For the second time in a week, a Jack Edwards double helped Hinckley come from behind to claim a 4-2 victory over Nuneaton Griff that extends their lead at the top of the table.
Edwards struck either side of half time as Hinckley overcame a sluggish start to earn the derby day points in front of a large Easter crowd who were thoroughly entertained.
And yet a home win seemed a distant prospect as the visitors raced to a two goal lead inside the opening seven minutes. It was a very sloppy start from Hinckley, and a lively Griff side took full advantage. They took the lead on two minutes as Reece Williams’ towering header from a corner was adjudged to have crossed the line before Danny Fraser headed clear.
Griff soon doubled their lead with a well taken goal from Jacob Dumbleton, who went skating clear of the home defence before angling his shot home from the left hand edge of the area.
Hinckley needed to respond quickly and they did so five minutes later. Fittingly it was Ky Green, against his former club, who glanced home Riley Davoile’s left wing corner for AFC’s 100th league goal of the campaign.
That set the game up nicely, Hinckley began to get on top, but Griff always carried a threat. It looked like they would take their lead into the interval, but Edwards levelled the game up just before the break with a lovely strike, taking Lewis Rankin’s pass 25 yards out and placing his low shot into the bottom corner.
Hinckley quickly got into their stride after half time and mounted a number of attacks on the visiting goal. Much of their good work came from Isa Abraham on the left flank but Griff ‘keeper Dale O’Donnell was in superb form as he denied the winger twice as well as blocking an Edwards shot from close range.
A Hinckley goal seemed inevitable, and it came just beyond the hour mark. Abraham was prominent in the build up before finding Edwards, whose shot on the turn found the back of the net.
Brady Middleton almost made it four when he struck the outside of a post after good work on the right from Weale and though Hinckley were in control, the single goal lead was slender and on a rare Griff attack, Matt Hill had to stay alert to keep out another Williams header.
After Chandler Pegg came off the bench to make a welcome return from his long term injury, AFC wrapped up the points in spectacular style with a blockbuster from Matt Dawson, who made a typically surging run into the box before unleashing an unstoppable shot home to send the crowd home happy.
Hinckley: Matt Hill, Matt Dawson, Danny Fraser, Harry Walker-Donovan (Preston Bitemo 53), Ky Green, Joe Obi, Lewis Rankin (Brady Middleton 68), Tom Weale (Chandler Pegg 85), Riley Davoile (Zaki Evans 53), Jack Edwards, Isa Abraham (Adam Barber 79).
Goals: Ky Green (12), Jack Edwards (43, 62), Matt Dawson (89)
Griff: Dale O’Donnell, Ally Hassan (Nathan Cadby 75), Reiss Martin, Leo Kuliqi, Reece Williams, Tom Hall, Jacob Dumbleton, Matt Chadaway (Kyle Whitley 63), Steve Pywell (Harry Taylor 85), Dan Edmonds, Jared Bradshaw (Nkosi Mzungwana 75).
Goals: Reece Williams (2), Jacob Dumbleton (7)
Attendance: 352
