striker David McNiven missed a penalty in the same game.

Railwaymen boss Phil Starbuck will be looking for a first victory since becoming RMI's permanent manager a fortnight ago, with Starbuck's only success since taking over from predecessor Mark Patterson being the shock away victory against league leaders Hereford United.

RMI's scorer that day, former Barnsley winger Carl Barrowclough, will again be missing because of the hamstring injury which forced him to withdraw from the side at half time in last week's 4-1 home defeat to Scarborough.

There is some good news for Starbuck, however, with his assistant, veteran former Manchester City and Bury star Steve Redmond, set to return after recovering from the injury which forced him to leave the action after barely half an hour of the Scarborough encounter.

Also returning to the RMI line up is former Blackpool defender-cum-midfielder Wayne Maden, who scored the opening goal against Scarborough and also the winning goal in the victory at Northwich. Maden comes back into the side after serving the one match suspension which forced him to miss the 5-0 defeat away to Telford United on Saturday afternoon.

Shrewsbury Town manager Jimmy Quinn has no injury worries to contend with other than his own, with the former Reading star set to drop himself from the side after injuring his hamstring in Town's 3-0 victory over Gravesend & Northfleet on Saturday afternoon.

Despite recording an FA Cup shock last season when they defeat Premiership giants Everton 2-1 at their Gay Meadow home on their way to a Fourth Round encounter at home to Chelsea, which was televised live, the Shrews had a miserable season in Division Three last season which resulted in their relegation to the top tier of non-league English football and also forced manager Kevin Ratcliffe out of his job.

One man to watch this evening is Shrews striker Luke Rodgers, who was impressive in his side's FA Cup run last season and has been excelling in the Conference this season, earning the attentions of several "bigger clubs" from the Nationwide League, and reportedly even Premiership sides, who have been keeping a keen eye on his progress.

Leigh RMI manager Phil Starbuck will be hoping that the Shrews fail to regain any of their "Everton spirit", while hoping that RMI will regain the confidence and quality which saw them record the 1-0 victory at Hereford, the game which virtually secured the job on a permanent basis for the former Hucknall Town manager, although if RMI's past two games, and consequent heavy defeats, are anything to go by, Leigh will be happy with anything other than a heavy defeat.