Hinckley’s Leicester Road FC secured a superb 6-1 home win over Lichfield City – and leapfrogged them into fourth place in MFL Division 1 in the process.

It was a tight 1-1 at half time after LRFC had taken an early lead through Dom Brennan, but a rampant Road in the second period scored another five unanswered goals past a stunned Lichfield through Ant Carney, Nuno Gomes, Nat Kelly, Joseph Lyne and skipper Callum Earls.

LRFC began very brightly and soon had the away team penned back in the last third and it was no surprise when LRFC took the lead on 5 mins, when a lovely through ball from Liam Read freed Brennan and he calmly slotted it under the advancing keeper.

Jordan Burrows was very nearly in too on 11 mins when a neat flick by Carney put him clear, while Lichfield’s only attempt on goal was a long range effort on 17 mins. However, five mins later they were almost level when a deep left wing cross found the head of their centre forward, but Road keeper Will Highland made himself big and tipped it onto the post for a corner.

A LRFC corner on 25 mins led to a bit of dangerous head tennis in the Lichfield box and then on 31 mins Gomes smashed it passed the keeper after a pinpoint Read lob, but the linesman pulled it back for offside. Then, almost from the restart a Gomes and Brennan one-two saw the latter fire over when well placed.

Not to be outdone, a Lichfield pile driver on 36 mins cannoned off the bar with Highland beaten and then a minute later they won a penalty when the unfortunate Simon Alcott again (after last week’s highly controversial spot kick against league leaders Heather St John’s) was adjudged to have tripped his man – although it looked just outside the area to many at that end of the stadium.

Lichfield duly took their opportunity and also had a further chance on 45 mins when they beat the offside trap, but Highland guessed right and leapt high to snap up the lob attempt and keep it 1-1.

LRFC’s half time team talk obviously had the desired effect, because they grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck straight away and never let up. Brennan slotted in on 47 mins when the away keeper completely missed a through ball, but the ref had earlier blown for his clumsy foul on Gomes.

But five mins later it was 2-1 when a Gomes cross was met sweetly on the half volley by Carney and dispatched in the far corner, as he scored his first goal for LRFC. The Road continued to dominate and on 60 mins Gomes was put clean through by Read - after good pressure by Brennan had resulted in a Lichfield miss-pass – and he also made no mistake for a crucial 3-1 lead.

It obviously deflated Lichfield and swelled the confidence of LRFC, because on 64 mins it was 4-1, when Jarred Acton (on for Carney) beat the offside trap down the right, fed Brennan and he unselfishly squared it for Kelly to smash it home.

Then on 75 mins centre half Danny Jenno broke well from the back and a Brennan cross from the left beat the last defender and Lyne ghosted in to tap it home for an unassailable 5-1 lead for LRFC. Three mins later Brennan and Gomes again found themselves clear, but the former didn’t square for the unmarked latter and Brennan’s low shot was well saved by the keeper.

Centre half Earls by now was playing upfront as Jack Harrison replaced Gomes and his threaded through ball almost immediately put Burrows clear, but on 89 mins he himself took it down the right wing and cut inside to fire an unstoppable curler from the edge of the box to make it six.

Lichfield did have a chance right on 90 mins from a 20 yard free kick and a flicked header did fly straight at Highland, but seeing it late he pulled off a smart reflex save to keep it 6-1 to the Road.

Starting X1: Highland, Alcott, Jenno, Earls ©, Kelly, Lyne, Gomes, Read, Burrows, Brennan, Carney. Subs: Blewitt (GK), Harrison, Acton, Charles, Beasley.