Defeat against Salford last Friday, combined with weekend wins for Widnes, Featherstone, Whitehaven and Batley, left Centurions clinging onto sixth spot.


On Sunday Kelly faces his old club Widnes at Hilton Park but says there will be no room for sentiment.
"Widnes are a very good side," said Kelly. "But for their points deduction they would be challenging at the top of the table.
"This has become a crucial game after last weekend's results and I'm sure the sport's administrators are pleased National League One is developing into such a tight competition.
"There are a lot of sides going well and we still have to play Celtic, Whitehaven and Batley as well as Widnes so every game is especially important."


Leigh finished well beaten against Super League-bound Salford last Friday although they were still in with a shout until midway through the second half.
Despite losing 46-12, Kelly felt there were still plenty of positives to take from the game.


"We shipped in a lot of late tries," he said. "But I was still encouraged by the performance and at least know the reasons why we lost.
"It's not a case of not putting in enough effort – the effort is there. It's about being smarter as a team and taking chances when they come along.
"Goal-kicking was also a factor with Salford's John Wilshere landing seven from eight attempts. Salford managed to control the pace of the game which is something we need to do."


The game came just days after Leigh discovered they had been unsuccessful in their application for a Super League licence but Kelly feels that disappointment had no impact on his side's performance.
"That certainly didn't feature in our build-up," said Kelly. "The players were just focused on the game in hand."
As a former Welsh national coach, Kelly is well placed to judge the merits of Celtic Crusaders' successful application and he feels the RFL may have made their move into the Principality several years too late.
He said: "I think there will be plenty of initial interest in Celtic and when they play the likes of Wigan, Leeds and St Helens but I'm not sure how long the novelty will last.
"I think the interest was stronger back in 1995 because of the Welsh success in the World Cup. Now I don't know if they will be able to sustain it once the big teams have visited."


Celtic's successful Super League application angered Centurions chief executive Allan Rowley last week and Kelly was also critical of the selection process.
He said: "I think we would have all been happier if the RFL said from the outset that they wanted to expand the game and bring in Celtic.
"It would have saved clubs a lot of money and heartache and stopped hopes being built up unnecessarily.
"I fail to see where Celtic have a better infrastructure, youth policy and stadium than any of the other clubs that were overlooked, let alone Leigh."


Kelly reported no fresh injuries from Friday's game and is monitoring the progress of prop Andy Hobson who is recovering from a broken arm.
"I'm hoping Andy will be back soon," said Kelly.
Admission prices for Sunday's game against Widnes have been reduced to £10 for adults and £5 for concessions/juniors.