AFC survive scare in ten goal thriller
HINCKLEY AFC and Brocton shared ten goals in a crazy 90 minutes of football that saw Hinckley return to winning ways despite a late scare.
In what was a frantic game throughout, Hinckley fell behind early through Joe Hartshorne’s header but had taken full control by half time, leading 4-1 at the break.
Brocton pulled one back but AFC were cruising at 4-2 going into the final ten minutes, even more so when Steve Hart added a fifth.
But Brocton weren’t lying down. They pulled it back to 5-4 with three minutes to go, before Ryan Baldwin eased Hinckley’s nerves and secured the points.
Strikers Hart and George Bowerman both threatened early on for the hosts but it was Brocton who took an early lead. Hinckley’s defence were ball watching, and Hartshorne nipped in to head home via a deflection.
But Hinckley weren’t behind for long, and Williams, arguably one of Hinckley’s stand out players so far this term, equalised with a fine strike from just inside the area.
Two minutes later they had turned the game on its head. Hart’s shot was saved but Bowerman scored the rebound, before the same player netted a wonderful third with a stunning side foot volley from Lee Butler’s cross.
Four minutes before the break, Hart put Hinckley in a position of power by shifting onto his left foot and firing home from the edge of the box to add a fourth.
That should have made Hinckley more comfortable after the break, but it was the Badgers who netted next through Hartshorne’s fine free kick, which found the net via the underside of the bar.
With both sides committed to playing expansive football, the game remained open and Hart and Bowerman combined to go close again, the former heading over from the latter’s pinpoint delivery.
Buoyed by Hartshorne’s stunning goal, the visitors saw more of the play in the final stages but AFC looked to have killed the game off with eight minutes to play when Hart slammed home his second.
But Hinckley switched off and back came Brocton. Hartshorne, their biggest threat during the afternoon, turned from scorer to provider with a fine crossfield ball to Jamie Evans, who nodded home a free header.
He then repeated the trick three minutes later, this time finding Shaan Stuart to slot home from close range.
But Baldwin finally put the game beyond doubt a minute into stoppage time with a fine solo goal.
He twisted and turned his way into a one-on-one and coolly slotted past the onrushing Jenkins to bring an end to the frantic proceedings.