Impressive win keeps AFC’s Vase hopes alive
HINCKLEY AFC are the only Leicestershire side left in the FA Vase as they reached the fourth round for a second straight year with a 3-1 win over Deeping Rangers.
For the second round in a row, Hinckley overturned a high flying side from a level above their own as they knocked out the United Counties League’s fifth placed side writes Liam Gibbs.
Steve Hart’s opener put Hinckley ahead midway through the first half.
But Deeping pulled level through Scott Coupland before two second half headers from Dominic Perkins and James Williams saw AFC through.
Hinckley were brighter in the opening minutes, but Deeping settled well and took control of the midfield.
Scott Mooney fired wide but as they started to gain a real stronghold, Hinckley punch.
Hart received the ball with his back to goal, but danced his way into a pocket of space before finding the bottom corner.
In truth, Deeping didn’t deserve to be behind and they restored parity 11 minutes before the break.
Deeping broke forward and Ty Belford’s point blank save denied Charlie Coulson, but the rebound fell straight to Coupland who netted from a yard out.
Deeping’s Mooney and Daniel Schiavi both fired off target as the half drew to a close on level terms.
After half time, Hinckley were more compact and restricted Deeping’s chances.
That said, just four minutes had passed when Schiavi found Coup- hit them with a sucker land, who was denied by a combination of Belford and Isaac Cooper.
But Hinckley then started to have the better chances and were on top by the time Hart flashed inches wide.
And they re-took the lead midway through the half. Cooper’s long throw was flicked goalbound by Perkins, but Richard Stainsby looked to have tipped it over the bar only for the ball to dip into the far corner.
Hinckley weren’t finished there, and extended their lead four minutes later. Cooper was creator again, a wicked delivery from a wide free kick met by Williams, whose precise header back across goal nestled into the corner.
Deeping threw men forward in an attempt to salvage their Vase run, but Mooney and Coupland both failed to test Belford, and Hinckley came clos- est to another late goal but Hart hit the post in stoppage time.
Even under thickening fog at full time, that didn’t dampen Hinckley’s celebration as Belford’s side recorded their sixth win on the bounce.
Following the match, Belford said: “It was an incredible game and an unbelievable performance.
“We’ve proved again that once we get a head of steam up, we’re hard to stop. We defended unbelievably, and we had to because Deeping are a good side. I’m very, very proud of the lads.”
On Monday AFC were drawn away to Marske United in the fourth round of the Buildbase FA Vase. Marske sit second in the Northern League Division One, widely regarded as a strongest step five league in the country, and have lost just three times in the league this term.
Dry-Logic Cup Queen’s Barwell v Hit’n’Hope G Ward C v Cat H G Ward D v G Ward F Cat E v Cat F All matches to be played during week commencing January 8 2018