A comprehensive performance start to finish saw Atletico see off Lichfield, and in the
process leapfrog City into the fourth place league spot.
Another defencive reshuffle due to unavailability saw Jack Farmer making his League AFC debut
in the centre of defence alongside Jamal Clarke, and with Sam Agar still injured the Javia
Roberts and Paul Sullivan strike duo continued. And it was great work by Sullivan that led
to the opening goal in the first minute, winning the ball back from a defender close to the
goal line and cutting back inside teeing up Ryan Seal, who finished from 10 yards out. A
sluggish looking Lichfield struggled to get into the game on their own pitch and James Lawson
would find himself very busy in the City goal. Roberts saw his shot drift wide before Sullivan
forced Lawson to save low to his right. Lawson then parried another Sullivan effort, with Pete
Williams following up only to see his effort curl wide. Lawson then 'fell' on top of a Roberts
shot, and did well to hold onto a Pete Williams drive that took a deflection. Sullivan had the
ball in the net on the half hour, but was judged offside after a one two with Seal. It wasn't all
Hinckley but Lichfield took over half an hour to muster their first effort and when it came Haydn
Whitcombe saved comfortably from Josh Haston. Then minutes later, AFC had double the lead, when Lee
Thomas cut inside from the left wing, and played Sullivan through the left channel into the area and
he placed his shot wide of Lawson into the net, giving AFC a two goal lead at half time.
Lichfield still seemed to be shell shocked when they came out for the second half and there
was no let up from AFC. The game was pretty much over 10 minutes into the half with a superb
overlapping run from Thomas on the left crossing low and hard into the goal area with Joe Clarke
unable to stop the cross, and deflecting the ball into his own net. Facing a big defeat stung
Lichfield into action and Whitcombe was called upon to make a few saves, a couple of long range
efforts from Liam Holt and then he got down low to save from Matt Tolley. Just as Lichfield
looked to get back into the game AFC hit them with a sucker punch after the hour, as Pete
Williams broke with the ball in midfield then lifted the ball into the area where Seal glanced
his header past Lawson scoring his second and Hinckley's fourth. With Lichfield now dejected
there were few real chances in the last 20 minutes and AFC saw out the game for a clean sheet.
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Lichfield City match details
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