.jpg)
Hereford United faced Bristol Rovers this afternoon in a game that may act as a warm up for their forthcoming F.A. Third Round clash, a game which both may be more interested in winning. However, it was league points that were on offer today, and neither side did enough to seal all three, as they left Edgar Street with a share of the spoils.
Making a return to Hereford was Ryan Green, who helped The Bulls to promotion last season, but isn't held in too high regard by many fans as he quickly moved on to local rivals Rovers. Hereford were unchanged from Fridays win against Notts County, with Dean Beckwith still missing through suspension.
United almost continued from where they left off on Friday, scoring late on, with a good chance in just the first minute. Alan Connell and Rob Purdie linked up with the latter centring towards Tim Sills, who was stood in front of a gaping goal, but a defender stole in at the last moment to turn the cross behind for a corner. Hereford continued their good start when Andy Ferrell picked out Connell who attempted to lift the ball over Steve Phillips in The Gas goal, but the shot dipped too early and the save was made.
Connell forced Phillips into another save, this one more difficult for the goalie, when Ferrell once again found the striker, hooking the ball back into the box after it'd been cleared from a corner. Bristol finally worked up some pressure on Hereford's goal with two corners in a row, the second of which required a tip over the bar from Wayne Brown when Steve Elliott met it with his head. Brown had to be alert to keep out an ambitious long range effort from Andy Sandell before Luke Webb shifted the ball to Trent McClenahan on the right of the box, who drove in low but Phillips was down to palm away.
Webb had an opening of his own when he met Purdie's cross, following a burst down the left flank, but couldn't direct it away from Phillips. The final ten minutes of the half belonged to Rovers and it was Hereford who were happier to hear Dermot Gallagher blow for half time.
Hereford came back into the game after the break, with some good attacks down the wing, though they couldn't find a dangerous pass at the end of their moves. The lack of crosses coming into the box was obvious, with more often than not the ball being played in field with no threatening consequence. The first real sight on goal in the second half came from a thirty yard free kick, which Connell struck narrowly wide.
The visitors were quicker to get a shot away than United, and the 1,181 away fans in a crowd of 5,201 were gasping when Stuart Nicholson smashed just inches wide from twenty five yards out, on the bounce. Tamika Mkandawire, who had an assured game at the back, saved Hereford as Richard Walker raced away on goal, getting back to put in a last ditch tackle inside the box, before triggering an attack for his own side. Purdie played the ball through for Sills, but Phillips raced out to clear just before the striker could get to the ball.
With twenty one minutes remaining Graham Turner introduced Stuart Fleetwood in place of Connell, but it was his strike partner Sills who went close to netting for a second game in a row. Purdie's free kick from the right went through everyone in the box to Sills at the far post, but he fired wide with little time to adjust. Finally Hereford, when in yet another good crossing position, actually supplied a decent cross, and Ferrell's delivery was forced behind by a defender. Purdie swung it in at the near post where Mkandawire tried a cheeky flick off the heel, which won The Bulls another corner, but Phill Gulliver headed wide.
United had Brown to thank at the other end when Ricky Lambert, who came on soon after Fleetwood, latched onto a free kick from deep and got a shot away. Brown was out and down quickly, and got a vital touch to stop the ball rolling into the net, and gathered at the second attempt. Disaster almost struck again for Hereford in the eighty ninth minute, when Green burst onto the scene. Rovers switched play and then a ball inside the left back gave Green a run in on goal, but his drilled into the side netting, and the game ended goalless.
In general the game was an entertaining one, with plenty of efforts on goal, though neither side looked too dangerous when the got into the final third. Despite Hereford's good play before they entered the opposition box, it was Rovers who perhaps looked slightly more likey to score as they were getting the ball into the box quicker that United. The last attack of the game summed it up perfectly as Rovers, in the final minute of injury time, broke on the right and the winger turned Simon Travis inside out, before smashing in a cross, which Brown did well to catch. However, it was the fact that once Hereford got the ball out wide, they never looked like supplying a dangerous cross and, as mentioned before, the ball was often cut back and the pace of the attack was lost
HUFC: Brown, Rose, Mkandawire, Gulliver, Travis, McClenahan, Ferrell, Webb, Purdie, Sills, Connell. Subs: Giles, Thompson, Sheldon, Jeannin, Fleetwood.
BRFC: Phillips, Green, Anthony, Elliott, Carruthers, Igoe, Disley, Campbell, Sandell, Nicholson, Walker. Subs: Lescott, Hinton, Lines, Haldane, Lambert.
