Accrington Stanley v. Leigh RMI preview

By Matt Lawton
October 29 2004

Leigh RMI embark on the "Road to Cardiff" tomorrow afternoon when they travel to Lancashire rivals Accrington Stanley, on a mission to avenge their two most recent defeats at the hands of the famous Stanley.

Although it was disappointing to fall to a 2-1 defeat at the Interlink Express Stadium in a Nationwide Conference game earlier this season, the defeat that RMI will be looking to avenge is their defeat at the same stage of the competition last season. RMI visited what is the Crown Ground to the traditionalists confident of reaching the FA Cup First Round Proper for the first time in three years since they fell to a 3-0 defeat at Millwall, but they instead fell to a 2-0 defeat thanks to a clinching late goal from former Bury and Hyde United striker Lutel James.

The game heralded Phil Starbuck's first game in charge of the RMI side following the departure of the much-maligned Mark Patterson, and former Hucknall boss Starbuck will be looking to celebrate a year in the Hilton Park hot seat by pocketing a cheque of £10,000 for the cash-strapped Railwaymen with victory on Saturday.

Despite falling to a 3-0 defeat at newly-promoted Canvey Island last weekend, Starbuck was hugely proud of those that pulled on an RMI shirt at Park Lane after the game, much to Starbuck's fury, went ahead regardless of illness sweeping through the Leigh camp, meaning Starbuck had to come out of temporary retirement yet there still weren't even enough players to fill the full quota of five substitutes.

Leigh hope to have several of those sixteen players back in the squad for the short trip across the Red Rose county, with the worst of the 'flu and mumps epidemic hopefully in the past.

Starbuck believes that the game is there for the taking after Stanley fell to defeat last weekend in the league, although Accrington have FA Cup history on their side, going on a run to the Third Round of the competition last season after a giantkilling run accounted for the scalps of not only Bournemouth, but also that of Huddersfield Town live in front of the nation.

FA Cup encounters between the sides in recent years lie at one victory each, with Stanley's victory last season equalled by RMI's 1-0 victory in the 1996/97 2nd Qualifying Round after an early Lee Cryer goal at Hilton Park.