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Hereford United's rearranged away fixture at Chester City went ahead tonight, and The Bulls will leave the Deva Stadium feeling hard done by as they managed to collect just one point, having gone behind with twenty minutes to go. Graham Turner was forced into a change at right back with Trent McClenahan away on international duty, meaning a return to the side for Simon Travis. Also in defence, Tamika Mkandawire returned in place of Richard Rose, but suprisingly didn't take the captains armband; that duty remained with Ben Smith.
The opening moments of the encounter remained to The Blues, who notched up three corners but the opening danger came from United, through Travis. His run down the right flank and then one-two pass with Steve Guinan as he cut inside, resulted in a drive at goal which needed to be palmed over by Jon Danby between the Chester City sticks. United dominated proceedings from then on, but couldn't create any real threat on goal, and at the other hand Wayne Brown, formerly of Chester, had to be aware as Lee Steele fired over from twenty five yards.
The windy conditions were proving influential on the flight of the ball, but it seemed to be Chester's backline who were struggling most because of this, and Danby was put in a couple of difficult positions, though Hereford couldn't capitalise. Before the break though a moment of magic from Alan Connell, who took the ball down with a fantastic touch and then picked out Andy Williams, brought about a good chance, but Williams' effort went behind off his own player, Danny Thomas, who was again a live-wire on the left.
The second half contained more incident than the first, with United shooting towards their vocal 299 supporters in a crowd of 1,842. It was the hosts who had first sight on goal though as Kevin Sandworth fizzed a ball across the goal face. Almost immediately after a direct ball down the left found Thomas who skinned the right back before cutting inside from the by-line and winning a corner off a covering centre back.
Then came Hereford's best chance of the game, with Guinan chesting down for Smith twenty five yards, and the midfielder hitting a stunning, controlled volley that beat Danby, but was denied by the cross bar. Connell was in first to the rebound, but it came at him a bit quick, though his on-target header needed to be turned behind by the legs of the 'keeper. Guinan then went about setting Williams away down the right, but Williams' delivery was beyond Guinan and Connell before disaster struck for the visitors.
Chester's direct approach paid dividends, as a long ball from defence picked out the run of Simon Yeo, who'd gotten the better of Mkandawire and the striker raced away to slot low past Brown, who can't have enjoyed that moment in front of the fans of his ex-club. Eight minutes from time though, Hereford got back on level terms. Smith returned the ball to Thomas on the right, where he'd just taken a corner from, and the winger crossed into the front post. Connell and Phil Bolland challenged for the ball, and it looked to be going out, but right on the line, and maybe in an offside position, Dean Beckwith (later subbed with a hamstring problem) nodded the ball back towards Connell. Then, with his back to goal at the near post, the striker performed a stunning bicycle kick to make it 1-1, and that was how it finished.
Much like Saturday, Hereford will feel slightly aggrieved they didn't take all three points away from this one, especially as they had more of the game this evening than they did against Rochdale. They managed to avoid defeat though once again, and showed good character in digging in and equalising, having gone a goal down against the run of play. Graham Turner's men might have to work a little harder on the weekend though, as they face league leaders Hartlepool.
HUFC: Brown, Travis, Beckwith, Mkandawire, Purdie, Thomas, Jennings, Smith, Williams, Connell, Guinan. Subs: Rose, Thompson, Ferrell, Jeannin, Sills.
CCFC: Danby, Linwood, Bolland, Artell, Hessey, Kearney, Meechan, Hand, Sandwith, Yeo, Steele. Subs: Allen, Bennett, Vaughan, Wilson, Holroyd.
