Just seven weeks after the clubs last met in a thrilling 2-2 draw, Hinckley AFC and county rivals Aylestone Park do battle again in the United Counties League Cup on Monday night.
In August, the sides played out an entertaining stalemate as Hinckley went behind, then turned the game around and were set for all three points after a Keelan Fallows penalty save – until another spot kick earned the visitors a point in stoppage time.
And now, the sides will face off once more with a place in the League Cup third round up for grabs – albeit with Hinckley’s manager that night now in the other dugout, and the new team in charge looking to make it nine unbeaten since taking over.
The opposition
Three members of the Hinckley side that night in August will now be in the Aylestone ranks – with Joe Conneely returning to Kirkby Road in the away changing room for the first time since he left Hinckley last month following five successful years.
Joining him at Aylestone are Sam Lockley, who came on as a substitute for Hinckley last month, and Matt Dawson who moved back to Aylestone a couple of weeks ago.
Dawson, however, won’t play tomorrow – he’ll be cup tied after helping Hinckley into this round with a stoppage-time equaliser at Staveley Miners Welfare, a tie we went on to win on penalties.
Aylestone edged past Easington Sports 3-2 in the last round courtesy of a late winner, and beat them again on Saturday 5-1 to extend their unbeaten start to the league season.
Louis Samuels, who scored their equaliser at Kirkby Road in August and another late leveller against Nuneaton last week, is their leading marksman with 10 goals already.
From the dressing room
“Joe’s a friendly face to many here and rightly so, given what he achieved, but football is football and people make decisions to move on. It’ll be handshakes and hellos before the game, but once the whistle goes we’re opponents and it’s about getting Hinckley into the next round.
“Regardless of what competition we’re in, winning takes priority rather than any particular cup. We need a winning mindset around every game, so no competition takes priority at this stage – it’s just about getting victories under our belt.”
Adam Davies
Key information
The tie will progress straight to a penalty shoot-out if the match is a draw at the end of 90 minutes. The winners will progress to the last 16.
Kirkby Road has a large, free on-site car park, and we have both cash and card turnstiles available. This is an all-pay cup fixture with membership discounts and season tickets not valid for this game.
Adults: £8
Concessions: £6
Under 16s: £2
