Couldn't make the game (working). Watched it when I got home. First 20 to 25 minutes was all Fax but came away with nothing despite all the pressure and forced dropouts. After that Fax were absolutely rubbish and I watched the entire second half on fast forward. Only the second time I've ever done that, the other one was away at York last year.

Beswick made Duffy look good.

I am shocked I really am as after that first spell of pressure against a defence that has not been known to defend well (look at the scores against Leigh when they have played the better teams this season) we fell apart, I agree it gave them some confidence that they had held us out and they looked better with the ball in hand than we did scoring off their second attack and nearly off their first! They used the whole field while we didn't we were one dimensional with too much one man stuff again, we even used Jim Gannon as try line buster, really??? Wrong man he aint big enough he is better from further running at pace onto the ball as he showed twice tonight making good breaks.
I have had question marks over our half backs all season as Handforth is steady away (I like the guy he is Mr Reliable) but he solely relies on his kicking game and rarely makes a line break or puts a man in for a try by a pass its 90% kicks he gets us tries from and good field position, which means on a night like tonight we needed Thackeray to perform and sadly yet aagin he was a no show, one near try scoring effort apart.
But it was just one of those nights we failed to get the ball away for two of their SIX tries, yer six I never thought we would concede so many at home this season. This against a decent but not world beating team like Leigh, when we finally decided to play by throwing the ball out wide we scored twice and nearly a third time.
Now this is a big test for us as we need to see what reaction the lads give next week, also have some players played themselves out of the team like Tyrer, Thackeray and maybe Fieldhouse who all did very little tonight?
Or will Karl show faith to let them redeem themselves???
Blimey even the normally superstar Dane Manning was a bit out of sorts he got cleaned up a few times.
My only gripe was the kneck high tackling going on which the Ref allowed, especially by Leigh, ouch they must hurt.

I honestly can not believe I have just read that comment!!

Do you actually attend the games, or do you just look at the results? If you do go to the games, you certainly have a different perspective of them than I do.

You are correct, we were (prior to tonight) top of the league.
However, do you really believe that to be an achievement? We are playing in a Mickey Mouse league where every game is effectively a friendly. In the majority of cases we are playing against sides consisting of RL’s journeymen who unfortunately never have (or never will) make the grade in SL, and therefore change their club ever season or so and just wait for the next best deal from a club who needs ‘freshening up’.

As for the Northern Rail Cup….
Watching Fax at Dewsbury on that freezing cold day back in February, I really did think it was, ‘the start of a new era’ as KH and the club had led us to believe, following the gritty and professional win. However, from then on it has all gone down-hill. If you; or any other Fax fan can say they were satisfied with that win, down at Skolars, then I would like to know how? In all of my life watching Fax, that particular game sticks out in the mind as being one of the worst. Granted, later on in the NRC they put up a very spirited performance against Fev and were unlucky to be defeated. As you say, they are through to the QF, however, again do you view this to be an achievement for Fax? Surely it just goes to show that the NRC is a total non-event and can only be won by the ‘bigger’ Championship clubs.

So far, I think we are 11 competitive games in to the season, I am extremely dispirited. Yes of course there have been the high points; Dewsbury and Fev in the NRC, Sheffield in the league and they also did a very professional job in the CC against Myton. However, these performance have been totally overshadowed by the inconsistency, that seems to have plagued every Fax side, since we have been playing at this level since 2004. For me; the performances: tonight, Keighley, York, Skolars (and despite scoring 84 points) South Wales, have all been well under par. With the exception of tonight, where we have played a very well drilled Leigh side; all the other defeats have been as a result of Fax’s: incompetence, indiscipline and in many cases, the lack of desire to win! So how you can be satisfied with this season so far is beyond me. We already look destined for yet another season of mediocrity!

I realise it is early days in the season, however, I’m sure that if we had watched this dross last season, there would have been supporters calling for MC’s head. Yet in the eyes of the vast majority of Fax fans Karl ‘The Messiah’ Harrison can still do no wrong! I’m sorry to break it to you folks….. but as of yet; The grass has not been greener on the other side.

