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FARNBOROUGH (home) 14/08/04 Hereford United made the perfect start to the new campaign, with a convincing 3-1 victory over troubled Farnborough Town. All four goals came in the second period, after the visitors had defended impressively, preventing the Bulls from taking the lead. Indeed, Town created the first decent chances after only a few minutes. Andy Tretton attempted to shepherd the ball back to debutant keeper Jonathan Gould, but in the end the defender had to clear the ball for a corner as Gould did not come for the ball with Lloyd Blackman closing in. From the resulting corner, Blackman had a header cleared away for another flag-kick. This time, newcomer Mark Robinson threw himself in the way of skipper Gary Holloway's well-struck effort, with the ball being diverted for another corner. After this early scare, Hereford started to pass the ball about well. Chances were however at a premium, thanks chiefly to a hard-working defence and well-oiled offside trap. Danny Williams was the first to have a shot on target, but his long-range free-kick was comfortably gathered by goalkeeper Craig Holloway. Tamika Mkandawire - now signed permanently from West Bromwich Albion - sent a header over from close range, and Holloway made a sharp stop to his left from a shot by Adam Stansfield. Midway through the first half, Tony James was adjudged to have fouled Blackman inside the area, and the referee had no hesitation in awarding the penalty. Blackman himself took the kick, but was foiled by Gould, the former Celtic custodian diving to his right to parry the ball away. From the resulting corner, a Farnborough player had the ball cleared off the line byWilliams following a looping header. The half petered out after this, with the visitors happy to defend. They did this extremely effectively, with Anthony Charles the outstanding player in the first half, with Simon Travis having the only other attempt on goal, when his volley from 15 yards went high and wide. Just three minutes after the restart however, United were in front. A corner kick was headed clear, but only as far as Jamie Pitman. The midfielder shaped to shoot, but instead took the ball around a defender and into the penalty area. His forward run was brought to a halt by Ben Townsend, and a second penalty was awarded. United skipper Tony James showed Blackman how a good penalty should be taken, sending Holloway the wrong way. With Farnborough having lost their rhythm, Hereford pressurised the visitors and extended their lead shortly afterwards. Robinson spotted Craig Stanley out wide, and his through-ball released his fellow newcomer down the left wing. The ex-Telford player skinned the full-back before crossing the ball low across the box. Simon Travis got in front of his marker and beat Holloway at his near post, his second goal for Hereford. Now the Bulls controlled the game, with Jonathan Gould hardly touching the ball at all during the second period. Stanley's ambitious 35-yarder forced Holloway to stretch and save the ball, and Williams fired a left-foot shot well wide. Despite having much of the possession, United failed to carve out many opportunities, with Farnborough defending diligently. Brown was almost played in by Stansfield, but Charles expertly cut out the through ball. With five minutes remaining however, Hereford finally scored the killer third goal that they deserved. Brown was fouled outside the box by Ben Townsend, who thoroughly deserved to be booked for the challenge. Robinson swung in the free-kick, and substitute Lee Mills leapt to guide the ball home from close range. In injury time, the visitors pulled a goal back, but by then it was far too late to salvage anything from the game. Matt Pattison managed to wriggle clear of Mkandawire on the right, before crossing the ball for Blackman to fire home. The soft goal conceded at the end was the only negative aspect of the day from a Hereford perspective. So good was the defending from the home side, particularly from Tony James, it was a surprise that Farnborough managed to score. Mkandawire and Travis were also very good in defence, with the latter also making some excellent runs down the right wing. In midfield, Craig Stanley impressed, and Mark Robinson also caught the eye with some intelligent runs. In attack, Lee Mills did enough in his brief cameo to suggest that he could well be a useful target man. Hopefully both he and Robinson will be signed on longer-term contracts, as they should be good additions to what is already a very good squad. Team and ratings: Gould (7), Travis (7), Robinson (7), Mkandawire (7), James (8), Tretton (8), Pitman (7) (sub Smith (2)), D Williams (7) (sub Purdie (5)), Stanley (8), Stansfield (6) (sub Mills (6)), Brown (5). Subs not used: Scott and A Williams.
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