Hinckley AFC’s run of five straight defeats came to an end with a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Coventry Copsewood.
After a rotten recent run, AFC picked up their first point since January as Ryan Murphy’s goal earned them a share of the spoils at Copsewood.
That restored parity after Liam Stringer gave the home side the lead – and Jordan Fesel came close to condemning Hinckley to another defeat when he hit the bar in stoppage time.
Hinckley made one change to the side that lost to Littleton on Tuesday, as Oli Roome replaced Alando Lewis up front.
But their recent struggles looked like continuing when, after Sean Kavanagh had a couple of half chances, Copsewood took the lead.
The opener came on the quarter hour mark when Danny Fraser’s right wing corner reached Stringer, who finished crisply at the far post.
It meant Hinckley had work to do again, but they had their first chance midway through the half when Roome and Grant Ryan linked up well to set up Louis Hamilton, who struck over.
At the other end, Yinka Adebowale saved smartly from Fraser as Copsewood sought another, but it was Hinckley who scored next 12 minutes before the break.
Murphy scored his first for the club as his shot from 15 yards took a deflection and looped over ‘keeper Dale O’Donnell into the net.
After that, clear cut chances were few and far between and the closest either side came to a half time lead when when Jacob Dodds’ surging run saw him through on goal, but a bobble killed his chance and Adebowale saved.
Similarly, chances were at a premium after the break and Hamilton came closest for Hinckley when O’Donnell beat away his free kick from the left hand edge of the area.
But for large spells the game was played in midfield, at least until the final ten minutes of normal time when both sides then hoped to snatch a late winner.
Adebowle saved from Kavanagh, Hollist hitting the rebound away for a corner, before Hinckley could have snatched it when Ryan fired a late effort into the side netting.
But it was Coventry who came closest to condemning Hinckley to a sixth straight defeat when Fesel hit the bar with the last kick of the game.
But in the end, it was a valuable point for Hinckley who end their slump of consecutive defeats.
Coventry: Dale O’Donnell, Harry Bartram, Danny Fraser, Liam Stringer, Jack Rooney, Jordan Fesel, Jacob Dodds, Adam Welland, Harvey Smith, Sean Kavanagh, Lawrence Rawlings. Substitutes: Ashley Piper, Frankie Baigent, Isa Abraham, Pierre Moudime, Brian Ndlovu
Goal: Liam Stringer (14)
Hinckley: Yinka Adebowale, Chad Timson, Matt Jelfs, Tyrone Burton, Liam Cross, Chris Hollist, Louis Hamilton, Jean Dakouri, Grant Ryan, Oli Roome (Alando Lewis 46), Ryan Murphy. Subs not used: David Jones, George Warren, Ryan Mills, Hossein Khorrami
Goal: Ryan Murphy (33)
Attendance: 70
