Hinckley’s Leicester Road FC were just edged 1-2 by NKF Burbage in the final derby game of the season, but were left to reflect back on a hatful of missed scoring opportunities.

After taking an early lead through Dom Brennan, NKF equalised just before half time (against the run of play) and despite being pegged back in the second half on 75 mins their captain Tom Smith smashed in the winner from 25 yards – with the away team reduced to 10 men shortly after and toughing it out with some backs-to-the-wall defending.

Both teams started brightly and forced corners on their first forays forward, but it was LRFC who then gained the ascendancy – on 5 mins a Nat Kelly cross from the left grazed the head of Nuno Gomes when he got away from his marker at the far post.

Minutes later Gomes then intercepted a pass on half way and ran it back at Burbage and his crisp shot with the outside of his right drew the first of many flying saves from Burbage keeper Alec Hill. On 10 mins, however, LRFC were in front when another floated cross from Kelly was expertly glanced in by the head of the unmarked Brennan.

On 15 mins it was almost 2-0 when a Jordan Burrows cross from the right again found Brennan, but the ball wouldn’t come down quick enough and he poked it just over the bar from a tight angle.

Shortly after Joseph Lyne burst through the middle and set up Liam Read, but his volley at full stretch was wide and then Brennan’s attempted back heel after a neat one-two with Gomes was eventually cleared – however on reflection he did have time to turn and shoot himself.

NKF’s first chance came on 22 mins when a probing ball over the top eluded the rushing LRFC keeper Ricky Blewitt, but centre half Danny Jenno anticipated and got to the goal bound ball before Burbage No. 9 Adam Zia. LRFC then broke swiftly and Read was taken out by a nasty foul from NKF centre half Mitch Barwick, which earned him a deserved yellow card.

It was all Leicester Road and on 27 mins a Brennan left footed curler looked destined for the top corner before an outstretched Burbage boot deflected it for a corner, while Jenno also flashed a header just wide from an in-swinging cross.

Gomes also missed the target on 32 mins when a miss-timed header from NKF’s Olly Bradshaw put the lively LRFC wide man through, but his rasping shot was unfortunately the wrong side of the post.

NKF’s one moment of sustained pressure did, however, fashion an equaliser because on 42 mins LRFC failed to clear their box after a number of crosses came in – and Smith was on hand to slot home his first of the afternoon and grab his side a half time lifeline.

Straight from the off LRFC went after the visitors and Read was just beaten to a defence slitting pass by keeper Hill. But with Brennan up-ended just outside the box on 58 mins, skipper Callum Earls curled the free kick up and over the wall, only for Hill to make a fantastic fingertip save high to his right.

Minutes later Brennan put Gomes clear and Hill somehow again got fingertips on his lofted shot, while Burbage were being restricted to long range efforts that weren’t troubling Blewitt in the LRFC goal. However, they did create a great chance on 63 mins when their right winger Jess Adcock beat his man and flashed an inviting cross across the six yard line, but it just eluded the despairing lunges of two teammates.

On 72 mins, however, the complexion of the game changed dramatically, because from seemingly nowhere Smith let rip from distance and it flew into the top corner giving Blewitt no chance.

Gomes almost immediately teased a dangerous shot across the NKF goal, but it was hacked away for a corner and then on 77 mins Burbage could have no complaints when Jordan Pickering went over the top off the ball on Jenno and earned himself a straight red.

LRFC went all out for the equaliser, with 10-man NKF increasingly dropping deeper, and with Earls now playing up front and winning lots of knock down headers it was causing the packed Burbage defence new problems.

Right on 90 mins the LRFC captain thought he had played in Brennan, but his stabbed shot from just a few yards out – admittedly at full stretch – cannoned back off the post and Burbage hung on for a clinical 1-2 victory.

LRFC starting X1: Blewitt (GK) Acton, Jenno, Earls (C), Kelly, Gomes, Charles, Lyne, Burrows, Read, Brennan. Subs: Highland (GK), Harrison, Beasley, Whitehouse, Humphreys.