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It seemed an unlikely combination but there's little doubt that both the Turner Factor and the penalty awarded to the Bulls by Andy Woolmer were plus points in the match at Chesterfield yesterday.
Bulls News mentioned the Turner Factor last weekend after the Bulls had defeated Bradford City but we didn't expect to add the name of Woolmer to the credit list this weekend.
However it was Woolmer's decision to award the Bulls a penalty in the 48th minute, when Marc Pugh was brought down and loanee Jake Jervis had coverted, that gave the Bulls the lead they deserved.
Television replays may show differently but several Hereford United supporters sat in line with the penalty box thought that Pugh was just outside the area when the challenge occured.
Later Woolmer decided not to give Jervis a second yellow card when it looked quite likely. His first card was for delaying a free kick. Minutes later he kicked the ball away after Woolmer had stopped the game. Another referee on another day might have given Jarvis his marching orders.
However Woolmer certainly didn't get much else right as our match report explained. He could have red-carded Phil Picken when he brought down Marc Pugh. More to the point was he trying to balance his decisions when he gave Chesterfield a penalty late in the game? It did look as though loanee Lewis Young might have got the ball, Woolmer decided otherwise.
As regards the Turner Factor, one noticable improvement from last week to this is that Mathieu Manset has learnt to jump for a header. Not that high as yet, but at least with his two feet off the ground.
And as captain Adam Bartlett said during his H&W interview the players looked happier, they looked as though they want to perform for Hereford United.
Meanwhile it was back in September 1975 that the Bulls last won at Saltergate. That day it was by 3-2 in front of 3,000 spectators and it was their first away win for nearly ten months. After yesterday the Bulls will never be defeated at that ground again.
In truth the stadium probably hasn't changed much in all those years. There are still wooden bench seats with no backs in the main stand much like the old Doncaster stadium. And the away terrace, not used yesterday, remains uncovered.
However the helpful stewards decided that the Hereford supporters could sit under cover. This was a move Chesterfield might have regretted as 150 or so fans situated in a small area were able to make quite a lot of noise which manager Graham Turner acknowledged several times during the afternoon.
Just one blot on the copybook - the fan who suggested new loanee Astrit Ajdarevic was a 'Leicester Reject'. Shame on you.
