Hinckley AFC picked up a first league win of the season as first half goals from Bryan Kohyrelon and Chandler Pegg were enough to see off Newport Pagnell Town.
It was a valuable win for Hinckley after two opening defeats, given to them by their strike pair who ran their centre backs ragged and both earned deserved goals before half time.
And Hinckley rode out the second period well to pick up a first clean sheet of the season against a Pagnell side who ended with nine men.
Joe Conneely was forced into a series of defensive changes, with new additions Joe Magunda, Sam Warburton and Ahrian Chaddah all making debuts.
And the manager saw his side start brightly. Hinckley should have led inside 90 seconds – Kohyrelon had a shot saved by Karl Daley, the ball looped into the air and Pegg out jumped his man to head home the opener – until the referee deemed that Pegg had committed a foul in doing so.
In an open start, Keelan Fallows had to make saves from Corvell Pickering and Jacob Williamson before Hinckley did take the lead on the quarter-hour mark. It was a superbly taken one by Kohyrelon, who picked up Pegg’s pass, dribbled past both centre-backs and then coolly finished past Daley.
Hinckley might have wondered how they were only 1-0 up when Kohyrelon and later Magunda both had efforts blocked on the line, but equally they were fortunate not to concede when Pickering headed wide in space at the far post with Pagnell’s best chance of the half.
The game was still in the balance at this stage, but it swung vastly in Hinckley’s favour a minute before half time. It was a goal all of Pegg’s own making. He spun past Alex Munroe on the touchline and was bearing down on goal when he was tripped by the defender, who had already been booked and was then shown his second yellow. Pegg dusted himself down and stuck the penalty out of Daley’s reach.
Pagnell made a double change at the break, including introducing the lively Sam Oyediran – but Hinckley snuffed out his threat well for the most part.
And it was Hinckley who came closer to extending their lead as Daley blocked from Matt Dawson, and then Kohyrelon ran through on goal but was denied by a superb recovering tackle by Joel Halsall, and then a Daley save.
Still, AFC were grateful to Fallows for keeping a first clean sheet of the season, saving from Jacob Williamson six yards out after he was picked out by Oyediran.
Hinckley could have gone further ahead against with Sam Lockley’s first action – he outmuscled Luke Abraham but couldn’t get the ball out of his feet when Pegg would have had a tap-in with a square pass.
But their task was made more comfortable with 15 minutes to go. Pagnell substitute Ben Ford caught Max Johnson late, which sparked a melee with Hinckley angry at the nature of the tackle. Magunda was booked for his part, but Ford was shown one booking for the tackle and another for the melee as he joined Munroe in having an early bath.
The game rather petered out after that, with Hinckley content to keep the ball in their first league win of the season and conserve energy for their first home league game of the season against Aylestone Park on Monday evening.
Newport Pagnell: Karl Daley, Simon Orphanides, Christian Smail, Luke Abraham, Corvell Pickering (Ben Ford 58), Fabio Silvestri (Fin Jaggard 81), Charlie Killie, Tolani Otomola (Sam Oyediran 46), Jacob Williamson (Joe Sheldon 64), Harrison Edwards (Joel Halsall 46), Alex Munroe.
Hinckley: Keelan Fallows, Matt Dawson, Ahrian Chaddah (Luke Jones 78), Sam Warburton, Joe Magunda, Nathan Nyamsi, Zaki Evans, Nick Brandish (Max Johnson 64), Bryan Kohyrelon (Sam Lockley 64), Chandler Pegg (Lewis Rankin 78), Lucinee Donzo (Jared Bradshaw 66).
Goals: Bryan Kohyrelon (15), Chandler Pegg (44 pen)
Attendance: 230
