Shot Shy Bulls Brushed Aside

Ledburybull reports from Edgar Street:

Hopes of a further climb up the table were dashed as this afternoon’s visitors Notts County eased to a comfortable victory. With Sven signing pre-match autographs, Craig King replacing Godsmark in an otherwise unchanged line up, and the Mitchell Brothers (or possibly the follically challenged pairing of Lee Hughes and Luke Rodgers) starring for the Magpies, the scene was set for an entertaining afternoon.

A cagey, evenly fought opening period saw a Jordon Mutch free kick clear the bar and a marauding run from Mathieu Manset which came to nought. Hughes and Rodgers, ably assisted by Ricky Ravenhill and Craig Westcarr, were looking lively and created a few openings, notably when Rodgers fired narrowly over. Ryan Green held the defence together with some timely interventions and his usual unhurried and effective distribution.

On 19 minutes, the Bulls were handed a golden opportunity to open their account. Marc Pugh beat the offside trap and raced onto a through ball. Faced with the considerable bulk of County stopper Kasper Schmeichel, Pugh attempted to lift the ball over him. The great Dane then fell, intentionally, on top of Pugh and held him to the deck to prevent any chance of reaching the loose ball. The penalty award was obvious, with the only debate being the colour of the card to be brandished. Ref. Mathieson, in an early bout of festive generosity, deemed a yellow sufficient punishment, a lenient interpretation not appreciated by the Meadow End faithful nor manager John Trewick. Schmeichel then secured his role as pantomime villain by making a smart save to Ryan Valentine’s spot kick.

This proved the turning point in the game, with a lacklustre Bulls finding it difficult to create clear cut chances and Notts closing down quickly and mopping up Hereford attacks.The experienced Hughes was making a nuisance of himself, and just after the half hour mark, created the opening goal. Westcarr got the first touch to a through ball, Adam Bartlett came to claim, but the lively Hughes nipped in to return the ball to Westcarr to score from an angle.

Few further incidents of note occurred before the interval. Darren Jones did well to join the attack, and had the ball in the net but the flag was up for offside.

HT: HUFC 0 NOTTS CO. 1

Richard Rose replaced Green for the second half, presumably due to injury rather than the need to change the colour scheme. Six minutes into the half, the visitors effectively secured their three point haul. A curling free kick by Ben Davies was glanced home by Mike Edwards.

Despite one or two promising moves, Hereford found it difficult to fashion a shot on goal. Pugh had one effort which took a meaty deflection before ballooning over the bar, and the same player was guilty of over- elaboration after one mazy run. Bartlett dealt smartly with a point blank Edwards header and a Davies free kick. Leon Constantine cleverly put Manset through, but he chose to pass instead of shooting. The Beast had a frustrating afternoon, and he reacted angrily to a tackle by Bishop. It was the Notts player who was lectured after hurling the ball at the Frenchman. Ex- Bull Karl Hawley replaced Rodgers and continued to link cleverly with Hughes.

Constantine controlled cleverly but then fired horribly wide, and then crossed for Manset but played it behind his strike partner as the game drifted to a conclusion. With such meagre fare on offer, disappointed Bulls fans trooped out into the steady drizzle to add to the Christmas shoppers’ traffic chaos.

FT: HUFC 0 NOTTS CO. 2
Attendance: 2727 including Sven and 454 from Hooterville.

HUFC: Bartlett, Green (Rose 46), Lowe (Done 68), Jones, Blanchett, Valentine, Mutch, King (Constantine 68), Wedderburn, Pugh, Manset.
NOTTS CO: Schmeichel, Moloney, Edwards, Lee, Clapham, Ravenhill, Bishop, Davies, Westcarr (Hamshaw 84), Hughes, Rodgers (Hawley 66).

---