Hinckley AFC head to Wolves Sporting tomorrow for the second game of 2024 looking to pick up the first win of the calendar year.
AFC were held by Allscott Heath in an entertaining 2-2 draw last weekend as their 10-match winning run in Division One came to an end.
But the unbeaten run that has seen them avoid defeat since the end of September goes on as Joe Conneely and Courtney Hunter-Belford tale their side to Pride Park foe the second time this season.
The opposition
Wolves come into this one off the back of arguably their best result of the season, downing promotion hopefuls Droitwich Spa 2-1.
That brought to an end a run of seven straight defeats in all competitions that had seem them slip into the relegation zone despite a solid start that saw them lose just one of their first five.
The win over Droitwich saw them jump outside the bottom three on goal difference, while they are only one point behind Coton Green.
Jack Arnold scored one of their goals last week to take him to 15 for the season, some of those coming for Cradley Town before his move to Wolves Sporting.
Previous meetings
Wolves’ seven-match losing run was moments away from being ended at four – the reverse fixture at Kirkby Road saw Sporting run Hinckley close before Riley Davoile scored a stoppage-time winner to snatch a 3-2 Hinckley victory.
It will be AFC’s second visit to Pride Park this season – they were 2-0 up at half time there in November before heavy rain forced the march to be abandoned at the interval.
Hinckley won 3-2 in last season’s away game when they came from 2-0 down to take all three points.
From the dressing room
“They’re a good side. We said ahead of the first game that we were expecting a tough one but we were very good for that 45 minutes and that’s why it was so frustrating that it got taken away from us. They showed on our home game how hard they’re working to stay in the league.
“The play-offs and relegation in this league makes it a proper level of football again. Loads of teams are trying to get in the play-offs, loads of teams are scrapping to stay up. It’s competitive and that’s good for us to be in competitive games every single week.”
Courtney Hunter-Belford
Key information
Wolves play at Pride Park, Hazel Lane, Great Wyrley, Staffordshire, WS6 6AA. There will be an 11am inspection following the freezing temperatures this week.
Adults: £7
Concessions: £5
