Rugby Football League

Super League

Friday 21st July 2017

Kick Off 20.00 Actual 20.03

Leigh Centurions 25 Salford Red Devils 0,  attendance 7,002

@ Leigh Sports Village Stadium

Sale Way

Leigh

Greater Manchester

WN7 4GX

£20 Admission

£3 Programme, 84 pages.

Leigh Sports Village Stadium was opened in late 2008 and has a capacity of just over 12,000. I had been here previously to watch football on 21st April 2009 ( Leigh Genesis 2 Bradford Park Avenue 1, attendance 301, Northern Premier League, Premier Division). Genesis played here until they folded in 2011.

I had seen Leigh play at their former home, Hilton Park, back on 18th March 1990, in a Division 1 match versus Widnes, where they drew 20-20 in front of a 4,848 crowd.

Tonights game had a very unexpected result as bottom of the table beat 4th place in the final regular season match before the play offs.  It was 18-0 at halftime and incredibly it took 35 minutes of the second half to add to the scoring when Leigh kicked a drop goal. Shortly afterwards they scored a breakaway try, which was converted, to complete the scoring. More importantly, it lifted them off the bottom of the table, replaced by Widnes Vikings.

Leigh are yet another club who vastly add numbers to make it look like they are well supported, as there looked to be fewer than 5,000 present, despite the total they announced.