HINCKLEY AFC 1-1 GNP SPORTS: THE MATCH REPORT & IMAGES...

 GNP Survive Adversity To Make Their Point…

Hinckley AFC 1-1 GNP Sports

Magicians from my childhood might have pulled a rabbit from languishing in a hat but Hinckley’s management team pulled Tom Weale from languishing inside a dugout at Kirkby Road, enabling the hosts to shake off the malaise they were suffering and regain parity, courtesy of Weale’s close range finish, which equalised Hilton Arther’s earlier goal for the visitors. Arther looked almost embarrassed when he capitalised upon poor communication between Woolpackmen Luke Edwards and goalie Matt Hill, the skipper, to give ten-man Sports an unlikely second period lead. It was all boots to the cause for GNP from thence, as AFC fought to grab a winner, which in many ways would have been cruel on GNP.

KEARNS BOWS TO THE HINCKLEY SKIPPER, WHICH RANKIN FINDS AMUSING...

The guests had been the more incisive outfit before the break, missing several chances, before lively midfielder Vinny Glaznieks was issued two separate yellow cards. The situation annoyed GNP, for in total, apart from Glaznieks, they had three other players cautioned too, whilst no Woolpackman saw yellow at all. All players long for is some kind of consistency in a referee but sadly that is too often missing…Some might argue that Glaznieks’ second offence, as he tried to tackle Luke Edwards was worth maybe a final warning, for the dismissal, after only a third of the match had lapsed, effectively ruined what could have been a keener contest.

REF: "NO, SORRY MATE, BUT YOU HAVE TO TOUCH YOUR TOES LIKE THE OTHERS..."

INTERESTING TIME TO CHECK YOUR HAIR...

After fumbling the ball two or three times, GNP’s ‘keeper Taylor Davis made some splendid second period saves but the aerial defending of Luke Thompson and the overall thwarting of the excellent Sidik Atcha kept the Woolpack at bay on a number of occasions, supported so well by Damien Osoimoejiokhian whose name I shortened somewhat in the commentary to Damien Osi… It’s what I do… However, profligate Hinckley finishing by Sam Lockley and Lewis Rankin in particular had been disappointing, so the Weale-out-of-the-dugout trick was desperately needed. He changed the feel of the game…

SOMEONE'S IN TROUBLE...

LLOYD SCREWS HIS HEAD ON, AS FROMANT IS CAUTIONED...

Remarkably, GNP created more opportunities than the Woolpack before the interval and Hinckley, with Hoskins and Giles less effective than I have seen them this term, managed only a Ky Green free-kick, which was saved with a fumble by Davis, plus a left-footer wide of the near post by Lockley from Drew Kear’s low centre, an offside ‘goal’ by Chris Lloyd from Lockley’s assist and two misses by Rankin. The winger hastily lifted Lloyd’s pass way too high from 10 yards and his other low shot was easily stopped by Davis. Meanwhile, the home fans became restless but this was only partly due to the indifferent form of their team, for GNP had nearly scored a few times in the opening half-hour.

"DO I KNOW YOU?"

SHAM THE SHAM, PYRAMID BUILDER...

Ryan Murphy cut in from the left and tested Hill, then poked wide from Jake Fromant’s right-side cross, whilst midfielder Ben Stokes wielded his bat, er, no, his boot actually and forced Hill to palm one shot down but then fired a rather vertical effort, similar to the firework which was seen and heard over the stadium later in the game. Skipper Reid Kearns fired only just wide of the left stick following a corner, Arther drove well wide and in a good attack by Sports, both Fromant and the impressive Atcha saw shots blocked by Green. Then from Arther’s left-side centre, Atcha blazed over the target from the narrowest of angles at the right byeline. Not bad for a team struggling in the league and on the road against a successful Woolpack outfit, too…

ARTHER APPEARS TO WANT TO BE A WICKETKEEPER...

BOOKING FOR MURPHY...

