Smyth double sinks Ashton's County Cup hopes

Two Mark Smyth goals secured a victory for Leigh RMI in the Quarter Finals of the Lancashire FA Co-Operative Challenge Trophy against a spirited effort from their hosts Ashton Athletic.

After scoring twice in the previous round's 4-2 win over Clitheroe at Hilton Park, former Liverpool striker Smyth continued an impressive run in the competition with a stylish all round display as he excellently linked up with fellow front men Leon Osborne and Richard Chetcuti throughout the evening.

Hosts Athletic, four divisions below RMI but with just one league defeat currently seeing them well placed in third place of the North West Counties League Division Two, made a bright start with a Dave Sherlock shot narrowly deflected wide of the Leigh goal in the first few minutes.

Leigh’s own young striker Osborne, a bright performer in RMI's previous cup encounter at Burscough a couple of weeks ago, had RMI's first chance when blazing over the crossbar before Ashton came within a whisker of taking the lead when a miscued shot from Tim Lees ballooned bizarrely on to Saynor's crossbar after twenty minutes, with the rebound falling kindly to the follow up player, Chris Almond but unfortunately for Ashton he could not keep his header down and it sailed over the crossbar.

Ashton dictated matters in the opening quarter of the game but Leigh gradually worked their way back into the match with their midfield trio of Steve Settle, Neil Carroll and former Athletic youth team player Sam Fairhurst became increasingly prominent.

RMI took the sting out of Ashton’s endeavours with a two goal blast shortly before the forty minute mark. First, Steve Settle released full back Jon Goulding down the right flank, before the impressive full back crossed for man-of-the-match Sam Fairhurst to knock the ball in from close range

Within a minute of Fairhurst's strike, RMI doubled their lead and effectively killed off the game when Smyth set off on a solo run on the right hand touchline before cutting inside and sending an unstoppable left foot shot curling past goalkeeper Andy Hewitt and into the top corner to give Leigh a comfortable advantage at the break.

HT 0-2

Ashton’s Tom Potter broke clear early in the second half and flashed a shot across the face of the goal but it slid just past the far post. Not long after the Railwaymen extended their lead to three goals and put seemingly put the result beyond doubt when a superb Osborne through ball beat the attempted off side trap and put Smyth in the clear to smartly dribble around the goalkeeper and slot the ball in to the empty net.

Ashton battled on striving to gain a foothold in the match and the hard work paid off as, with fifteen minutes remaining substitute Chris Weeder scrambled the ball home from inside the six yard box.

As Ashton poured forward in an attempt to get another back gaps started to open for RMI to exploit Smyth was denied a hat trick by a smart save by Andy Hewitt before Osborne smashed a terrific volley against the crossbar. The final chance for Leigh fell to substitute Andy Wright who blazed an effort over the top from close range.

The full time whistle heralded what in the end was a comfortable win for the visitors but had one of the early Ashton chances been converted in the first half who knows how the higher league opponents might have reacted.

The victory and with it passage to the semi final of the competition will no doubt be a certain boost to Leigh’s confidence ahead of Workington's visit to Hilton Park on Saturday for the FA Trophy First Round tie

Meanwhile Ashton can take substantial positives from the performance especially the never say die attitude in the second half and can look forward to Saturday and the Vodkat League clash at Chadderton in a 3^rd v 4^th contest, 3pm KO.

Ashton Man of the Match was awarded to Mike Burke.