Hinckley AFC slumped to a heavy defeat as Moulton strengthened their place in the top five with a comprehensive 5-1 win.
Hinckley would have moved above their visitors with a win but what followed was a much more one-sided affair than the one point between the sides at the start of play suggested it should have been.
And a spell of three goals in five second-half minutes was the backbone to Moulton’s big win as Hinckley lost for a second straight week.
The rain falling through much of the afternoon rather summed up Hinckley’s afternoon as they fell to a heaviest home defeat in more than four years.
Yet they actually started brightly – Hinckley moved the ball around well early on and although they didn’t create much there was little sign of what was to follow.
But Moulton took the lead through a soft goal on 19 minutes and never looked back. A defensive mix-up allowed Matty Long to get a toe on the ball ahead of Divin Emmanuel, the ball bounced off the post but over the line despite the efforts of the retreating Luke Jones.
That gave the visitors a boost, and from then on they were quicker and stronger, while they looked defensively resolute. Emmanuel twice denied Lewis Isom before the break while Hinckley’s only chance came when Ashton DeMulder glanced narrowly wide from a free-kick.
The home side started the second period with more intent, and Jared Bradshaw and DeMulder both fired off-target from the edge of the box before Moulton really turned the screw.
Emmanuel raced from his line to deny Long, but that respite lasted barely a couple of minutes as Damien Osoimoejiokhian skipped past his man and fired home at the near post to double their lead.
And before Hinckley had even blinked, it wasn’t even three but 4-0. Long was left unmarked in the box but still had plenty to do when he superbly guided Adam Dicks’ cross of Emmanuel’s reach, before the goal of the game came two minutes later when substitute Terry Falcini let fly from the corner of the penalty area with a stunner that bent into the top corner.
Shellshocked, Hinckley sought a goal to soften the size of the defeat but Lucinee Donzo blazed over the best chance after Prince Ogbe had got around his man and pulled back to the edge of the box.
Moulton added further gloss to the scoreline with seven minutes left, a low ball into the box was turned home by Louie Kelly.
But Hinckley did at least avoid going two weeks without scoring, even if they did have Moulton centre-back Luke Stevens to thank for it. A move that started with Drew Kear’s surging run partially broke down, but when the ball fell back to Kear, he beat his man and drilled a cross into the box where Stevens sliced it beyond his own ‘keeper to at least give the home fans something to cheer on an otherwise miserable afternoon.
Hinckley: Divin Emmanuel, Jake Tullin (Drew Kear 74), Luke Jones, Reece Massey, Will Harris, Jacob Shilton, Jared Bradshaw (Jordan Clement 61), Lucinee Donzo, Ashton DeMulder (Prince Ogbe 61), Charlie Williams (Henley Hadley 74), Zach Tellyn. Sub not used: Caleb Yeboah.
Goal: Luke Stevens (88 OG)
Moulton: Adam North, Adam Dicks, Damien Osoimoejiokhian (Callum Lagdon 87), Justin Mensah, Luke Stevens, Francis Boateng, Shad Reza (Terry Falcini 61), Andy Hall (Louie Kelly 71), Matt Long (Derrick Okoye 80), Dan White, Lewis Isom (Jude Goodacre 74). Subs not used: Terry Falcini
Goals: Matt Long (19, 63), Damien Osoimoejiokhian (60), Terry Falcini (65), Louie Kelly (83)
Attendance: 151
