Performing three proven miracles will get you a sainthood from the Vatican. Yesterday at Hilton Park, an irresistible Hornets delivered the latest Bobbie Goudling miracle as his patched-up side systematically dismantled title pretenders Leigh in a show of quite awesome power and poise.

With the whole of the backline bar John Braddish changed from last week - and Michael Platt playing with a fracture in his jaw - Hornets showed just what this team (and this club) can do when given a chance to shine.

Hornets began the game under pressure as Leigh searched for an opening, but on the first foray into Leigh territory after ten minutes, Liam Mc Govern took the ball along the line and his slide-rul pass sent winger Kevin Picton blasting straight through Rob Smyth to score. Four-nil, and the Hornets fans happy to be on the scoreboard.

Leigh sent in the big guns, their forwards pounding a Hornets defence that refused to buckle - and on 18 minutes, Hornets punished their inability to make the pressure count. Sam Butterworth jinked his way through flapping defenders; McGovern slotted a neat kick through the line; Leigh Centre Cooper’s arse fell out and as he panicked at the bobbling ball, John Braddish put him out of his misery, diving at his feet to touch down. Eight-nil -and Leigh with no real answer.

Resorting to one-out football and panic passing, Leigh struggled to make any headway. With the game going past him at pace, the fast fading Tommy Martyn failed to find the field with two poor 40-20 attempts and threw two searching long passes straight into the crowd. It was the best they had - and on 32 minutes Hornets showed Leigh how to turn pressure into points.

The ball was worked smartly downfield; a searing break by Braddish took Hornets close to the line; Tommy Hodkinson executed the perfect grubber and, while the Leigh defence stood in disarray, Dave Newton dived in. 14-nil, the Hornets fans enjoying every minute and still no sign of Leigh waking from their torpor.

With the half ticking down, Janan Billings split the defence asunder and went on a mazy run towards the left corner, his pass to Liam Williams hit the deck, but Williams dribbled the ball past Chris Percival and, in a tangle of limbs got his hand to the ball. Braddish converted superbly and Hornets left the field 20-nil to the good. Amazing stuff.

All the talk from the Leigh fans was how they’d turned round this sort of deficit against Halifax and gone on to win - but Hornets had other ideas. With just two and a half minutes of the second half gone another grubber found the Leigh defence asleep. Kris Radcliffe capitalised; Braddish converted and Leigh were effectively dead in the water.

Hornets rubbed it in, scoring from the restart. Darren Robinson took the kick off on the run, swatted off a weak Tommy Martyn tackle, skinned the Leigh winger up the outside and took the ball 80 metres. As the defence gathered around him, a superb pass found the supporting Kris Radcliffe who had the pace and strength to brush off Percival and Smyth to score by the posts. Braddish slotted the extras and Hornets were 32-nil to the good.

Leigh crept onto the scoreboard after 52 minutes through Dave Larder, but it was a mere diversion from the main event. With Leigh content to throw fading forwards lemming-like onto an unyielding defence, Hornets broke upfield with some nifty interpassing. 20 metres out, Gareth Price took the ball at pace and swatting cowering defenders left and right blasted in to score.

Neil Turley salvaged some pride from a dismal performance scoring up the other end after 67 minutes. Big wow.

Leigh desperately piled forwards in search of further consolation, but with the defence holding firm, Ref. Mr Morris sin-binned Kris Radcliffe for some interference or other.

Didn’t matter one iota. 12-man Hornets cleared their line with style; Chris Campbell’s 60 metre burst through a flagging Leigh defence; a bursting run and tidy offload from Gareth Price and Liam McGovern on hand to finish the move. Sheer bloody class. 44-12 and Leigh fans heading for the gates in droves.

Tommy Martyn did steal in at the death for leigh - but no-one cared too much.

It was Hornets’ day. At the final hooter the fans went potty; the bench went potty; the players went potty. And as the Leigh players crept from the field, Rochdale Hornets celebrated a quite astonishing victory.

Bobby Goulding said it was the best moment of his career: “Unbelievable,” he said, “We wanted it more than Leigh did; Credit must go to the full 17 - all the boys were excellent.”

And they were. Truly, truly excellent. The spirit that Bobbie’s engendered in this club was evident for all to see in the faces of the players and the fans alike. And as the supporters sang ‘Bobbie Goulding walks on water’ - who could doubt his credentials as a real life miracle worker?