After a pair of away wins so far, Hinckley AFC will hope to make it three from three on the road this season when they make the journey to Northampton Sileby Rangers on Tuesday evening.
Hot on the heels of Saturday’s narrow home defeat by Daventry Town, Hinckley head to Northampton for a first ever visit to Sileby’s smart Fernie Fields ground.
And after the return of two key players on Saturday in Carl O’Neill and Jack Edwards, AFC will be further boosted on the availability front with Zaki Evans back from suspension for the trip down the M1.
The opposition
Like Hinckley, Sileby Rangers were promoted from step six last season but gained their promotion through the play-offs. They finished second in the table to town rivals Chenecks, and were promoted despite losing the play-off final due to vacancies in the pyramid.
They are yet to win this season, but have drawn three of their six games, including in the FA Cup, where they were beaten in a replay by Boston Town, and in the Vase when they lost to Chenecks on penalties.
Their league point came courtesy of a draw with Histon, while they have been beaten by Oadby Town and Rugby Borough.
Of their seven goals so far this season, four have come from Nathan Burrows.
From the dressing room
“August is a difficult month, it’ll be another tough game. They’ve not had the best of starts so they’ll be desperate for a win and we’ll have to go there and earn the right to play. It’s a chance for us to put things right but it doesn’t get any easier. We have to respect the level, earn the right and lock on quickly to how teams play in this league. We’ve not done much training so far because of the schedule, so we’re having to learn on the fly and trying to land on things we can stick to.”
Courtney Hunter-Belford
Key information
Sileby Rangers play at Fernie Fields Sports Ground, Talavera Way, Moulton, Northampton, NN3 6FR. The entrance is signposted from Talavera Way. The home side play in red and black stripes, meaning AFC will be in our violet away kit for the first time this season.
Adults: £6
Concessions: £3