Minus Glaznieks, GNP were forced to rely upon Kearns, Stokes and increasingly Murphy to protect their defence and subsequently the interval for bully beef and a tot of rum was reached with the teams tied at 0-0. The roles would be reversed in the second period however, for GNP were increasingly forced back to defend as Giles and Hoskins began to dominate midfield, supported by the full-backs Callum Martin, who was as forceful and enterprising as ever, and Kear, who added his pace to the attack too. Kear would drive two efforts well over the crossbar late in the match but Lloyd, playing against his old club, curled one free-kick past the left upright, central defender Edwards nodded a Rankin free-kick down for Davis to drop onto then saw another header smartly saved by the goalie, falling left. Davis fumbled but then held onto a Hoskins effort but he did so well in a crowded goalmouth to turn a vicious curling shot from downtown by the same player over the crossbeam.

VINNY IS IN TROUBLE...

DAMIEN...

Lockley shot well over the target, then was brilliantly tackled by Atcha when well placed, before a Martin drive bounced off the striker’s boot but straight to Davis. Lockley made one fine driving run but Giles’ acrobatic shot from the ensuing centre flew over the goal-frame. So, to Weale… His first shot from 19 yards was saved well by Davis, plunging left, a Weale-Dog free-kick was headed away for a corner by the inimitable Atcha, another low drive by the substitute was well parried by Davis and although Lockley rammed in the rebound, he was flagged offside. Isa Abraham had an angled shot blocked by, er, Atcha again, then made his way to the left byeline, which brought danger to GNP and a goal for Weale…

WEALE IS RELEASED FROM THE DUGOUT...

GREEN PREPARES TO TAKE A FREE-KICK...

The guests had managed only a Murphy shot which Hill fell to stop and later in the match Kearns shot wide but when right-back Joe Wright, as solid as a brick shithouse, headed the ball forward, Sports scored… Edwards didn’t really connect with a back-header, which suggested some communication malfunction between himself and Hill but Arther spotted the hesitation and somehow the ball fell kindly for the GNP man and past Hill as the two converged. Suddenly, Arther was alone in front of a deserted goal-frame and he obliged…

HAPPY? I RECKON SO...

ARTHER STANDS, STARES, SCARCELY BELIEVING HIS GOOD FORTUNE...

Abraham though often used his speed and trickery, despite little materialising from his endeavours, until he got past Wright to the left end-line and passed the ball across the goalmouth with his right shoe. Weale simply stroked the assist over the goal-line from a yard or so and parity had been regained.

"YOU CAN'T BOOK ME, I'M NOT WEARING TEAL..."

However, GNP slowed down the game as Brennan King, James Taylor (not the singer) and Daniel Kavanagh entered the fray to add fresh legs, so that Hinckley were prevented from snatching the late winner which their shot-count deserved but which the resilient GNP lads, Sham the Sham’s Pharaohs, would have felt was unjust, due to their passionate efforts. 

LOOKS LIKE THE BALL HAS STRUCK DAMIEN'S SHADOW IN A RATHER PAINFUL PLACE...

Hoskins looked decent for AFC after the recess, Martin did well, working the left-flank like he was running through walls and Edwards was tough in defence. Atcha was outstanding for GNP, Thompson was generally strong in the air and Osoimoejiokhan worked tremendously hard in the defensive system. Little service was offered to Arther, due to the circumstances but he was busy nevertheless, whilst Murphy and Fromant had decent shifts too. Bookings were dished out to Wright, Murphy and Fromant... 

So, goalie Davis played his part in this 1-1 draw but Hoskins for Hinckley featured strongly and Atcha starred for GNP…

Hope the lockdown sees players remaining fit, then able to recommence the season, perhaps on 12th December…

TEAMS:

HINCKLEY AFC:

MATT HILL (CAPT), DREW KEAR, CALLUM MARTIN, REECE GILES, KY GREEN, LUKE EDWARDS, LEWIS RANKIN, DAN HOSKINS, SAM LOCKLEY, CHRIS LLOYD, ISA ABRAHAM. 

SUBS:

TOM WEALE, MARK WILLIAMS, KAI GIBBS, JACK EDWARDS, OLI BRADSHAW.

GNP SPORTS:

TAYLOR DAVIS, JOE WRIGHT, SIDIK ATCHA, LUKE THOMPSON, DAMIEN OSOIMOEJIOKHAN, BEN STOKES, VINNY GLAZNIEKS, REID KEARNS (CAPT), HILTON ARTHER, RYAN MURPHY, JAKE FROMANT.

SUBS:

LUKE SWINNERTON, DJIBRIL DIEDHIOU, DAN KANANAGH, BRENNAN KING, JAMES TAYLOR.