League game 18 for Leicester Road saw Neil Lyne calling upon all his squad resources for this festive period fixture in North West Leicestershire.

With Nick Hawkins serving the last match of his suspension Callum Earls who is now fully recovered after 3 months out is given the nod to step in and partner Josh Smith at the heart of defence. Up front Neil Lyne pairs Lamar Parkes and top goal scorer Matty Stenson, also just back from a reoccurring ankle injury for the first time. Amarvir Sandhu is also drafted into the squad for the first time since breaking his leg in September.

In an evenly contested first half which saw few attempts on goal by either side, the only real highlight was a chance for Tom McGlinchey which came back off the post on 22 minutes. With no other real highlights the first half ended 0-0 as a well matched contest.

With the second half not long underway a sterling save from Will Highland kept the score level as Hinckley AFC continued to press forward. Leicester Road were not firing on all cylinders and with the normal brand of flowing football struggling to sparkle life into the game, Lamar Parkes was swapped for Daryll Thomas on 53 minutes. Hinckley AFC continued to press forward causing Leicester Road to fall behind 12 minutes into the second half from 12 yards out. In an attempt to change things, Sam Munton came on for Jake Holt and Amarvir Sandhu replaced Tom McGlinchey both on 71 minutes.

With Leicester Road still struggling to get into their normal stride, a defensive error rounded off a bad day at the office allowing Hinckley AFC to nip in and make it 2-0.