A scintillating first half from Hinckley saw them lay the platform for their third win in nine days, having scored 16 goals in the process following a 9-0 victory over Coventry Copsewood.
Chandler Pegg led the way, his individual haul of five equalled a club record with Tom Weale and Lewis Rankin adding a couple apiece.
AFC’s passing and movement in the first half was too much for a Copsewood side that came into the game having won four of their previous five, but they endured a luckless evening, losing skipper Ben Atkins inside two minutes with keeper Olly Manuel having to be carried off midway through the first half.
A minute’s silence for Life Member Gerry Abbott preceded the kick off before Hinckley produced a display that would have delighted the big man. They went in front after eight minutes, Weale’s low free kick from the left flew across the six yard box with Pegg sliding home on the far post.
And the cheers had barely died down when the lead was doubled, Weale himself on target as he angled his drive home from the right hand side of the area.
Weale added a second shortly after from the penalty spot after Pegg was fouled, it became four on 20 minutes as Pegg headed home Lewis Rankin’s free kick and midway through the half, Rankin himself got on the scoresheet, carefully placing his shot home through a crowd of defenders after keeper Manuel was injured in the build-up.
Hinckley were relentless and it was six on the half hour mark, Rankin curling home a free kick from 25 yards out for his second.
Visibly shell-shocked, the visitors, to their credit, continued to play football and should have grabbed a goal back just before the break. Superb work from Bryan Kohyrulon on the right saw him pull the ball back for Sean Quirke who blazed over the bar.
Pegg completed his hat-trick early on the second half, netting a rebound from close range before Copsewood’s young substitute ‘keeper Nathan Pearce produced a stunning save, pushing aside Jeremie Agholor’s downward header.
Pegg added another couple to complete the scoring, firstly his shot had enough power to get over the line despite Pearce getting a good hand on it before the goal of the game with 15 minutes remaining. Hinckley went from back to front with lightning speed, Alec Hill caught a cross and immediately bowled the ball out to Isa Abraham on the left flank, his searing pace took him clear of the defence before he squared a pass for Pegg to score his fifth and take a share of the record with Sam Agar, Ryan Seal, Steve Hart and Luke Richards.
AFC thought they’d made double figures when Abraham found the goal with a header but an offside flag cut short celebrations.
Not that it mattered and the fans who’d been well rewarded after forsaking a warm seat in front of the telly for a cold night at Kirkby Road gave the team a rousing ovation.
Hinckley: Alec Hill, Ben Whitehead, Adam Barber (Isa Abraham 45), Jack Edwards, Joe McNulty, Ben Newport, Matt Dawson (Harry Walker-Donovan 66), Tom Weale (Fortune Sibanda 55), Chandler Pegg, Lewis Rankin (Jeremie Agholor 55), Danny Fraser. Sub not used: Luke Wilson
Goals: Chandler Pegg (7, 18, 55, 66, 76), Tom Weale (9, 14 pen), Lewis Rankin (20, 30).
Copsewood: Olly Manuel (Nathan Pearce 22), Sam Ellis, Danny Lole, Jamie Tiff, Ben Atkins (Ben Ellis 2), Charlie Gordon, Jean Patrick Gomes, Kolanole Salawi (Chris Wilson-King 52), Sean Quirke (Brandon Patterson 52), Bryan Kohyrulon (Bradley Taylor 61), Ryan Pedley.
Attendance: 163
