Abbo Delighted to Return to Winning Ways
Hinckley AFC manager Carl Abbott was pleased to return to winning ways with Tuesday night’s 3-0 Jelson Homes Senior Cup win over Houghton Rangers.
Goals from JJ Melligan, Mark Bellingham and Ryan Taylor saw Hinckley run out comfortable winners, and Abbott hopes that the victory can provide a springboard for the remainder of the season. He said: ‘It’s a decent result tonight.
‘We’re taking baby steps. We’re not going to get carried away but we needed that. We needed something to break for us, and we’ve got the right result. It didn’t really matter whether it was a cup game or a league game.
‘That could have happened back against Cadbury, or numerous other matches since then, but we’ve broken the streak tonight and we move on to Saturday and see where that takes us.’
Abbott also reserved praise for Bellingham, who held up play well to link up with the midfield. He also had three goals disallowed in addition to the one that he scored.
‘He (Bellingham) is hungry for football. I had a chat with him a few weeks ago, and he felt that this might be his last season playing, but you can still see how hungry he is for his football.
‘If he does decide to play on, he still has plenty to offer in lots of different capacities, and I think he still has lots of football left in him.
‘He’s a good influence when he’s scoring goals and he’s a bit less angry! Bello is Bello, he will always score goals and be a thorn in the opposition’s side, and it’s great to have him at the club.
‘He had a fair share of bad luck again tonight, and there were a few moments where he was standing there with his jaw on the floor because he can’t believe what he’s seen!
‘With a bit more luck, Bello could have ten of fifteen goals under his belt by now, but he’ll definitely have a good season.’
Abbott also praised the young talent currently playing for the club: Isaac Cooper, Mitchell Tomlinson, Dominic Oliver and Ryan Taylor all impressed.
‘Isaac’s only just turned nineteen, and he’s a young lad with a really big future. He’s been seen as a first team regular, and I think that his age gets missed a little bit sometimes.
‘Mitchell Tomlinson, who deputised for Bekir Halil tonight, has only just turned seventeen. His was a very steady performance, and he’s going to be a centre half in the future. We’ll keep dripping him in and out. His temperament is fantastic and he’s going to be a very good player.
‘Ryan Taylor came on, and we got a small glimpse of him earlier in the season before he pulled a hamstring. He’s only just turned seventeen, and is a real talent. I think he’s going to end up being a central player just off the front. He hasn’t got the blistering pace of James (Bennett-Tindall) but he’s got good guile and he got his goal tonight with some clever movement in behind the full back.
‘He got on the end of a ball from little Ollie (Dominic Oliver), and what a player we’ve got on our hands there. We’ve just got to get him fit. He’s arguing that he is fit, but I think we’ve got a little bit of work to do with him on that score.
‘If we protect him with two players in midfield who are going to let him play, then I think he could be a little gem. He’s got great feet, a good range of passing, he keeps it today and he’s a good player.’
A crowd of 101 attended the match at St John’s Park, and Abbott says that the fans will get their rewards for their support.
‘They will get their rewards, I promise them that. I defy anyone to tell me that we haven’t got a good side out there.
‘I know a lot of the managers of sides that we’ve played, and I know that if you ask the managers of the sides we’ve played this season, if they’re honest, they’ll tell you that we’ve been he best side they’ve played this season.
‘We know where we are as a side, and we know where we are in the league. The two don’t add up, but we’ll get it right and there’s a lot of the season still to play for.’
