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Hereford United failed to use home advantage and go on to take all three points in another frustrating game at Edgar Street. The performance was not the worst, and perhaps United lacked the little bit of luck needed, but the result all the same will be very disappointing.
The Bulls didn't make a change to the side that started against Aldershot, but Dean Beckwith was named on the bench in place of Andy Williams, and the side, once again, started brightly. Alex Jeannin supplied the cross for Hereford's first chance, and young striker Matt Bailey, making his home debut, was on the end of it but his header was just wide at the far post, but he made amends with quarter of a hour gone.
Darren Blewitt cleared with his head and Danny Carey-Bertram's flick on was collected by Bailey who dinked the ball over the on rushing Richard McKinney in the Canvey Island goal to break the deadlock. However, the lead lasted just five minutes when The Gulls levelled with what was something of a freak goal. A corner was swung in from the right and Wayne Brown, who came to collect, fell in the box. The ball looped over him and was diverted into the back of the net by Alex Jeannin. The Hereford player's looked stunned, and turned towards referee Amy Rayner in appeal for a foul on their 'keeper.
Hereford lost the momentum that they had picked up previously and it took them a while to get back into their stride, and the game began to get scrappy with some questionable refereeing decisions. Patient build up led to a good cross from Rob Purdie on the left, and it was Dwaine Clarke who headed back towards his own goal, forcing the 'keeper to backpedal in order to keep the ball out. Jason Hallet had a good chance to put the visitors in front when he was played through, put a low save from Brown denied him. Just before the break Craig Stanley came close to a second goal for United, but Bailey's head down, from Purdie's cross, was just ahead of him.
Rayner was again at the centre of things with three minutes gone in the second half, when Carey-Bertram worked space in the box and then appeared to have his legs taken away from him in the box, but Rayner waved the appeals away. Carey-Bertram then struck a snap shot just wide before Green found the run of Bailey in the box, but he was denied a shot on goal by a great last ditch challenge. Stanley was next to pick out the run of Bailey in behind the defence but this time the striker played a ball across the goal face, which Carey-Bertram couldn't quite stretch to.
Hallet was presented with a good chance out of nothing, when he found himself in acres of space in the box, but it seemed to suprise him and his tame shot was easy work for Brown. Tony James replaced the injured Blewitt soon after the hour mark and it was not long before Canvey were reduced to ten men, when Jeff Minton received his marching orders for a second yellow card, this time a late challenge on man of the match Carey-Bertram. Turner made a second change after this, bringing Graham Evans on for Jon Brady, and switching to three up front.
Carey-Bertram got himself ahead of the defence yet again, after shaking off the challenge of Dominic Sterling, but he missed the target from ten yards out. Sterling then had a good chance at the other end, but his shot after a free kick was saved by Brown. Green and Carey-Bertram both had shots before United thought they had secured the winner in the last minute.
Two corners in quick sucession were won by the hosts and the second was headed back towards the near post by Bailey, where Jeannin came flying in and headed against the underside of the bar. The ball appeared to drop over the line but was quickly hooked away and Rayner decided, in another dubious decision, that it was not a goal and the game ended one goal apeice.
Once again United failed to go on and add to an early goal, and it has cost them dear. With most of the other results going their way, Hereford could well have made a good jump up the table. The draw means though, that they remain in seventh, when a win could have moved them up to fifth, just three points away from second place. The draw was very frustrating for the majority of the crowd of 2,500, which included 52 away fans.
HUFC: Brown, Green, Mkandawire, Blewitt, Jeannin, Purdie, Ferrell, Stanley, Brady, Bailey, Carey-Bertram. Subs: James, Beckwith, Mawson, Pitman, Evans.
CIFC: McKinney, Duffy, McGhee, Chenery, Sterling, Kennedy, Minton, Sedgemore, Clarke, Hallett, Ibe. Subs: Potter, Noto Gregory, Conroy, Tait.
