Leicester Road cruise to seventh win in a row
HINCKLEY’S Leicester Road FC earned a comprehensive 4-0 home win against high flying neighbours Heather St John’s – to record their seventh consecutive league win on the spin!
That’s four consecutive clean sheets too and a second hat-trick of the season for striker Matt Langham, while captain Callum Earls converted an inch perfect free kick for a fourth.
The Road began very smartly again and in the first minute a goal bound Amarvir Sandhu volley from a deep Jordan Burrows cross was only just blocked in time. Earls won the ball bravely on the edge of the box on 6 mins and fired just over, while a Heather free kick sailed harmlessly over on 9 mins, but the Road had a great chance to go ahead a minute later.
A lovely flighted ball from Joseph Lyne set Sandhu free, but the Heather keeper Billy Spink parried well and Langham was just a toe poke away from converting the rebound. The same three players combined well on 15 mins to put Nuno Gomes in but he curled just wide and a lovely one-two between Gomes and Langham set the former up, but he got his feet tangled when about to pull the trigger.
It was all Leicester Road and the pressure eventually told when on 26 minutes Sandhu burst past one defender in the box, but was felled by the covering player to earn a deserved penalty – which regular taker Langham duly dispatched for a 1-0 lead.
LRFC continued to dominate with Gomes again curling just wide and a cleverly worked free kick between Earls, Lyne and Sandhu just eluding two further Road players for that final touch. Callum Rudd also headed just over from a corner and Gomes was again foiled on the stroke of half time with Spink saving well low down. 1-0 at half time.
Leicester Road again began the better and Sandhu once more beat his man to send an inviting cross towards the penalty spot, but Langham and Burrows seemed to leave it for each other and the chance went begging. Langham jinked inside on 47 mins to flash one millimetres wide and Heather had a half hearted penalty shout straight after.
The away team then had their best chance of the game on 55 mins when striker Matt Hill headed wide on the six yard line unchallenged.
The respite for Heather was brief, however, as LRFC immediately got back on the front foot and on 61 mins Lyne’s left foot shot had Spink desperately scrambling the ball away for a corner, which Earls almost converted with a bullet header. Sandhu also had a shot blocked at the death, when he perhaps should have squared to either Langham or Burrows, but he made amends on 65 mins with a jinking and weaving run that drew another spot kick that Langham smashed home for the decisive second.
Lyne again caused problems minutes later with a trademark driving run and shot and then he was flattened on the edge of the box on 71 mins doing the same – Earls deliciously curling the ball around the wall into the bottom left corner to make it 3-0. Road keeper Will Highland did have a save to make moments later and it saw a good reflex arm keep the ball out, but it was still all the home team and Burrows almost added another with a well timed burst into the box.
Then on 84 mins Sandhu again got past his man and found Langham on the right hand side of the box - and he pinged it back across into the top corner for a wonder goal that would grace any hat-trick clincher.
Starting X1: Highland, Alcott, Rudd, Earls ©, Kelly, Lyne, Charles, Burrows, Gomes, Sandhu, Langham. Subs: Blewitt (GK), Humphreys, Walters, Nabay, Whitehouse.