HINCKLEY AFC 2-3 KIMBERLEY MINERS WELFARE: THE INDEPENDENT, HONEST & LIGHTHEARTED MATCH REPORT...

 Miners Dig Deep To Foil Tame Hinckley…

Hinckley AFC 2-3 Kimberley Miners Welfare

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

Kimberley did a professional job on their hosts who were afforded a good deal of possession but when it came to offensive penetration, AFC were sadly wanting. Charlie Evans and Ryan Harkin worked hard in the home attack but the service from their colleagues was often wayward and that favoured Kimberley who picked off many errant passes with some ease. Indeed, Welfare goalie Danny Rigley wasn’t really called upon to make direct saves, as hopeful shots from downtown by Jack Edwards and Joe Cairns, twice each, also by the very involved AFC right-back Harry Sawyer, all drifted way off target. 

Despite scoring from a free-kick, Joe Cairns lifted another one badly too high and Edwards sliced an 18 yarder wide in the dying embers of the contest when a point was still possible for Hinckley.

BUSTLING...

The victory subsequently placed the Miners in a very strong position to win the Division and certainly their joy at the end was emotional. Their goals were scored by winger Sacha Markelic and a brace by skipper Sam Brown who might have netted a remarkable hat-trick from centre-half but one header by him flew over the AFC crossbar before the interval.

The pace of central striker Luis Rose and the wide threat from both Markelic and Nathan Banton worried AFC on the break and with both pacy wingers Isa Abraham and Jeremie Agholor not playing for Hinckley, little danger emerged from their own flanks, not even from Drew Kear. Home central-defender Ben Vallance, naturally left-footed unlike most of his team-mates, played effectively for the most part although he was the challenger when Brown scored his first goal and he tried to play Rose offside when the forward got clear to set up goal two for Markelic. Vallance though often looked the most accurate passer of the ball for Hinckley, despite a few miscues but Hinckley’s midfielders as a group too often took too long in their execution and many times the ball was intercepted by Kimberley.

RYAN WHEATLEY: "LOOK! THERE'S A BUZZARD..."

Defensively, AFC looked strangely lost on occasions and seemingly bunched and not marking opponents, as evidenced by some of the screenshots posted on my blog. However, it was a deserved win for the visitors who looked the more assured team on the day but I must apologise for some of the rather awful noises on the video highlights. 

At first I thought a wildebeest was in agony with whooping cough, or from a predatory lion’s closing jaws in the row in front of me whenever Kimberley scored. The rather unpleasant and frightfully loud barking was however erupting from a human mouth and the body attached to it leapt up right in front of the camera as his team scored their second goal. I was forced to stand after that…

His friend had made some audible comments earlier about not being embarrassing and the chap himself warned that his half-time chips had once before disappeared further down a grandstand when his team had deigned to score a goal at the beginning of the second period. I was concerned that his ketchup would fly like the blood of a wildebeest over my hoodie… So, thanks Miners for waiting on this occasion until the fellow had fed before scoring your second goal…   

Sam Brown…

Certainly a contender for the game’s MVP, not only scoring a pair of striker’s goals at one end, but also marshalling his defence so well and making several critical defensive plays.

His first goal stemmed from a right-wing corner and the ball was jumped for at the near stick then bounced off AFC’s Nick Brandish’s leg to where Valance and Brown loitered, 6 yards out. Brown seemed to slide at the ball and sent a zipping effort into the top left corner of the net. Cue jubilation… 

GOAL ONE FOR BROWN BUT PLEASE CELEBRATE WHERE I CAN SEE YOU NEXT TIME?

His second goal was also oddly created but stemmed from a really smart left-footed centre from the left-flank by Rose who had retrieved home goalie Matt Hill’s initial punch. Brown and a colleague got in each others’ way as they jumped unchallenged to head the ball, so it was Tom Eccleshall behind them, also unmarked, who nodded the ball down to where Brown was recovering, having fallen over. His instinct was quick and he sent a low back-heeled effort into the bottom right corner of goal, as Hinckley’s covering players ball-watched almost on the goal-line.

1-3...

