Sponsors: Home Kit - WEMEC Limited Away Kit - Igloo Transport and Automotive Recruitment

HBFC U15 travelled to Knighton on Sunday to take on AFC Andrews on the back of three consecutive league defeats, which had derailed our league ambitions over recent weeks. The reverse fixture had seen the sides draw 2-2 on the opening day of the season and we knew this would be a tough match. Freddie and Dan were missing due to illness, whilst Leighton and Sonni came back into the squad, Sonni starting in an unfamiliar left sided position with Zach struggling with a knock, as we returned to a 3-3-3-1 formation.

The Boys took to the field looking resplendent in their new away kit, kindly sponsored by Igloo Transport and Automotive Recruitment.

HBFC kicked off on a heavy pitch in freezing conditions and the pace of Lewis, Fin and Keerthan caused problems immediately, Keerthan going close on a couple of occasions. In the 11th minute, Keerthan's cross from the left just evaded Fin, with the ball being put behind by the Andrews defence. Dyl took the resulting corner and good movement from Lewis saw the ball fall to Keerthan who headed unopposed into the net to give us an early lead.

Andrews also looked good going forward, particularly number 23 Dejourne Jolly who had been identified as the main threat beforehand. With 18 minutes gone, Hinckley won another corner which this time was cleared, Jolly beat the defence to the clearance and then slotted past Ted for the equaliser. Four minutes later, Andrews took the lead, when number 14 Connor Yates scored with a right footed shot from 20 yards out.

However, heads didn't drop, and Hinckley continued to battle away with Sonni, Sean and Max providing good defensive cover, whilst chances continued to be created at the other end. The equaliser came in the 28th minute, with Fin slipping through Keerthan to poke the ball past the onrushing keeper, who had previously made two good saves in 1 v 1 encounters.

With eight minutes to go until half time, Hinckley regained the lead in a see-saw first half, a throw in from the left found Dyl who crossed for Keerthan to tap in a third for the team and also score yet another hat- trick.

Half time, AFC Andrews 2 Hinckley Borough 2

The second half kicked off with Zach replacing Harry at Left Back, and early skirmishes were much in the vein of the first half, Andrews main threat being Jolly on the right hand side. However, Andrews failed to create many clear cut chances, whilst at the other end, Lewis, Keerthan and Fin maintained their work rate, continuing to press high up the field. With 59 minutes gone, another corner was won, and Dyl's cross was flicked on by Lewis, with Keerthan beating the Andrews keeper to head the ball home, much to the annoyance of the defence who appealed for a foul; however there was no contact between Keerthan and the Keeper. Andrews' heads dropped somewhat and they were limited to shots from distance as the defensive six coped well with their attacking play. In fact, Andrews' did not force a corner until the 80th minute of the game, as Hinckley gained some much needed confidence at the back with a stronger second half performance.

Full Time, AFC Andrews 2 Hinckley Borough 4

A good win for Hinckley, who leapfrogged Andrews to move up to third in the table ahead of the Chairman's Cup Quarter Final against Quorn next week. Congratulation to Keerthan, who made it 50 L&DSJL league goals over the past three seasons (37 games), Max and Lewis who put in high intensity performances, and the team as a whole who thoroughly deserved this win.

MJS 23.01.22