Match Preview: Hinckley AFC (A), Sat 24th Jan
Date: Saturday 24th January 2026
Time: 3pm
Opponent: Hinckley AFC
Venue: Barwell Football Club, Kirkby Road, Barwell, Leicestershire, LE9 8FQ
Admission Prices: £8 Adults, £6 Concessions, Under 16s free
Weather forecast: Light Rain, 7°C
It's derby day on Saturday as Nuneaton make the short journey up the A47 to face Hinckley. 2 games, 2 wins, 7 goals, and none conceded so far in 2026, and Nuneaton will be looking to extend that perfect start against their Leicestershire neighbours.
It's set to be a poignant one too, as Nuneaton return to a ground they briefly called home as Nuneaton Borough before succumbing to mounting financial issues almost exactly 2 years ago. Nuneaton Town and Hinckley share more than just a county border, they share both a complicated financial and league history, both play out of town, and are now both ran by their fans.
Despite the similarities, the two sides remain rivals, and Nuneaton will want to keep the bragging rights in Warwickshire, as they continue to make a charge towards back to back league titles.
Hinckley sit in 9th in the table, with 11 wins, 3 draws and 12 defeats, but only 4 of those wins have come at home. Their last 3 matches have ended 1-0 to the opposition, which has seen them slide away from play off contention for the time being. Interestingly despite the low scores in their last 3 games, there have still been 104 goals in Hinckley games this season, the 2nd highest in the league. Whilst Nuneaton are on a 6 game league win streak, and have the highest goals scored, and 2nd least goals conceded, helped by the first back to back clean sheets of the season in the last 2 games.
Several former Nuneaton players could feature for Hinckley, including Louis Baker, Sam Belcher, Joe Magunda, Chandler Pegg, Gift Mussa, new signing Alex Dean, and 3 players who have featured for Nuneaton this season, Ben Whitehead-Thompson, Luke Jones, and Alex Lock.
Nuneaton were impressive in victory when the two sides met in October, can they complete the double and move 3 points closer to the title?
Previous meetings:
Tue 14 Oct 2025 - (UCL South)
Nuneaton Town 3-1 Hinckley
(Donzo og, Johnson, Carsley : Rankin)
Last 5:
Hinckley:
Sat 17 Jan - Aylestone Park 1-0 Hinckley
Sat 3 Jan - Hinckley 0-1 Eynesbury Rovers
Fri 26 Dec - Hinckley 0-1 Atherstone Town
Sat 20 Dec - Lutterworth Town 1-3 Hinckley
Sat 13 Dec - Bugbrooke St Michael's 0-3 Hinckley
Nuneaton Town:
Sat 17 Jan: Nuneaton Town 3-0 Leicester Nirvana
Sat 3 Jan: Nuneaton Town 4-0 Newport Pagnell Town
Sat 27 Dec: Nuneaton Town 2-1 Coventry United
Sat 13 Dec: Nuneaton Town 2-1 Easington Sports
Tue 9 Dec: Moulton 0-4 Nuneaton Town
Directions from Nuneaton town centre:
Take the A47 to the A5 via The Long Shoot. Turn right onto the A5 then turn left at the first roundabout to A47 Dodwells Road. Follow the A47 over 4 roundabouts and go straight on at the junction with the A447. At the next roundabout turn left onto Chapel Street towards Barwell village. At the village centre cross the roundabout and then take the next right onto Kirkby Road. After the third road on the right, the ground entrance is up a driveway on the right, with the ground at the end behind the cricket ground.
(18 mins, 9 miles)
Public transport:
148 Stagecoach and 158 Arriva buses to Leicester go through Barwell village 2 times each an hour. Allow around 45 minutes for the journey, and from the village centre walk up Kirkby Road and follow as above.
