Leigh RMI 1 Exeter City 1

Last updated : 22 November 2003 By Footymad Previewer

Leigh earned themselves another valuable point with a 1-1 draw against high-flying Exeter City.

The visitors are the Conference form team with five wins in their last six games, while RMI are struggling at the other end of the table, but they battled hard and thoroughly deserved a share of the spoils.

The Grecians looked slick and there ability to break quickly gave Leigh's defence problems, but they rarely threatened the RMI goal.

Leigh applied pressure midway through the first half with a series of four successive corners and were unlucky not to score when Martyn Lancaster's header was cleared off the line by Santos Gaia.

A powerful drive from Warren Peyton was not held by James Bittner and the keeper was relieved to re-gather as the ball rolled towards the line.

Exeter's best effort came in the 44th minute when danger man James Coppinger slipped his marker and tried to chip the keeper only for the ball to hit the crossbar.

RMI stunned City three minutes from the break when Carl Barrowclough raced away on the right and crossed for David McNiven, who squared it for big Wayne Maden to blast the ball through a ruck of defenders to score.

Gary Kelly made a brilliant one-handed save less than minute from the re-start to palm a Gareth Sheldon header over the bar.

Exeter grabbed the equaliser in the 57th minute when Shelden broke clear and slipped a neat pass to Coppinger, who sent the keeper the wrong way before tucking the ball home.