Chorley 3 Leigh Genesis 1

GENESIS were haunted by some of their former players in the 3-1 defeat at Chorley on Saturday.

Each of the home team’s goals came from Leigh old boys in front of a 1,100 crowd at Victory Park.

With Chorley goalkeeper Aaron Grundy pulling up with an injury in the warm-up, Dean Porter took his place in the home goal to take the figure up to eight ex-Leigh players in the Chorley starting line up, with only Tom Walker, Andy Russell and new signing Aaron Rey having never played for Leigh.

In addition to that, ex-Genesis men Matt Jansen, Jonathan Smith and Mark Ross were on the Chorley substitutes’ bench, with former boss Garry Flitcroft and his ex-Leigh assistant Mike Quigley in the home dug-out.

Second-from-bottom Genesis, meanwhile, went into the game heavily hit with suspensions.

Youngster Denis Barlow replaced Adam Judge in goal while the Genesis number one served a one-game ban.

Paul Williams, Joe Evans and Danny Lyons were also absent through suspension, with Mark Maddox’s selection problems not helped by a broken nose suffered by winger Paul Hopkins.

As would be expected of the side currently leading the division, started brightly and were in front 10 minutes.

Dale Whitham, who made his Leigh debut as a 16-year-old and appeared in more than 50 Genesis games, took advantage of an assist from Rey.

The lead was doubled in the 22nd minute when Jordan Stepien, another former Genesis half-centurion, sent the ball looping over Barlow and into the net via the aid of an Adam Farley deflection.

Chorley added a third goal in the 65th minute when Barlow upended Stepien in the area, with Jack Dorney converting the resultant spot kick.

Genesis managed a consolation strike on 89 minutes with arguably the goal of the game when John Lawless deftly chipped the ball over Porter for his sixth goal of the campaign.

Leigh Genesis: Denis Barlow, Gary Scott, Andy Heald, Tony Rendell, Adam Farley, Rowan Garnett, Brodie Kearns (Jack Burke 69), Joe McKane (Steve Brockley 27), John Lawless, Rick Gleave, Adam Strode (Nick Eastham 69). Subs not used: Scott Sephton, Mark Maddox.