LRFC do the double over Hinckley AFC in league
HINCKLEY’S Leicester Road FC won Saturday’s town derby 1-0 and completed the double over AFC with a controlled and tactically astute home performance.
A dominant second half display paved the way and on 62 minutes Matt Langham calmly placed the ball past AFC keeper Yinka Adebowale - to bag his 24th of the season and another three crucial points for the Road.
AFC began the brighter of the two teams however, in what was a tight and dogged first half, with Road keeper Will Highland twice having to foil AFC no.9 Grant Ryan in the opening minutes – the first a snapshot from the edge of the area and the second low down to his right after a wicked deflec- tion set the big AFC striker up
But the Road gradually came into the game more with Simon Alcott’s pinpoint crosses from the right causing problems in the AFC box and on 18 minutes Dom Brennan’s curling shot had Adebowale scrambling across his line before it flashed just wide.
Highland could only punch clear on 24 minutes, but AFC midfielder Sam Belcher lofted the rebound over the bar and a minute later Langham had a penalty shout turned down after tumbling over an outstretched leg in the box. Road skipper Callum Earls fizzed a 20 yard free kick just wide on 37 minutes, but it was 0-0 at half time with neither team able to establish any sus- tained pressure or find that final ball. .
The second half was a completely different affair, however, with LRFC starting like a train and dominating both territory and possession from the off. On 46 minutes Jordan Burrows and then Jack Harrison flashed dangerous crosses across the AFC six yard line, just begging for a team mate’s finishing touch, while a minute later Liam Read drove inches wide when well placed.
On 50 minutes delightful interplay between Brennan and Gomes set up Langham around the penalty spot, but he fired straight at a grateful Adebowale, and just moments later the keeper spilled a cross under pressure from Langham and AFC managed to scramble clear.
On 60 minutes Langham had the ball in the net after a cute Burrows flick on from Read’s cross found him unmarked – but also offside – at the far post – but he was not to be denied minutes later when a Harrison/Brennan onetwo set him up perfectly and he slid it into the far corner with aplomb.
Five minutes later the Leicester Road faithful thought it was 2-0 when Danny Jenno got his head to a curling free kick first, but perhaps harshly this time it was ruled offside, while on 75 minutes AFC’s only real chance of an equaliser saw Ryan at full stretch steer a teasing cross from the left well wide.
Road’s Nuno Gomes fired just over on 76 minutes after a flowing length of the pitch move from the home side and Belcher shot tamely at Highland from the edge of the box on 82 minutes, while just before the 90 minute mark Read’s cute turn and swivel took him past two AFC defenders but his effort flashed the wrong side of the post.
Despite five minutes of injury time, AFC could only resort to hopeful long balls into the box, but the Road centre back partnership of Jenno and Earls repelled them with relative ease and LRFC were never in any real danger of conceding a late leveller.
Starting X1: Highland, Alcott, Earls ©, Jenno, Harrison, Charles, Burrows, Gomes, Read, Brennan, Langham. Subs: Blewitt (GK), Walters, Humphreys, Jeys, Green.