Far too early days for these type of comments, don't forget we have almost a complete different playing squad and new coach and we are only 5 games into the championship!

Fair enough I agree we are still lacking any consistency and have been poor in those games you mention BUT to be fair this is a new team and new regime so we have to give it time, some players have shown up well early this season and some haven't, in time we will find out who are good enough and who are not as I say its early days.
Lets see how we go on next week eh? Lose badly again and we all will need to revise how good we think we are, win and this game tonight will be partly forgotten, not getting a bonus point will cost us though.
I am not sure which Fax will turn up next week plus we seem to lose at home and win away these days against Leigh, I bet the Leythers aint so confident with their track record against us at the LSV???

get ben black back!!

Noooooooo.
I think and hope that Thacks is a dry weather player so come the better weather he will prove us all wrong, I am not totally convinced mind as for me is the one wild card Karl has got in the team.
The rest of the lads CAN PLAY BETTER than that we all know it, lets see how we go next week eh and come back and judge then, tonight we looked lost and did not look like a team which has not been the case this season, some soul searching will go on and I think we will see how good (or bad) we are next week.

Our discipline & decision making was awful tonight. Leigh played the conditions better, usually by Beswicks simple inside passes onto powerful runners making much more yardage than us. In all honesty, I thought Harrisons style of team would have been more suited to wet weather conditions.
Handforths decision making, his penalty for cross-in, constantly running up and down blind alleys throwing out flat blind passes and another penalty for his high shot cost us field position. Thackeray was ultimately ineffective as the Leigh defence was excellent tonight. (The Leigh fans accusations of him being a one trick pony was probably justified tonight). Its a shame Bowman wasn't on the bench tonight. He can put players through gaps, though his defence can be suspect. I think we need to bring in an half back in on a dual-reg if possible.
We kept making errors in our own 20 by running the ball in to touch (White?), that awful back pass that hit the deck before the man and Reitties howler from a Leigh attacking kick.
Fieldhouse looked nervy tonight and our play the ball in general had no urgency whatsoever,
All in all, a bad day at the office. I hope the swathes of fans leaving the ground early as Fax were stuck behind the sticks will be a good kick up the backside for them.

Next week, I'd give Worrincy a start, put Reittie in the centres, Sam Barlow and Bowman on the bench.
I have a sneaky feeling we'll be more up for it next week (weather permitting!) The question is, can Leigh match the intensity they showed tonight for the second week running? It will be a very close game.
And lets hope for a better ref (he was just poor in general reffing both sides tonight)

Do you only crawl out of the woodwork when we lose? Where's your lengthly assessment been for the last nine matches? What the frig do some people want? Take your head out of the sand and get a dose of reality. Once again - we are a semi-pro club and only slightly better off than most in our league by the extra 500 people we get through the gate. That's it.

God loves a moaner and you'll glide through heaven's gate.

I would like to think that when you look at this post this morning you might shake your head and think "did I really write that"??

Being top of a "Micky mouse league" does not represent a reasonable achievement??? Being in the last 8 of the NRC doesn't represent reasonable achievement??

Well I supopose I'd like the Fev v Fax fixture in a fortnight to be a SL fixture - but it isn't! For reasons beyond our clubs for the mo at least, these are the only comps in which we have a realistic chance of measureable success - unless you count progress in the lottery of the challenge cup.
It's the only comp we are in. Until last night Fax were top of their league, and are still in all competetions so far. Nothwithstanding last nights result, Fax have achieved about as much as could possibly have been expected of them so far. How on earth would you have seen them improving on their position this season?? Unbelievable.
Like fev did v sheffield, fax lost a game! Sh it happens - move on.

I do despair sometimes at how quick some hit the panic button

He's just not happy with the manner in which we have set off this season. Ugly wins mixed in with good wins. That's Rugby League I'm afraid. He moans, season in, season out. I feel sorry for him. But, he pays his money like everyone else so his opinions are entitled of course.