Hinckley AFC succumbed to their first league defeat of the season as Studley completed a quick fire double following Sunday’s win in the FA Vase.
To their credit, Courtney Belford’s young charges put in a much improved display from the weekend, especially in the first half when they enjoyed the balance of play, but the home side stepped up a gear after the break to overpower Hinckley and claim the points.
AFC began with a bang, there were barely two minutes on the clock when Ben Ashby fed Chris Lloyd in the inside left channel and the striker produced a neat finish from an acute angle.
That early goal gave the visitors confidence as they took the game to their hosts. Dan Hoskins glanced Rheiss McLean’s cross wide, Lloyd was inches away from converting Callum Martin’s low left wing cross and home ‘keeper Charlie Bannister had to scramble to push Hoskins’ speculative long range effort for a corner.
At the other end, Oli Bradshaw did well to head Mark Magee’s effort off the line before Studley levelled with ten minutes to go to half time, Dale Edwards’ deep corner from the right finished by Dan Noke’s towering header.
Studley improved after the break and took the lead ten minutes in. Dale Edwards, who scored and set one up on Sunday, earned his second assist of the night when his low cross was stabbed home by Sean Cooke.
But as this entertaining encounter swing back and forth, Hinckley almost levelled again as Kai Gibbs, on his first start, found himself through on goal but keeper Bannister blocked well.
The next goal was crucial and it was a calamitous one for Hinckley to concede as Billy Spink and Bradshaw got into a mess on the edge of their own area, and a grateful Magee rolled the ball into an empty net.
Still AFC fought to salvage something and brought themselves back into it when Ashby scored with 15 minutes remaining but that flicker of hope was extinguished almost immediately as an almighty goalmouth scramble at the other end resulted in Dave Edwards bundling the ball home to make the game safe for Studley.
Studley: Bannister (McCarthy 65), Fishwick, Caines, Noke, Dave Edwards, Loveridge, M Edwards, Jones, Magee, Cooke, Dale Edwards (Carter 85). Subs not used: Crowley, Heath, Fitter
Hinckley: Spink , Witherington, Martin, J Edwards (Weale 61), Bradshaw, Whitehead, McLean, Hoskins, Lloyd (Smith 71), Ashby, Gibbs (Cooper 61). Subs not used: Kendrick, Giles
