HINCKLEY AFC 4-3 CLIFTON ALL WHITES: THE INDEPENDENT, HONEST, LIGHTHEARTED MATCH REPORT...

 Not Quite All White For Impressive Clifton…

Hinckley AFC 4-3 Clifton All Whites

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

The rather crazy evening at Kirkby Road in Barwell was quite memorable, not only for a first-half hat-trick by AFC’s Ryan Harkin, not only for a 4-0 lead for his team at the interval, but also for the way opponents Clifton played the whole game. Against the league leaders, who somehow rattled in four goals from nine real attempts before the break, the All Whites had been the more fluent team in possession, yet hadn’t scored once from their seven genuine goal attempts in the opening 45.

ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET...

The game had been delayed from the outset, for one linesman was late getting into the tunnel for whatever reason, then with 2 minutes or so played, visiting skipper Sam Leggitt and AFC playmaker Jack Edwards clashed heads, forcing another 7 minute delay. Edwards had to be replaced and how Hinckley missed him…

AFTERMATH OF COLLISION...

Leggitt played on bravely in a variety of different shirts: 4, 5 and 16, presumably as the blood seeped but he played a strong holding midfield role, as the clever, lean and creative Sake Spence, along with Ricco Spencer began to cause the out of sorts AFC some real problems. Left-sided attacker Josh Gardner offered home defender Ben Whitehead no rest at all and made any number of sorties along his flank. On the right side of the All Whites’, er, All Greens’ attack there was the enigmatic Kieran Cummings and his contribution to the match was massive, displaying almost casual ability and drifting inside onto his left boot, as the home defence failed to deal with the visitors’ offensive tactics. Only Cummings’ finishing was lacking…

So, OK, AFC were without the services of players such as Abraham, Kear, Slinn and Rankin (on the bench) and new signings the Cairns brothers and Harry Sawyer were likely still bedding themselves in but the home defence was too often in disarray, unable to match some of their opponents for pace and after the recess they were too regularly happy just to pummel the ball over the half-way line just to relieve the clever Clifton pressure. 

Three goals were pulled back by the guests after the break but in the eyes of many neutral spectators, they were extremely unfortunate to gain nothing from the evening. Even Hinckley skipper Tom Weale was forced to drop deeper, leaving no creativity at all in midfield for AFC and both he and Ben Vallance sometimes reminded me of Rugby Union full-backs clearing their lines from their defensive 22 metre line.

However, the contest was in fact intriguing overall and the AFC coaches will count their blessings, in other words those four first-period goals…

The four AFC goals…

It was quite astonishing how those goals came about, for Clifton had started the better and continued to be so despite conceding. Weale wielded a long throw from the right touchline and it caused mayhem. Visiting defender Rasharn Altaf jumped at his near post to head clear but was unable to and Harkin’s boot was quick to prod the ball over the goal-line to give his team an early lead.

HARKIN GRABS THE FIRST GOAL...

Weale soon chucked in another long throw from the right and Hinckley defender Whitehead glanced a header against the face of the crossbar, before a third long sling by the skipper from the left this time led to a Joe Cairns shot off target. He had replaced the unfortunate Edwards and he would later power a shot against goalie Beau Watson’s legs, the rebound from which Harkin had hit but the shot was blocked.

However, Weale then won possession on the left touchline, leaving Leggitt in his wake and got by the impressive Clifton right-back Mazhi Simmons. He moved into the left side of the 18 yard box and it appeared that he flicked the ball to his right towards a supporting colleague, only for it to clip Ryan Grace’s boot and nutmeg him. The ball then ran kindly back into Weale’s control, Watson advanced, Weale dummied to shoot then slipped the ball to Joe Cairns inside him, who despatched it into the net.     

Weale was actually upended in the lead-up to goal three and some members of the gentlemen’s club in the grandstand, Barwell’s equivalent of Claridges in Mayfair, were so busy haranguing the young referee (who was asked by one old chap when he would start wearing long trousers…) about the foul, that some of them hadn’t realised an advantage had been played. The ball had struck Grace’s arm and a penalty had been awarded to AFC.

Harkin shot his spot kick low to Watson’s right, who was falling to his left…  

THE PENALTY MAKES IT 3-0...

Harkin, in fine form on the night, then missed his hat-trick by centimetres when a fine left-flank centre by Mikkel Hirst, who was playing more as a wing-back, resulting in Vallance having to shift across to defend Cummings too often and leave spaces alongside Luke Wilson who already had his hands full with Clifton forward Khan.

Hirst’s centre was glanced stylishly goalwards by Harkin but the effort drifted just past the right stick. The goal he wanted subsequently arrived before half-time though, when he latched onto a glanced header by strike partner Charlie Evans, who worked really hard throughout. Harkin simply ran on and although he had Evans to his left, he cleverly found space to veer left himself and lose both David Chapman and substitute Sam Burrows then fire a smart low shot into the bottom right corner of the net.

