Hinckley AFC hit their biggest win since promotion to step five as they put seven past GNG Oadby Town.
AFC’s first win of 2026, after an eight-match winless streak, was a comprehensive one as they put the league’s bottom side to the sword with a dominant display.
Six different goalscorers found the back of the net, including four in a rampant 15-minute spell shortly after half time in which Hinckley really turned the screw, and it would have been more were it not for a string of superb saves by Oadby’s young goalkeeper Alfie Carter.
The ‘keeper was given an early sight of what was to come when he prevented a tap-in for Chandler Pegg inside two minutes, and then he clawed away Lucinee Donzo’s header from a corner at point blank range to keep Hinckley at bay.
But he was powerless to deny Hinckley a third time. Just nine minutes had been played when Drew Kear’s pinpoint through ball picked out Alex Lock, who rounded Carter and tapped home his first Hinckley goal.
Oadby briefly threatened from a set piece when Jagraj Gill volleyed wide but play was mostly in the other half with Hinckley moving the ball around nicely.
Pegg could have had a first-half hat-trick – as well as his early chance, he was denied by Carter’s legs after cutting back onto his right foot, then met Kear’s cross with a sweetly struck volley that was too high, and then dinked wide when played through on goal by Zaki Evans.
And it was the captain Evans who turned scorer for Hinckley’s second – Carter saved from Lock, who’d latched onto Zach Tellyn’s pass, but the rebound fell to Evans who fired past a despairing defensive body from 15 yards.
Hinckley’s teamtalk may have been slightly different had Jahmari Hyatt hit the target with a close-range header with the last play of the half, but having seen out that threat, AFC didn’t look back after half time.
They made a tweak to their shape at the break and their new system allowed them to reach their free-flowing best for the first 25 minutes of the second half. They created chances at will had more than put the game to bed by the midway point of the half.
Pegg was a willing runner all afternoon but it wasn’t his day in front of goal – within a minute of the restart, he got in behind again but chipped wide of the target, but more chances soon came for his teammates.
Seven minutes later, Carter pulled off a fingertip save to push Tellyn’s 25-yarder onto the post, but that relief lasted only seconds as half-time sub Prince Ogbe reacted quickest to fire home the rebound for Hinckley’s third.
And a fourth soon followed – Jordan Clement was brought on as a substitute as Oadby had a goal kick, Hinckley immediately won the ball back and Clement’s first touch, less than 30 seconds after coming on, was to slide home Tellyn’s cutback.
After a couple of assists, Tellyn went after a goal himself but Carter pushed his free-kick over the bar, and the ‘keeper then pulled off his best save of the afternoon from the resulting corner, a superb reaction stop from Ogbe’s bullet header.
Oadby cleared off the line again from the resulting corner but their respite didn’t last much longer – Tellyn cut in from the right and fired home at the near post for Hinckley’s fifth.
By now, it was relentless attack from Hinckley – Tellyn tried the same again moments later but Carter raced out quickly to block at his feet, but a sixth goal did come when Ogbe fired a cross which was met by a flying header from Donzo.
Oadby’s only chance of the second period came in the final 10 minutes, but Hinckley’s clean sheet remained intact when Rizvan Hussain dragged wide after a corner.
That meant one more goal would earn Hinckley their biggest league win since September 2023, and after Carter pushed wide from Ogbe, they got it with two minutes of normal time left – Clement picking out the bottom corner after a neat move down the right.
Having waited so long to cheer three points, Hinckley certainly made it a memorable return to winning ways and will hope to continue that form with next week’s trip to Moulton.
Hinckley: Divin Emmanuel, Drew Kear, Zach Tellyn, Zaki Evans, Jacob Shilton, Jake Tullin, Charlie Williams (Prince Ogbe 46), Lucinee Donzo, Chandler Pegg (James Spruce 57), Alex Lock (Jordan Clement 57), Raj Palit (Gabe Webster 46). Sub not used: Caleb Yeboah.
Goals: Alex Lock (9), Zaki Evans (41), Prince Ogbe (53), Jordan Clement (58, 88), Zach Tellyn (66), Lucinee Donzo (68)
Oadby: Alfie Carter, Jahmari Hyatt, Ibrahim Ali Khan (Jaheim Benjamin-Williams 46), Jagraj Gill (Jeva Singh 67), Rizvan Hussain, Tom Stockley (Andy Wong 78), Rob Paratore (Hayden Jarrett 46), Jakeem Jennings, Joe Baker (Lotredge Muteera 54), Matt Richmond, Jaga Singh.
Attendance: 171
