Hinckley AFC were knocked out of the FA Cup after a 3-0 defeat to Long Eaton United.
Though the final score looks fairly comfortable for the visitors, Hinckley competed well with the higher-level opponents and had they found their finishing touch, or got a bit more luck from the officials, they could well be in the hat for Monday’s draw.
As it is, a brace for the impressive Dexter Walters and one for Jahvan Davidson-Miller ensured that it’s Long Eaton who will extend their journey in the competition.
Long Eaton had more of the ball in the opening stages, and showed early signs of their threat when Davidson-Miller spun and shot low, which Keelan Fallows tipped wide.
Then came the game’s first controversial moment after 11 minutes. Long Eaton goalkeeper Lewis King passed the ball straight to Bryan Kohyrelon, and went down under pressure from Chandler Pegg. Kohyrelon rolled the ball into the empty net, but the assistant referee deemed King had been fouled.
And just a couple of minutes later, Pegg ran from deep to latch onto a through ball and beat King one-on-one, only for the assistant to flag for offside against Kohyrelon who was nowhere near the ball.
Somehow, the game was still 0-0, and Hinckley continued to cause a threat on the break – King comfortably held Sam Warburton’s header and then Jared Bradshaw’s low shot was straight at him after a neat move down the right.
But it was the visitors who took the lead just after the half hour, as Walters cut inside from the right and fired one into the bottom corner.
In a sense, the game was summed up by a couple of minutes just after half time. Hinckley broke down the right and Bradshaw had a low shot saved by King, and as Long Eaton cleared, George Atwal’s long pump downfield caused uncertainty in defence and Davidson-Miller cleverly lobbed Fallows for the visitors’ second.
For the next 10 minutes, Hinckley continued to have chances but Long Eaton threw themselves in front of shots by Bradshaw and Pegg, before Zaki Evans shot wide from a free-kick.
But the visitors immediately looked more in control when they introduced Tristan Thompson-Matthews from the bench, and for the final half hour it was they who had more of the play and they took the sting out of any potential comeback.
Walters had a shot blocked after pinball in the box and Thompson-Matthews scuffed one from 12 yards after an intricate move down their right.
Hinckley’s final chance to get back into the game was with 15 minutes remaining, when Pegg combined well with substitute Sam Lockley, but the latter scuffed his effort in space straight at King.
And the visitors added a third in stoppage time, when Walters, who had been a constant threat all afternoon, chipped Fallows from the edge of the box to add a third that was harsh on Hinckley, but proved the clinical nature of a team from the league above.
Hinckley: Keelan Fallows, Matt Dawson, Ahrian Chaddah, Sam Warburton, Lucinee Donzo, Nathan Nyamsi (Luke Jones 76), Zaki Evans (Nick Brandish 82), Reece Massey, Bryan Kohyrelon (Sam Lockley 66), Chandler Pegg, Jared Bradshaw (Lewis Rankin 76), Sub not used: Sam Belcher
Long Eaton: Lewis King, Owen Betts, Jake Finnerty, Connor Pace (Corey Gregory 88), Jayden Cotterill, Gianluca Bucci, James Shaw, James Taylor, Jahvan Davidson-Miller, George Atwal (Tristan Thompson-Matthews 58), Dexter Walters. Subs not used: Oscar Hugenholtz, Caleb Horsley, Brad Munn, Aaron Cole.
Goals: Dexter Walters (32, 90+1), Jahvan Davidson-Miller (47)
Attendance: 214
