Manager Courtney Belford says it’s a good sign for the season ahead that his Hinckley AFC side are “winning games without playing as well as they could be.”
AFC made it back-to-back victories with Saturday’s win over Paget Rangers after what was arguably their best first half of the season so far.
But having only scored one in that first half through a string of five saves by the visiting goalkeeper, they were made to sweat by a spirited Paget side who pulled it back to 2-1 late on.
And Belford is encouraged that his side have picked up important wins with players still missing through injury. He said: “We’ve not had chance to pick our best team yet so we don’t know how good we’re going to be.
“The fact we’re winning at the minute without playing as well as we should be is a real positive. Once we get everybody back, once it clicks, someone should be on the end of a hiding once we get bang at it.
“But for the moment, three points is three points and however they come we’re not bothered.”
He also felt his side’s first half was close to their best performance of the season, as AFC created plenty of chances and made the most of the pitch with added zip because of the persistent rain.
“We’ve got good footballers and we’re just getting the best from what we’ve got.
“Their ‘keeper made three or four great saves but we’ve got to be more ruthless in front of goal. But I’d be more worried if we weren’t creating chances. We’re still a young side but we’ve got through this week with six points which was the target.
“I thought we did really well in the first half. We dominated the ball and played well, the shape was good. If we scored three or four in the first half as we should have done, it’s a different game and you can enjoy the second half but when you don’t put it to bed you can always let them back into the game.
“Paget are a young side with lots about them, they gave us a scare late on from another individual error but character wise it’s a massive win for us. We’ve got to take this into Brocton on Tuesday.”
He also praised debutant Isa Abraham after the pacy winger’s signing from Atherstone Town.
“He was fantastic. He gave us a boost and the fans saw what a big player he’s going to be.
“He’s a great lad, we want people who we know can add to the dressing room. We want people who will enjoy playing their football, enjoy the crowd and every time he got the ball there was a sense of anticipation that something was going to happen.
“He’s the type of player who can create sparks of magic. He’s going to be a good player for us and I hope he can enjoy his football here.”
