.jpg)
Hereford United's attempts to get away from the foot of the Football League was not helped when the went down to an early Bradford strike this afternoon at The Corals Windows Stadium.
Jamie Pitman was forced into making some changes when Rob Purdie and Richard Rose both failed to recover from virus infections. Janos Kovacs returned to the starting line-up to make his first appearance since incurring a shoulder injury six weeks ago against Aldershot. The big Hungarian partnered Michael Townsend in central defence with Sam Gwynne and Joe Heath as fullbacks. Featherstone and Colbeck filled the wide midfield roles while Stoke’s Matt Lund lined up next to Kenny Lunt. Guillem Bauza started just off main striker Mathieu Manset.
The Bulls kicked off and won the first free kick of the game when Featherstone was chopped down as he looked to cut into the box from the left. Matt Lund fired the free kick into the wall and the ball was cleared at the expense of a throw in on the right. A quickly taken throw found Bauza who worked an space but his low cross took both Manset and his markers by surprise as the ball fizzed across the face of the goal.
Bantams' fullback, O'Brien, made a sortie down the right but his miss-hit cross sailed behind Bartlett's gaol for a goal kick before a similar attack produced a corner on the other side. Kovacs met the flag kick with a thumping header that went out for a throw, which was to produce the first goal with the game just over seven minutes old. The ball was worked to David Syers and his shot from 22 yards beat Bartlett as it flew in off the inside of the post. Bartlett had to be alert a few minutes later changing direction to beat out an O'Brien shot that took a wicked deflection.
At the other end, Bauza had an effort that was diverted for a corner and Nicky Featherstone's flag kick was met by a Kovacs goal-bound volley that was deflected just over the bar. Then from a Colbeck cross to the back post, Bauza’s header was tipped over by home keeper Pidgeley. Hanson blasted high over Bartlett's goal when provided with a chance by Hendre before the former Villa player provided Adeyemi with a one on one with Bartlett but The Bulls’ keeper stood his ground and blocked the striker's shot.
Kenny Lunt was busying himself trying to produce opportunities while near namesake Lund covered plenty of ground in the engine room. Colbeck and Feartherstone swapped flanks but still The Bulls failed to find that real quality with the final ball into the danger area.
HT Bradford 1 Bulls 0
The Bulls started the second period in purposeful fashion with Kenny Lunt dinking a ball through to Bauza but the Spaniard was fractionally offside. Then just five minutes after the break, Lunt spotted Manset's diagonal run and dropped the ball into his path. The Beast held the ball before releasing Bausa and his cross was met at the far post by Lunt who had continued his run but the midfielder saw his shot agonisingly come back off the foot off the post. Shortly afterwards, a Daley's shot hit both uprights before Bartlett tipped the rebound shot round the post.
James McQilkin replaced Colbeck with thirty minutes remaining and although initially playing wide on the left provided the extra craft that had seemed lacking. Lunt threaded a ball through the channel to the advancing Matt Lund but Pidgeley just got a hand to it as the Stoke loanee shaped to round the keeper. The Bulls were now very much in the ascendancy and McQuilkin was unlucky with a shot that skidded just wide of the far post after he jinked his way into the box from the left. Fleetwood joined the fray in place of Lund with a little less than twenty minutes to go and was soon bundled over as he sped goalwards but the referee decided that he had gone down too easily. Kenny Lunt appeared less than impressed with Mr Quinn's reaction and took time to tell him so. Quilks assumed his more familiar centre midfield role and his combined well with Lunt to provide a constant supply of quality forward movement as The Bulls dominated the play.
With ten minute remaining, Lunt picked out Manset on the edge of the box but the Frenchman tried to beat three defenders instead of releasing Wee Jimmy who was unmarked and screaming for the ball to his left. It was Lunt again who found Fleetwood with a probing ball and Fleets got past his marker and squared the ball to Manset but The Beast's shot on the turn was cleared for a corner. With four minutes of added time still failing to produce an equaliser, it was the home side who, somewhat fortunately, took all the points in front of 10460 including around 120 from The Shire.
FT Bradford 1 Bulls 0
Jamie Pitman and his team can consider themselves a little hard done by this afternoon, as they more than deserved at least a share of the spoils for their efforts. Kenny Lunt produced a conveyor belt of balls into dangerous areas but a combination of some stubborn defending and, on occasions, a lack of composure in attack failed to provide the required goal. The absence of the experienced Richard Rose at the back and the craft of Rob Purdie probably didn't help but The Bulls do need to add some quality to their play particularly when clearing from the back.
Hereford:- Bartlett, Gwynne, Kovacs, Townsend, Heath, Colbeck (McQuilkin 62), Lunt, Lund (Fleetwood 73), Featherstone, Bauza, Manset. Subs unused: Heister, Weir, Webster, Stratford, Canham.
Bradford:- Pidgeley, O'Brien, Oliver, Daley (Price 77), Doherty, Hendrie (Osborne 77), Hanson, Adeyemi, Syers, Kiernan (Bullock 86), Eckersley. Subs unused: McLaughlin, Evans, Moult, Threlfall.
