Three second-half goals saw Hinckley AFC back to winning ways as they overcame bottom side Bugbrooke St Michaels.
On a day where football for the purists was always likely to be in short supply, Hinckley showed excellent battling qualities as they defended manfully and demonstrated a cutting edge in attack to record a sixth away win of the season.
After a two-week break which followed three consecutive defeats, Hinckley bounced back well in Northamptonshire, denying Bugbrooke a shot on target until stoppage-time as they stood up well to plenty of long throws and set pieces into their box.
Jacob Shilton capped off a mountainous centre-back display with the opener before two smart moves earned Luke Jones and Ashton DeMulder goals.
It was a quiet opening on a pitch where neither side could showcase real attacking quality, and for most of the first-half the best either side had were a couple of strong penalty shouts. Inside two minutes, Hinckley should have had a spot kick when DeMulder was bundled over in the back, while Bugbrooke were hard done by when Will Bates was tripped in the box but both shouts were waved away by the referee.
But the more the half wore on, the more Hinckley started to gain ascendancy. They had the first shot on target when Ewan Evans comfortably held Zach Tellyn’s curler, before the goalkeeper brought out some remarkable heroics two minutes before the break. Reece Massey’s cross fell to Jones at the far post, and three times Evans pulled off point blank saves from the winger as he raced back up to get across his line again. The mother of all scrambles continued as Jake Tullin and DeMulder also had efforts blocked on the line and Hinckley wondered quite how they weren’t ahead.
Evans made another close-range save from Jones from a corner with the final kick of the half as, somehow, the sides went in level at the break.
Two minutes into the second half, Hinckley were denied once more in bizarre circumstances. Zach Tellyn bent one from the edge of the box into the bottom corner, and Hinckley were celebrating the opener until the referee went to speak to his assistant and determined that Brady Middleton had interfered with play when the shot went past him.
But they weren’t to be denied, by Evans or the officials, for much longer. The opener came on 51 minutes, Tellyn’s corner drew another scramble at the far post and it was eventually bundled over the line by Shilton.
Hinckley grew in confidence now they had the lead, and doubled that advantage midway through the half. DeMulder beat the offside trap and picked out Jones, who took one touch and curled home his first since returning to the club.
Evans continued to inpress in the home goal though, and his best save of an impressive bunch saw him pluck Tellyn’s effort away from the top corner.
And Hinckley wrapped up the win with 12 minutes to go. The best move of the match saw Lucinee Donzo win the ball back in midfield, and a neat exchange down the right involving substitutes Chandler Pegg and Rufus Brooks ended with the debutant picking out DeMulder to fire into the roof of the net.
Bugbrooke’s best spell of the game came in its final few minutes. Callum Farmer scuffed wildly off target with their best chance after Ollie Pardoe’s good work, and then Divin Emmanuel made his first save of the match from a corner late on, then denying Farmer again from the edge of the box.
And the clean sheet meant a lot to Hinckley as they were greeted by a warm reception from the travelling fans at full time.
Bugbrooke: Ewan Evans, Joe Malkin, Tom Simmons, Harley Mallard, Tom Smyth, Calvin Green (Trey Kwayie 81), Will Bates, Lewis Brooks (Ollie Pardoe 68), Aaron Carmichael (Enoch Opayinka 72), Romeo Ingman (Callum Farmer 81), Allen Dogbe (Reece Irwin 86).
Hinckley: Divin Emmanuel, Drew Kear, James Sanderson, Jake Tullin, Jacob Shilton, Reece Massey (Charlie Williams 87), Zach Tellyn (Chandler Pegg 76), Lucinee Donzo, Ashton DeMulder, Brady Middleton (Gabe Webster 81), Luke Jones (Rufus Brooks 68). Sub not used: Caleb Yeboah.
Goals: Jacob Shilton (51), Luke Jones (64), Ashton DeMulder (78)
Attendance: 100
