INGLES FC 0-4 HINCKLEY AFC: THE MOWDOG'S INDEPENDENT MATCH REPORT...

 Tough Wind, Tough Pitch, Tough Watch…

Ingles FC 0-4 Hinckley AFC

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

This game really was tough on the eye, spoilt by a gusty wind, was made awkward by a tight, uneven playing surface and in truth was too often interrupted by the loss of balls, which became discoloured by mud and became occasionally under-inflated. Also, despite the efforts of and the encouragement shown by the loyal travelling Hinckley supporters, there was a severe lack of atmosphere elsewhere in the ground.

SKIPPERS WALTON & BICKERSTAFFE AT THE TOSS...

Nice rainbow though. It really was…

SOMEWHERE OVER IT WOULD BE NICE...

Two early goals by Chandler Pegg for Hinckley, who played with the wind at their backs during the opening period, virtually killed the game as a spectacle and the striker’s hat-trick goal, like his first, a spot-kick, only served to instigate a careless, dispiriting show by the two teams on a very difficult patched-up surface.

PEGG (9): 3 MORE GOALS...

Ingles didn’t have much to offer to be fair, bar some resolute defending, plus Ben Minshull’s neatness on the ball and forward Ben Tansley’s willingness to chase every hopeful boot forward, especially after the recess.

WEALE STARTS THE MATCH...

Oddly, not many chances fell to the guests either, although central defender Joe Obi was a threat in the air before the interval and Tom Weale had a couple of efforts blocked late in the encounter. A very late fourth goal, netted by replacement Lewis Collins must have felt cruel for Ingles who had certainly improved after the break. No goals conceded yet again is testament to Hinckley’s steady defending and dominating midfield players, an area which on this occasion was bolstered by the elegant experience of one Robbie Bunn…

LOOKS LIKE HINCKLEY HAVE SIGNED ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI FROM BARCA UNTIL THE END OF THE SEASON, RIGHT OF IMAGE.
OH, WAIT, IT MIGHT BE ROBBIE BUNN THOUGH...

The Chandler Pegg show…

Pegg fell under pressure from  midfielder Jamie Light to win an early spot-kick which he despatched low into the right corner of the net as home goalie and skipper Joe Bickerstaffe moved in the opposite direction. 

0-1...

Clearly Weale’s long throwing would be a threat for the visitors and sure enough, Obi flicked one of them from the right-flank on at the near post to where Pegg hung in the air and nodded the ball easily into the net from close range to make it 0-2.

0-2...

Home striker Kyle Fowkes bundled Hinckley’s Jac Redhead over near the left byeline to secure penalty number two, right on half-time, which Pegg fired slightly higher into the same corner of the net as his first attempt, again with Bickerstaffe falling the other way. 0-3, another hat-trick for Pegg and it was game over before the interval, whereby the Hinckley fans gleefully topped up their ale intake… There had been no real slope at Ingles for one of their fans to roll down to celebrate the goals however, so it’s a shame that Hinckley don’t play their home matches at Lye… (You had to be there…)

0-3...

Pegg was later pulled back for fouling defenders after half-time, decisions which really were debatable. They really were… One Matt Dawson shot from 19 yards was deflected away for a corner too, only for the referee, close at hand to award the hosts a goal-kick… Life, eh?

DAWSON YELLED IN AGONY, THEN A SPECTATOR ASKED WALTON IF THE PLAYER WAS ALL RIGHT & WALTON REPLIED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG AT ALL WITH HIM...
I SMILED AT THAT.
DON'T THINK DAWSON DID...

The other moments worthy of mention for Hinckley…

During the opening 45, Obi had a near post flick blocked, headed a set-piece straight at Bickerstaffe and then his third header, from a Weale throw forced a fine leaping save by the home gloveman who turned the ball away up to his right.

Weale drove a free-kick from downtown just too high, Dawson struck a 20 yarder just over the right angle of crossbeam and upright pole, whilst a couple of Dan Fraser crosses swerved in the wind and drifted over the home goal. 

Against the wind, little was created by the visitors in all honesty but Weale did have two bites at the cherry in a melee, having both blocked and a second fine run of the day by the ghosting Bunn, this time on the left, saw his release flash across the face of goal. Eventually though, the industrious Jack Edwards shoved Collins clear through the middle with fellow substitute Lewis Rankin free to his right. Collins though dummied the advancing Bickerstaffe and veered left, before taking his time to poke the ball into goal from a couple of yards out. 0-4, game done and second spot in the league was still Hinckley’s…

0-4...

Ingles’ offense…

Minshull’s early and smart 28 yard shot was caught by Brandon Bache and the strong Tansley caused an occasional worry for Sam Walton and company in the visiting defence but there was little else which troubled Bache.

LONELY FIRST-HALF FOR BACHE.
GOOD JOB IT DIDN'T RAIN ON HIM...

After half-time a couple of chances fell to Ingles, first when Tansley reached a long pass which bounced before Bache could advance far enough to deal with it and the forward nodded it past the goalie. Tansley was hounded though and from an angle on the left, his screwed shot was cleared from the goal-line by the alert Jack Beasley.

Replacement Luis Corcoran got in on the left side of the penalty-box too but although he got past Bache, his effort from an angle flew disappointingly into the side-netting. A late drive from distance by replacement Jamie Felstead flew too high and Jack Allen shot straight at Bache but really the hosts weren’t able to make the weather elements count in their favour during that second-half…   

YELLOW FOR GRIMSHAW...

Ollie Grimshaw and Sean Bennett were cautioned by the main official but in all honesty the match didn’t really live up to a Bank Holiday Monday local derby event.

CAUTION FOR BENNETT (HEAD BOWED)...

The final words… 

Upon arrival, I walked from the car-park and quickly attempted to take a picture of The Bodging (a badger hand-puppet for those who have not been introduced) lounging on the metal surrounding fence with the grandstand in the background, as I do… However, the prevailing wind launched him onto the pitch and of course I was unable to reach him… I had to walk to the members’ car-park near the pay-hut where I explained my predicament to the two guys on duty there… “You won’t believe this but I’ve just dropped my badger onto the pitch and I need to retrieve him…” 

The chaps just stared at me. They did. They really did.

I quickly realised that they thought I was trying to tell them that I had dropped a real badger onto the pitch and by the expressions on their faces, a call to the local asylum about me was on the cards. I explained that The Bodging was a hand-puppet and suddenly there was an understanding… I said: “I bet no-one has ever said anything like that to you before…” 

The sympathy in their eyes said it all…

I hurried away…

THE BODGING HAD THE BALLS TO LEAP FROM THE SURROUNDING FENCE IN AN ATTEMPT TO FLY ON THE WIND.
HE FELL.
HE NOW REALISES THAT HE'S REALLY A SUBTERRANEAN MAMMAL...

Ah, yes, the game… Not good at all but a win for Hinckley was important in their promotion quest. Ingles were disappointing in truth but when a team concedes three times in the opening half, in poor conditions, I guess that getting back into a match against a team in fine form is always going to be tough. Tough like the wind and the pitch… 

No shortage of hard work then by the two teams but subsequently the weather and pitch conditions won the day… 

They did.

They really did…