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A single second period goal from the impressive Nick Powell condemned United to another defeat at Gresty Road this afternoon.
The Bulls demoted hard-working Nathan Elder to the bench and gave starts to Delroy Facey and Yoann Arquin with Simon Clist dropping into the left back spot replacing the injured Joe Heath in a change to 4-4-2.
Ryan Green conceded an early free kick as Crewe signalled their intentions but made swift amends by getting in a fine clearance header from the resulting free kick. Arquin delivered a cross which Facey got on the end of but his effort came back off the post before a break down the left resulted in a shooting chance for United but Barkhuisen blazed well over. Then a measured through ball to Leitch-Smith required another timely interception by Ryan Green and Barkhuizen’s swinging cross was beaten out by home keeper Philips.
Play switched from end to end and Arquin put Facey in on goal but he was closed out before he could get a clean shot away then Pell carelessly lost possession in midfield and must have been relieved to see Martin’s shot rise over the bar and Michael Townsend got in a fine block tackle to clear for a non-eventful corner. Rob Purdie nipped in to steal a Crewe cross-field ball and sent Arquin away down the left. The Frenchman’s cross found Facey but Dugdale was in position to block the shot. The swirling wind meant good football was at a premium but the hosts were the ones who chose to play the ball along the ground more often although, as the half drew to a close, Steve Leslie was unlucky to see his smart effort pushed round the post by Philips.
HT Crewe 0 Bulls 0
Play continues in a similar vein after the break with Crewe looking to build attacks through midfield and Hereford seemingly intent on trying to hit the front-men from deep and hoping for someone to pick up the knock-downs. In the first half there had been a lack of support but the second period saw Pell frequently in a more forward position. Leitch-Smith miss-controlled a through ball and promptly collapsed to the ground to win a dubious free kick but Powell sent his shot over the bar. Facey was fouled by Tootle and a deep cross fell to Barkhuizen who pulled the ball back for Pell, on the edge of the box, to fire narrowly wide before Crewe took the lead just after the hour mark.
A throw on the right was quickly moved through midfield to Powell on the left who checked inside and fired just inside the far post from well outside the box despite Cornell getting a hand to it.
A long ball from the back found Facey but he was outnumbered four to one and the ball was soon back in the other half. Barkhuizen again pulled the ball back from the right but Pell’s shot from distance went straight into the arms of Philips. The industrious Featherstone found Arquin and his cross found Barkhuizen at the back post but his header was clawed away by Philips. The Bulls continued to press forward and Crewe introduced a couple of pairs of fresh legs with 15 minutes to go. Pitman hauled off Steve Leslie and threw Elder on in a belated effort to add spark to The Bull’s front line but little was produced apart from another Pell twenty-yarder which failed to trouble the keeper beyond a regulation catch. Barkhuizen charged down a Philips clearance but ball rolled safely for a goal kick as the game closed with four fairly uneventful minutes of extra time.
Attendance: 2591 with 320 reportedly from The Shire
FT Crewe 1 Bulls 0
Hereford: Cornell, Purdie, Townsend, Green, Clist, Barkhuizen, Pell, Featherstone, Leslie (Elder 76), Arquin, Facey. Subs unused: Bartlett, Dalibard, Heath, Lunt.
Crewe: Phillips, Tootle, Artell, Dugdale, Martin; Moore, Bell, Lowry (Davis 74), Powell (Shelley 83); Miller, Leitch-Smith (Fletcher 74). Subs not used: Martin, Clayton.
At the back, The Bulls looked fairly solid with Clist fitting in well on the left and although the four-man midfield were industrious, they were too often bypassed as the ball was launched up to Facey and Arquin. Crewe used a more scientific approach and were rewarded by a well-worked goal. The Bulls failed to get back on track as Crewe was not the platform to re-launch their season’s collection of points as the long ball tactic frequently hit the buffers.
