NEXT HOME GAME - TBC
NEXT AWAY GAME - SUPPORTERS XI ARE PLAYING WORCESTER AT MALVERN ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3rd AT 3.00pm

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Bulls Well Beaten By Spireites

Hereford suffered their first League 2 reverse of the season when they went down by four goals to nil at Chesterfield this afternoon.

As expected, O’Neil Thompson failed to make the squad and Simon Davey replaced him with playmaker Kenny Lunt but surprisingly stuck with the fragile 4-3-3 formation which allowed Spireites’ midfielder Danny Whittaker the freedom to help himself to a hat trick within an hour. The fourth was added by defender Simon Ford to top off a dismal afternoon for The Bulls.

Chesterfield started with veteran Jack Lester up front but the aging hotshot who had long been admired for his footballing skills showed another side to his play today as he demonstrated all that’s bad about modern football with his shirt-pulling and deceitful antics to incur the wrath of the travelling United supporters.

An early Bulls’ corner produced an effort from Kovacs but the big defender miss-hit his shot wide of the target. At the other end, Lester was penalised for a blatant push on Townsend then in the next attack handed off the attentions of Townsend before releasing Whittaker and his shot was turned around the post by Bartlett at the expense of a corner. When the flag-kick was curled into the box, Lester fell the ground in the six-yard box right in front of the visiting fans. The referee awarded a penalty and booked Canham for the challenge. As the saying goes…I’d like to see that one again, because from where I was sat right behind the goal, I saw nothing wrong. Bartlett protested and promptly joined Canham in the official’s notebook. Whittaker stepped up and converted the spot-kick high to the keeper’s right to give the home side a ninth minute lead.

A smart move by The Bulls down the right involving Green and Colbeck saw the latter deliver a first-time cross from which Manset’s header was tipped over by Lee. Fleetwood then worked an opening for McQuilken but the midfielder could only blast his shot well over the bar. Fleetwood was blatantly elbowed as he attempted to clear upfield but the only action from the referee was to send him from the field to change his bloodstained shirt. Clearly, this was not going to be our day.

Colbeck was prominent in several swift counter-attacks but his ventures into the Chesterfield final third was leaving the already short-handed midfield very exposed as Lunt and Quilks were left to fend off the attentions of a fully equipped Spireites central division. The frailties were further undone on 33 minutes when Whittaker was able to run unattended onto a Lester through ball and finish via a deflection passed Adam Bartlett.

Captain Kovacs blocked a shot from Morgan and Allot lifted a shot over the bar before Colbeck found Fleetwood on the edge of the box and the striker’s effort beat the keeper but crashed against the crossbar and Canham was only able to head the rebound straight into the arms of the recovering Lee.

HT Chesterfield 2 Bulls 0

The Bulls started the second period with renewed enthusiasm and no doubt hopeful that the officials might have realised during the interval that it was actually within the rules to allow decisions in favour of the visitors. There was an early opportunity when Manset, clean through on goal, was hauled down by the keeper with the goal gaping just ten yards away. A penalty and an obvious denial of a goal-scoring chance so it had to be a red card. Apparently not. The penalty was awarded but incredibly, Lee received a polite word, a yellow card and promptly saved Valentine’s spot kick.

Kovacs was unlucky with a header that whistled just over and Fleets curled a shot just wide of the far post but with thirty minutes remaining, the midfield weaknesses were again exposed. A Bulls move broke down in the opposing half and the home side surged forward almost unchallenged. Bartlett palmed away as Lester advanced but the ball fell to the advancing Whittaker who scored into the unprotected net.

The home side completed the scoring just a couple of minutes later when defender Simon Ford rose to head home a Whittaker corner.

Davey introduced Daniel Stratford in place of Canham and later gave a run to Sam Malsom in place of Wee Jimmy but it was too late to effect the result.

FT Chesterfield 4 Bulls 0

The Spireites were the better side but there was a feeling in the Printability Stand that we contributed a little to our own downfall by numerically conceding the vital midfield area. Lester caused problems with his underhand play that would surely have not gone un-noticed by a more observant referee but the real downfall stemmed from being overrun in the middle and the resultant failure to provide decent chances for the strikers. The game was watched by a reported 4970 with an estimated 300 from The Shire.

Hereford: Bartlett, Green, Kovacs, Townsend, Valentine, Colbeck, Lunt, McQuilkin (Malsom 77), Fleetwood, Canham (Stratford 67), Manset. Subs unused; Connor, Kanoute, Weir, Rose, Gwynne.

Chesterfield: Lee, Hunt, Breckin, Ford, Griffiths, Whittaker, Morgan (Boden 78), Allott (Niven 75), Mattis, Talbot, Lester (Bowery 67). Subs unused: Redmond, Gray, Clay, Darikwa.

After the match, a large golden labrador, wearing a harness was seen tied to a lamp post outside the stadium. It is not known if it was the property of referee Mark Brown.