Leaders inflict first home defeat on AFC this season
HINCKLEY AFC suffered their first home league defeat of the season as Bromsgrove Sporting scored a goal in each half to take a 2-1 win, writes Liam Gibbs.
In front of a bumper crowd of 384, a new club high for Hinckley, Carl Abbott’s side were chasing the game from early on when Jason Cowley prodded home from close range.
Reece Hewitt’s 20 yarder doubled The Rouslers’ lead midway through the second half, but Hinckley halved the deficit not long after when Darious Darkin’s well-struck shot was deflected in.
And although they had the better of the second half, Hinckley couldn’t force home the equaliser that they arguably deserved and Bromsgrove extend their lead over AFC to eight points.
Despite that, it was the league leaders who started the brighter and they took the lead just two minutes in. Hinckley didn’t deal with a long ball pumped into the box and Cowley took advantage by prodding the loose ball home from eight yards.
Bromsgrove pressed high whenever Hinckley were in possession and as a result continued to have the better of the opening stages, but as the half approached its midway point Hinckley started to come into the game more.
The hosts’ best chance of levelling before the break came on the stroke of half time, when Javia Roberts’ left foot strike was parried wide by Jon Brown.
After the break, Hinckley had much more possession but chances were few and far between in the opening stages of the second period, and it was against the run of play when Bromsgrove doubled their lead midway through the half. It was a moment of individual craft from Hewitt, who skipped past a couple of challenges before bending a fine effort beyond Whitcombe’s reach and into the far corner.
But Hinckley weren’t to be deterred by that goal and scored a deserved effort of their own four minutes later. Lee Butler’s corner was poorly dealt with, Seal’s shot was blocked and the rebound fell to Darkin, who fired a shot goalbound and Brown was wrong-footed by a deflection which nestled into the corner and gave Hinckley hope.
With Hinckley chasing a late equaliser, the game became stretched in the final quarter of an hour and both sides had chances to add to their tally, but the Bromsgrove defence that was marshalled superbly by Danny Morris and the visitors took all three points back to Worcestershire.