Hinckley’s offense after half-time…

There was hardly any of it at all, in truth, for the game was dominated by the speedy, expansive Clifton passing game, which included neat ball control and an ability to trick opponents much of the time.  

A Joe Cairns shot was deflected in a loop for a corner, Weale drove a 28 yard free-kick too high but the decisive miss was by replacement Dom Alleyne with the score at 4-2. His first two contributions to the game were an overhead kick (for I think it was him…) and then a caution for kicking the ball away. He was in the centre of the penalty-box though when Evans’ low centre found him with only Watson to stroke the ball past. He did that but he also stroked the ball well past the right post too.

After that, Clifton soon reduced the arrears to 4-3, making for an exciting, desperate finish to the encounter…

Matt Hill…

Without a doubt, AFC must be indebted to their goalkeeper for making several fine saves. OK, he was unfortunate when conceding the third All Whites’ goal but the visitors will surely know that the Hinckley gloveman denied them at least a point from the contest.

An early take from a Gardner shot was followed by a diving save from the same player in the opening 45, then in-form left-back Chapman drove a shot off target, a Spence effort was deflected by Weale and three times Cummings might have scored.

KHAN WONDERS WHAT THE STATUE IS...

A low shot by the striker was deflected wide, he drove wastefully high from inside-right and also shot into the side-netting from Gardner’s assist.

After the half-time rest which began 15 minutes later than scheduled, Hill parried an angled delivery by Chapman, deflected an angled Gardner effort behind and then made a flying catch from another Gardner delivery.

Flying again, Hill made a superb save to his left from a Khan drive from 15 yards, who later also drove an angled shot too high from an angle on the right. After clipping a fine free-kick only just past the right upright, Cummings shot another set-piece straight at Hill, then had one blocked by Sawyer and before both substitutes Burrows and Connor Deakin headed wide from dangerous set-pieces, Hill probably won the game for his team with some crazy use of his boots.

THIS FREE-KICK WAS SO CLOSE...

He raced out of his 18 yard box and kicked clear but straight to Cummings, who tried to shoot straight away as the ‘keeper was out of position but the forward’s attempt from downtown was low and somehow as he retreated Hill hacked the ball into touch from the edge of the penalty-area. Hilarious… But crucial…  

Those Clifton goals…

First, Simmons’ pass into the penalty-box allowed Khan to turn away from marker Wilson, chest the ball down and fire smartly past Hill…

A melee caused goal two, following a right-side centre by Cummings, who had received a wondrous pass by the insightful Spence. The ball led to a mess a couple of yards from goal as Hill, Whitehead and Khan all tumbled to the ground, which allowed the lurking Gardner to fight for possession and hack a shot into the net.  

GARDNER DIGS OUT GOAL 2 FOR CLIFTON...

Goal three stemmed from a clipped left-booted cross by Cummings, which looped upwards off Hirst and Khan saw his chance, rushing forth to reach the dropping ball before the unfortunate Hill could get there and the striker’s brave header found the net before the goalie’s fists thumped either the ball or into Khan’s skull…  

4-3 NOW...

The final words…

Only one real flare-up happened during the match and that involved Gardner and Hirst, for which both chaps were yellow-carded…

The game was well worth being called ‘an entertainment’ and one has to applaud the excellent attitude, ability and application displayed by Clifton. Impressive throughout, Clifton worried Hinckley and I guess the hosts would have been mightily relieved to hang on for the 4-3 victory. Taking the ball into a corner near the finish wasted some seconds, goalie Hill lay on the ball for as long as the referee (in short trousers of course) would allow but the final moments were frantic, leaving the All Greens looking so disappointed…

WHEN HINCKLEY WEREN'T WORRIED...

Credit to Leggitt for keeping going, to Spence for his artistry, to Cummings for his smart play but also to Weale, for his commitment to leading his troops in a difficult defensive battle after the interval…

One thing: Vallance made his way across to the distraught Spence and kindly hauled him to his feet. I liked that… 

SPENCE: SKILFUL...

TEAMS:

HINCKLEY AFC:

MATT HILL, BEN WHITEHEAD, BEN VALLANCE, LIAM CAIRNS, LUKE WILSON, JACK EDWARDS, HARRISON SAWYER, TOM WEALE (CAPT), RYAN HARKIN, CHARLIE EVANS, MIKKEL HIRST.

SUBS:

NICK BRANDISH, LEWIS RANKIN, TYSON KNIGHT, JOE CAIRNS, DOM ALLEYNE.  

CLIFTON ALL WHITES:

BEAU WATSON, MAZHI SIMMONS, DAVID CHAPMAN, SAM LEGGITT (CAPT), RASHARN ALTAF, RYAN GRACE, JOSH GARDNER, SKE SPENCE, KIERAN CUMMINGS, RICCO SPENCER, ADAM KHAN.

SUBS:

CONNOR DEAKIN, SAM BURROWS, CALRICK DUNKLEY, LOUIS HOWARD.