That goal made the score 1-3, after a strange low free-kick from about 29 yards by Joe Cairns had somehow entered the net in the right corner of the goal-frame, which had given his team a chance to maybe salvage something, until Brown crowned his own and Kimberley’s afternoon…

JOE CAIRNS AFTER SCORING...

More offense by Hinckley…

Rigley advanced to save at Harkin’s feet in the first-half and Miner Lewis Partridge made a fine tackle on the hesitating striker on the byeline, before Edwards miscued a shot at the right stick from the second phase of attack.

YES, THE FANS HAVE SEEN THE BUZZARD TOO...

Later in the match a Joe Cairns effort was blocked, Liam Cairns’ scrambled effort was disallowed, for the ball had apparently touched one of his raised arms as Ryan Wheatley attempted to tackle him but Harkin did manage a goal near the end which proved to be a mere consolation.

He looked offside at first as Joe Cairns punted the ball upwards from the 18 yard line but a defender was just behind Harkin, having checked the video clip and a back-header from 4 yards by the Hinckley forward beat the helpless Rigley.

Ben Vallance…

Whenever one sees this guy play, he seems like he has so much to give on the field, with his rather smart left boot to the fore. However, it would be interesting to see him anchor the midfield sometime, for as a left-back originally at Coventry United, he proved to have some pace too. He nodded just over the target in the opening period when a right-side corner soared over the stretch of gloveman Rigley.

However, as I mentioned earlier he was also unfortunately involved in two of Kimberley’s goals…

YELLOW FOR JOE CAIRNS...

Hinckley had Edwards, Joe Cairns and Harkin cautioned…

A SILENT PRAYER...

...& EDWARDS IS BOOKED...

Kimberley’s attacking threat…

Before the recess Banton nodded a fine Partridge centre onto the left upright but in the scramble which ensued, Rose was flagged offside. Rose then shot wide following a fine cross-field pass by Banton, the only Miner cautioned, I believe, but Brown had scored that all important first goal. 

The breakaway second goal was well constructed, first by Aaron Coyle, the full of running Miners’ striker, who hooked a fine pass forward. Rose was just onside as he got clear at inside-left and as Hill advanced, the unselfish striker passed right for the supporting Markelic to convert, as the roaring wildebeest surged upwards to bugger up my camera’s view of his team’s goal… Thanks for that. 

0-2 NOW...

After the interval, Hill beat away an angled effort by Rose, Jordan Wheatley drove wide from downtown, an odd header by Ryan Wheatley was kicked off the goal-line by Kear and replacement Ryan Whitehurst also tested Hill from a narrow angle on the left, winning a corner in the process.

The Miners pithered in a corner for the final moments after Edwards had sliced AFC’s last opportunity well off target and the players erupted in joyful noise which at least had enough decibels to drown out the bellowing wildebeest, fuelled by his chips and ketchup…

"BUGGER, I'VE GOT FOX SHIT ON MY GLOVES..."

Michael Pearson and Jordan Wheatley worked hard in the trenches for Kimberley but in truth, the insistent sideways passing of their hosts plus the lack of final accurate passes and also pace in attack would make their afternoons largely bearable…  

TEAMS:

HINCKLEY AFC:

MATT HILL, HARRY SAWYER, DREW KEAR, NICK BRANDISH, LUKE WILSON, BEN VALLANCE, JOE CAIRNS, LIAM CAIRNS (CAPT), RYAN HARKIN, JACK EDWARDS, CHARLIE EVANS.

SUBS:

TYSON KNIGHT, TOM WEALE, JEREMIE AGHOLOR, LEWIS RANKIN, DOM ALLEYNE.

KIMBERLEY MINERS WELFARE:

DANNY RIGLEY, LEWIS PARTRIDGE, TOM ECCELSHALL, JORDAN WHEATLEY, SAM BROWN (CAPT), RYAN WHEATLEY, SACHA MARKELIC, MICHAEL PEARSON, LUIS ROSE, AARON COYLE, NATHAN BANTON.

SUBS:

RYAN WHITEHURST, BIJAN PAKROUZ, BEN SANDHU, PHIL JAUCH, LOUIS TOMLINSON.