As Hornets head up the East Lancs to Leigh, all eyes will be on the one man whose influence will decide who wins or loses this game. NO - not Tommy martyn; Bob Connolly!

Yes, after his disaster at Featherstone, Hornets supporters get to suffer the surrealist performance art of our least favourite official.

But, assume for a moment that he has a rush of blood at five to three and gives us a fair go...

Leigh will be smarting from last week’s spanking at Salford. Having been tonked there two weeks ago, Hornets fans will glean some cold consolation from them fact that the Leythers got equally short-shrift going down 46-24.

And Paul Terzis is a man unsure of his future. He’s quoted in the press this week as saying, “I’ve applied for numerous jobs while I’ve been at the club. I”ve never denied that because I still don’t know what’s going to happen at the end of the season.” And, while he maintains that his focus remains firmly at Hilton Park, you can’t help feeling that his concerns are elsewhere.

Indeed - he’s a bit concerned with us. Both Terzis and his new assistant Tommy martyn have been doing extra homework on Hornets just on the off-chance that we trip over each other on our way to ignominious defeat against Salford in the Grand Final.

In the Leigh Line-up will be on-loan Wigan forward Rickey Bibey. Bibey’s gained a bit of a reputation for being a bit... er... uncompromising in his approach to the game - and this seems to have spilled over into the sheds as rumours of fists flying at Wigan are allegedly the reason why they were so keen to offload him.

Also getting plenty of attention at Leigh is fast-fading wunderkinder Neil Turley. His reputation of something of a points machine looks a bit limp next to Mick Nanyn. Nanyn has 15 National League tries, Turley’s not in the top ten; Nanyn has 86 goals, Turley has 62; Nanyn has 232 points, Turley has 158. The only chink of light for Turley on Sunday is the fact that Paul Owen’s not around to make him look like a mug.

Elsewhere, Leigh have a pretty useful unit. Pat Weisner and Tommy Martyn make a top-class fulcrum for a big pack that includes Sonny Nickle and Dave Bradbury, Paul Rowley providing the guile and a back three of Sean Richardson, Bryan Henare and Adam Bristow. It’s a strong, mobile six that’ll take quite a bit of handling and it promises to be a battle royal up front.

Also in the mix is play-anywhere utility - and ex-Hornet - Willie Swann who continues to pester defences with his usual laid-back style.

Be under no illusion - this will be a very tough game, but Hally will be pleased that last week’s rout of Featherstone augurs well for a more cohesive performance against one of the National League’s genuine contenders.

It is true that the higher up the table you go, the harder it becomes to beat the sides above you - and Hornets have yet to achieve that feat. If we are to approach the playoffs the right frame of mind, we must have the momentum that comes with playing well - and, while last week was a step back on that road, we need to turn in back-to-back performances of that quality to provide the impetus we need.

Games against Leigh are always keenly contested and this one will be no different. It’s the last game of the regular season and the lads need your support if they are to build for an assault on the playoffs. Let’s try and get there in good numbers on Sunday. It will be a cracker. See you there.