Hinckley AFC blew off the summer cobwebs with three goals in each half to see off Southam United in their first pre-season friendly.
On a sunny evening in Warwickshire, Hinckley hit the front early. Harrison Myring dragged wide when through on goal just a couple of minutes in, but the goal did come shortly afterwards when Zach Tellyn capitalised on a defensive mix-up and coolly slotted home.
A second soon followed as Luke Jones picked out the bottom corner after a neat move, as Hinckley controlled much of the play against their lower-league opponents – and they added a third with virtually the last kick of the half after a goalkeeping error.
As is usually the case in pre-season, rolling subs meant a lot of disruption to the flow of the game as players gained vital minutes in early July.
Hinckley added a fourth just after the hour when Tellyn’s corner led to a bit of a scramble, and the ball ended up in the back of the net – possibly via an own goal.
Jones added a fifth, and his second of the night on his return from injury, with a well-controlled finish on the volley at the far post, and then Ollie Bird marked his first appearance in a Hinckley shirt with a goal – rounding off the win with a rasping finish from the edge of the box.
Greater challenges will follow for Hinckley, starting with Tuesday’s trip to Nuneaton, but this was a promising start as plenty of new players gelled together for the first time.
