Manager Courtney Belford admitted his Hinckley AFC side didn’t do enough to win the game despite recording their 11th victory in a row against Clifton All Whites.
AFC were four goals to the good at half time before a second half fightback from the visitors left Hinckley biting their nails.
Belford praised Clifton as one of the best sides he’s seen all season, but admitted his team were fortunate to pick up all three points. He said: “For 70 minutes they’ve done a job on us. Other than Aylestone Park they’re the best team we’ve played for a long time.
“We ended up hanging on. Luckily we were ruthless in the first half. It’s job done if you see out the first 15 or 20 minutes of the second half but we gave two goals away within five minutes and it became a tough night.
“It’s a learning curve for us, you’re not going to win well every game. Sometimes you have to grind results out but there’s a manner in which you do that and tonight was unacceptable.
“We won’t look back on it fondly but it’s three points.”
Belford said his side lacked desire and belief in the second half to assert more authority on the game.
But he also said Hinckley should expect more of that in the coming weeks with ten games of the season to go.
“When you’re up there and on a run, you’re there to be shot at. People want to take the win off you, to stop you winning the league.
“If they come and turn us over, it’s a massive coup for them. That’s the pressure of trying to win leagues and you’ve got to be able to deal with it.
“It’s new to us as a staff as well as some of the players. We’ve got to rely on lads in there that have been there and done it and got over the line.”
Hinckley held out thanks to the 4-0 lead they held at half time for the fourth game in a row.
Ryan Harkin was the standout with a clinical hat-trick – his second in two games after also bagging a treble at Ingles.
Belford said the striker is “an unbelievable finisher” and is delighted with the way he’s struck up a pairing with Charlie Evans.
“The goals are of high quality. You give Charlie and Harks chances and they’re ruthless.
“That’s why we brought them to the team. I’m glad Joe Cairns got a goal when he went on.
“It was disappointing to lose Jack (Edwards, to a head injury). If we keep him on the pitch then he probably allows us to get higher up.
“Sometimes you don’t realise how much you’ll miss him. It’s always nasty with a clash of heads so that probably took us out of our stride a bit.”
Edwards had his cut glued at hospital and is expected to miss a fortnight, depending on how quickly it heals.
