Hinckley completed an excellent Easter weekend with back to back 4-0 victories each featuring a hat trick from the irrepressible Chandler Pegg.
Though the scoreline and headline act were the same, the circumstances were quite different to Saturday’s win. A tricky playing surface at Homestead Road and a blustery head wind meant this was never going to be a free flowing spectacle.
But Hinckley took advantage of the conditions in the first half to give themselves a three goal cushion at the break before they managed the game well after the interval to complete a job well done.
Ingles had one early opportunity when Benn Minshull’s snap shot was well held by Brandon Bache, but with the strong wind at their backs, Hinckley spent much of the half on the attack.
They took the lead on seven minutes, Pegg was fouled in the area and got up to coolly stroke home the spot kick.
Moments later the visitors doubled their lead, Tom Weale’s long throw was helped on by Joe Obi for Pegg to convert from close range.
Though AFC dominated, a tendency to over hit their passes meant they didn’t create as many clear cut chances as they would have liked, though home keeper Joe Bickerstaffe was called into action by making a stunning save to keep out Obi’s goal bound header.
In time added on at the end of the half, Hinckley grabbed a third, the industrious Jac Redhead was fouled in the area, and there was a certain amount of inevitability as the league’s leading scorer Pegg converted the spot kick to complete his second hat trick inside 48 hours.
Kicking up the slope and into the wind meant AFC were happy to have that half time cushion but they defended well when they had to, none more so than when Ben Tansley beat Bache to a through ball and bore down on goal but Sam Walton and Jack Beasley did superbly to deny the striker to help preserve their side’s sixth clean sheet in a row.
Late on, Luis Corcoran shot into the side netting for Ingles before Hinckley completed the scoring in the closing stages, a really smart finish from Lewis Collins who went racing clear of the home defence before sitting the keeper down and rolling the ball home.
This result, coupled with Bilston’s defeat, means Hinckley are now guaranteed a play-off spot prior to a fourth successive away trip on Thursday to Smethwick.
Ingles: Joe Bickerstaffe, Sean Bennett, Lee Ward (Rhys Scargill 78), Jack Allen, Michael Tuck, George Wesley, Ollie Grimshaw (Jamie Felstead 65), Jamie Light, Kyle Fowkes (Ollie Unwin 60), Benn Minshull (Luis Corcoran 65), Ben Tansley (Ben Speake 78).
Hinckley: Brandon Bache, Jack Beasley, Danny Fraser, Jack Edwards, Joe Obi, Sam Walton, Matt Dawson, Tom Weale (Lewis Rankin 80), Chandler Pegg (Lewis Collins 65), Robbie Bunn, Jac Redhead (Sam Ellis 79). Subs not used: Adam Barber, Isa Abraham.
Attendance: 135
