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NORTHWICH (away) 30/08/04 Hereford got back to winning ways with a thoroughly professional performance against lowly Northwich Victoria. Their 4-1 victory takes them back up to fourth in the table, behind early pacesetters Barnet, Aldershot, and Gravesend. Simon Travis, whose runs from wing-back were sorely missed during the defeat to Stevenage, returned to the side, albeit on the left-hand side. He replaced Mark Robinson, who dropped to the bench; other than this, United kept the same starting XI, despite Danny Williams being a doubt following his head injury. In a lively opening twenty minutes, the home side seemed to get through Hereford's highly regarded defence with ease. Mark Quayle saw a shot come back off the post, and Jonathan Gould then had to make an excellent save to block Paul Brayson's follow-up. Gould then made another brilliant save to deny the same player, and Vics saw another effort go marginally wide. It was United however who took the lead with their first worthwhile attempt at goal. Ryan Green played the ball through to David Brown, who in turn passed to his strike partner Adam Stansfield, who fired the ball into the roof of the net. Three minutes later Stansfield had his second goal. Danny Williams over hit a cross, which Travis did well to keep in play. His turn then lost Chris Royle, and Travis then put in a great cross which Stansfield headed powerfully past Andy Ralph from close range. Having opened up a two-goal lead, Hereford immediately conceded, despite gaining possession straight from the restart. David Brown was tackled, but the ball ran loose to Jamie Pitman. Pitman misplaced his pass to Brayson however, who strode forward and fired a great shot into the bottom corner of the net. The rest of the first half was fairly even possession-wise, but it was still the home side that created more chances. Hereford had the wind behind them in the first half, but this proved to be a disadvantage as several passes sailed out of play on the strength of the wind. Gould also had to be alert as a couple of shots peppered his goal, and Travis shot straight into the arms of Ralph. The second half was a different story however, with Gould this time being a virtual spectator; indeed, the closest Northwich came to a goal was when a huge wind-assisted clearance from Ralph made it all the way to the edge of the opposing penalty area. Veteran winger Jon McCarthy showed some good touches and put in some decent crosses, but these were well dealt with by the Hereford defence, particularly by Andy Tretton, who had another great game. United's third goal came from an unlikely source. Williams passed the ball to Brown, who took the ball forward and drew Ralph off his line. Brown then slipped the ball out wide to Ryan Green, who neatly placed the ball into the bottom corner for only his second goal in Hereford colours. United continued to dominate, with Stansfield having more than enough chances to complete his hat-trick, with his head and feet. Williams also came close on a couple of occasions, and Brown had a tame effort easily saved by Ralph. Another attempt from Brown was more telling however. He received the ball, turned his marker and buried the ball in the far bottom corner for an excellent strike - his third of the season. Although United eased off towards the end, they still created chances. From one of these, Williams finished off a slick passing move, but was deemed to be offside by the linesman. This was a much better display than the previous match against Stevenage, but better opposition await the Bulls. Nevertheless, four good goals were scored, which should improve the confidence of the two strikers, both of whom enjoyed good games. The player who stood out however was Danny Williams, whose passing and eye for goal were at the forefront of much of Hereford's attacking play. Team and ratings: Gould (8), Green (7), Travis (7), Mkandawire (7), James (7), Tretton (8), Williams (8), Stanley (7), Pitman (7), Brown (7), Stansfield (7). Subs not used: Scott, Smith, Purdie, Mills, Robinson.
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