Leigh RMI 1 Northwich Vics 0

Variety Club Trophy 1st round replay

STEVE Jones hit the only goal of a dull game at Hilton Park on Tuesday night.

It was the only clear cut chance of a match in which Northwich manager Keith Alexander played three up front and five at the back.

His tactics almost worked at one end, but at the attacking end things weren't so promising.

New man Gregg Blundell made his first appearance since singing from Vauxhall, but his only sniff of goal came when home keeper David Felgate beat him to Wes Simpson's searching through ball.

But Blundell showed some good touches and flashes of pace up front, while partners Richard Mitchell and Gary Fletcher barely got a look in.

A long ball brought Leigh their winner 13 minutes from the end when Jones latched on to it, beat Mark Bailey and slipped the ball under Malcolm Rigby.

Vics were then down to 10 men when captain John Robertson needlessly argued with the referee over a booking for team-mate Mark Barnard and he was also shown the yellow card for his protests. Unfortunately, it was his second and he received his marching orders.

Vics: Rigby, Bailey, Barnard, Burke, Robertson, Henry (Holcroft 83), Simpson, Mitchell (Poland 83), Fletcher, Blundell, Devlin.