Hinckley AFC assistant manager Courtney Belford admitted he was just glad to win a “strange” game against Ashby Ivanhoe.
AFC recorded a third win in a week and played for the best part of an hour against nine men as Chandler Pegg’s double earned the three points in a 2-0 win.
The red cards to Macauley Holmes and Sam Grouse meant Hinckley had huge spells of possession against Ashby side who, content to sit deep, defended well despite their numerical disadvantage.
And after two goals in the final half an hour, Belford it wasn’t a game that lived up to its billing but was delighted with the three points nonetheless.
He said: “It was strange from the offset. Even in the first ten or 15 minutes it was quiet and there was no real pace to the game. It was like a pre-season friendly, I couldn’t put my finger on why.
“Games like that you look forward to because it’s two competitive sides, that have both got aspirations to win a game. It should be open and free-flowing but gets ruined by the sort of decisions that people make to do what they’ve done. Two sinbins, two red cards, there was no real flow to the game.
“As silly as it sounds, it’s hard to play against eight men because you’re keeping the ball for long periods, they’re banked in, and that’s really difficult. So we had to be patient and that was the message to the lads at half-time.
“We weren’t fantastic, but if you’d said before the game that we’d win 2-0 and keep a clean sheet against Ashby, we’d have snapped your hand off because they’re a fantastic team and made us work hard to create chances.”
Belford said his side keeping their heads was key – and keeping 11 men on the pitch against nine was crucial in securing the win.
“That’s why we took Jack Beasley off at half-time. He’d been booked and the way he players, he’s aggressive and gets tight and we didn’t want it to get evened up.
“To drag someone off after 45 minutes who’s probably been the best player on the pitch, kept two good strikers quiet, especially Sam Grouse who’s an unbelievable forward for this level. Jack kept him quiet, frustrated him and he’s got himself sent off.
“But I’m pleased because we’ve ground it out any way possible. There have been question marks about whether we’re good enough to beat these sorts of teams but three points, a win and a clean sheet we’ll take.”
