From The Archives - Magic!

Nine Years ago today the Bulls put nine goals past Dagenham in a Conference League fixture.

Friday February 27th 2004

Dagenham & Redbridge 0 - 9 Hereford United

Magic!

 

Hereford United equaled a Conference record this evening as they thrashed Dagenham & Redbridge 9-0 at Victoria Road in front of Sky TV cameras and a crowd of 1617. The record was previously held by Sutton United, who beat Gateshead 9-0 in 1991. This result will act a reminder to Chester City that the Bulls have certainly not given up hope of bringing the title to Edgar Street.

It was, however, the Daggers who started the better of the two sides. Dagenham played some nice passing football in the opening quarter of an hour and produced many difficult crosses from both flanks, one hitting the cross bar and another needing the finger tips of Hereford 'keeper Matt Baker to divert the ball away from goal.

United's first goal was scored against the run of play following a good passing move. Ryan Green played a neat one-two with Rob Purdie and then beat Danny Shipp to the ball who tripped the wing-back in the area. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot, and showing Shipp a red card for a professional foul. Tony James hammered the ball home low to the right of the goal for his 6th goal of the season, all of which have been from the penalty spot.

The red card was a turning point in the game and from then on Hereford were rarely troubled by Gary Hills' play-off chasing team. United had chances for a second through David Brown and Steve Guinan and finally doubled their advantage in the thirty-eighth minute. Brown was played in behind the defence by Guinan then turned his marker and fired a left footed shot into the bottom corner at Tony Robert's near post.

Baker was called into action late on in the first half when a free-kick was layed on to Danny Hill whose first time shot was saved well by Baker, who tipped it round the post. Hereford broke down the other end with pace and won a throw in on the left wing which Green took. Rose played the ball to Simon Willis, who found Green once again. His tidy chip found Brown on the left of the box who drove a powerful cross to Guinan who capped a brilliant Hereford move and made it 3-0 at the break.

United took just two minutes to open up their second half account when Rose crossed a free-kick for Guinan to tap in from close range. After the fourth Hereford took their foot off the pedal and slowed their game down allowing Dagenham to have a period attacking the Hereford goal but didn't look like scoring. The closest anyone came to beating Baker was Jimmy Jackson, who headed just over the bar.

Hereford scored five goals in the last twenty minutes as Dagenham began to tire. Each time Hereford attacked it looked like they were going to score. In the sixty-nineth minute Baker began a counter attack as he released the ball down the left to Rose. Rob Purdie and Brown found themselves with just one defender to beat, so Purdie squared the ball to Brown who beat the advancing 'keeper only to see his shot headed off the line by a covering defender. The resulting corner, well taken by Rose, was headed in at the near post by Brown.

Danny Williams, left out of the starting eleven to make way for new signing Simon Willis, took just three minutes to find the net after being subbed on for Willis. His effort from twenty yards hit the inside of the post and then found the back of the net for United's sixth. Guinan was also replaced by Marc Beesley and Jamie Pitman made way for Dean Craven as Graham Turner looked to rest key players for Tuesday nights trip to Telford.

Beesley scored his first for the club following his transfer from Chester. He met a Rose corner from the right with a half volley at the far post for Hereford's seventh. Two minutes later Green played Williams one-on-one with Roberts and he netted his second. In the eighty-nineth minute man of the match Brown completed the rout and his hatrick when one-on-one with the 'keeper. This was United's eightieth Conference goal this season.

This was an excellent performance by the Bulls which will give them great confidence in going to Telford on Tuesday.

And here's a few comments from those involved:

Steve Guinan:

"I don't think I've ever played in a game like that! 

"For any team to score nine goals at any standard is a good display but at a decent standard like this is something else. Credit has got to go to our team.

"When we come away from home we get a little bit more freedom. We've come here and they have to be the attacking team and we get a liitle bit more space. I do think the sending off changed the game tonight early on. It's hard to get your head around it really, they just kept attacking and leaving space for us to go forward.

"We had quite a few chances and you've got to put them away and we scored nine goals, so it's a brilliant feeling for us. In short spells Dagenham played some decent stuff, but whenever we had the ball we seemed to find an extra gear from nowhere. Everyone was flying forward.

"If anything I think I should have had another one; it's going to be a great journey home"

Graham Turner: 

"We didn't do very much wrong and in fact they made one or two very good saves to keep the scoreline down.

 "It's an occasion you don't want to rub it in, you don't gloat on these occasions. It was an extraordinary night for us, for the club itself. I think the last time the club scored nine was in 1934.

"So it was a tremendous night for us and it was against a side I have a lot of respect for. They are a side that has had two excellent seasons in the Conference and there were still thoughts that they might make the play-offs. So that just added to the achievement."

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