Harborough Town 1
Pinchbeck United 2
Pinchbeck United bounced back from their first league loss in over a year by ending Harborough Town’s unbeaten home record on Saturday.
The Knights secured a 2-1 victory at The HTFC Community Ground to stay second in the Future Lions UCL Premier Division table and five points behind leaders Daventry Town – but had to deal with heavy rain and gusty wins on the day.
Ewan Fieldhouse’s fourth-minute strike put the Knights ahead, but the hosts levelled through Ibrahima Jalloh ten minutes later.
The winner came from Ollie Maltby five minutes into the second period, with the striker having been introduced as a half-time substitute.
Harborough, who had won all three of their previous home games in the league this season, forced Ricky Lovelace into a dramatic late save but Pinchbeck held on to clinch their seventh win from ten league games.
Player/boss Ian Dunn, who was forced to watch the game from the stand due to suspension, praised his side for securing what he called a “fantastic” win.
He said: “It sounds odd, but we had to go back to basics. We made sure we defended well and didn’t want to lose possession is dangerous areas.
“We made an error for their goal, but it has to be said that conditions were dreadful on the day.
“The wind and rain was so strong late on that we struggled to get the ball out of our own half.
“I’ve actually never seen a 3G pitch struggle that badly with the weather – some of the pitch was under water.
“But to get a win there is fantastic – they’d not lost at home all season.
“On a day when the weather was like that, getting three points is all that matters and it keeps us in touch with the leaders.”
Knights: Lovelace, Peasgood, Gardner, Field, Jack Smith, Tidswell, Shipley (Beeson 55), Ogden, Bayliss, Josh Smith (Edwards 70), Fieldhouse (Maltby 46). Not used: Gaukroger, Wilson.
Attendance: 60.