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Hereford United's winning run came to an abrupt end at Torquay this afternoon as they went down 2-0 in Devon. Boden's dive produced a goal from Nicholson's free kick and then Howe when remarkably six or eight yards in front of the Bull's defence when he received the ball was allowed to pull it back for Boden to finish.
Ryan Green started in his familiar right back spot while Rob Purdie moved forward to fill the space left by the suspended Harry Pell. The hosts were first to threaten when Stevens' diagonal run brought a timely interception from Green before Elder broke away down the left but his ball into the box was over-hit and ran through to keeper Olejnik. The swirling wind made control difficult but it was the Gulls who seemed first to every loose ball as the Bull's pressing game deserted them.
Leslie's first time effort from a Dalibard throw went several yards wide of the target while at the other end, Stam did well clear from O’Kane and Boden saw his shot saved by Cornell. Torquay continued to put the visitors under pressure and a succession of throws and corners ended with Howe heading over when well placed.
For The Bulls, Featherstone headed a half clearance back into the home box but Clist’s goal-bound shot was blocked as the game entered a scrappy period broken only by a miss by Torquay’s O’Kane when he screwed horribly wide with the goal gaping. Then, with forty minutes on the clock, Bodin conned the officials into wrongly awarding a free kick on the edge of the box about six yards from the bye-line. He slipped the ball between two defenders and, at worst, brushed the shoulder of Dalibard and he ran between the defenders. Then, some three paces later, when he realised the ball was going out for a goal kick he collapsed to the ground and the linesman bought it hook line and sinker. Nicholson fired the free kick low just inside the near post and although Cornell got down to it, his momentum carried the ball over the line.
Four minutes later, Torquay doubled their lead when, with the Bull’s back line appealing for offside, Howe pulled the ball back to Boden who slotted home from twelve yards.
HT Gulls 2 Bulls 0
The half-time chatter on the terraces included all the clichés…not at the races, second to the ball and no support for Elder from midfield.
The management team replaced Dalibard and Todd with Heath and Arquin after the break. Ryan Green moved to central defence with Purdie and Heath filling the wide defensive positions as Arquin joined Elder up top in a 4-4-2.
Home keeper Olejnik flapped at an early corner but Rob Purdie's back post header landed on the roof of the net before the referee again drew howls of disapproval from the visitors terrace when he pulled play back twenty yards for a Bulls free-kick just as Barkhuizen was about to get behind the Torquay defence. Arquin produced two good crosses from the right but on both occasions they failed to produce an effort on goal.
Leslie cut in from the right and set up Elder but his shot cannoned away for a fruitless corner before Leslie tried his luck from twenty-five yards but, again, it went well wide before The Bulls had, arguably, their best chance of the game. Barkhuizen swung in a beauty of a cross from the right but Elder, free at the far post, sent his header over the bar. Torquay, however, still looked the more likely to score and would have done had it not been for an incredible double block on the goal-line by Rob Purdie.
FT Gulls 2 Bulls 0
In truth, the 254 Bulls fans in the crowd of 2459 were probably glad to hear the final whistle as it seemed we could have played all night and still not scored. Even if we had contrived to get the ball in the net, on today's showing it's pretty certain the officials would have found a reason to disallow it.
It seems clear that a five-man midfield needs one of the central three to break forward or produce that clever ball that catches out the defence. Neither happened today in the first period and even the addition of a second striker failed to produce any real threat. The Bulls were second best today and failed to adapt to the blustery conditions and although there were strange circumstances surrounding both goals, there will be plenty of eye-openers when the players watch the DVD of the match that we had to watch. No better person to feel the backlash than portly Stephen J Evans.
Hereford: Cornell, Green, Stam, Todd (Arquin 46), Dalibard (Heath 46), Barkhuizen (Townsend 90), Featherstone, Purdie, Clist, Leslie, Elder. Subs not used: Hoult, McQuilkin.
Torquay: Olejnik, Oastler, Ellis, Saah, Nicholson, Mansell, O’Kane, Lathrope, Bodin, Howe (Atieno 77), Stevens (McPhee 74). Subs not used: Rice, Rowe-Turner, Halpin.
