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EXETER (home) 01/01/05 2005 started off badly for Hereford United, as they slipped to their second defeat to Exeter City within the space of a week. However, the Bulls can feel extremely hard done by, as what turned out to be Exeter's winning goal was dubious to say the least. With twenty minutes remaining, referee Rob Lewis decided that Graham Hyde had somehow committed an offence twenty-five yards from goal, despite there not being an opponent in his immediate vicinity, or an Exeter player claiming a free-kick. Andy Taylor despatched the kick into the top corner; it was, in fairness, an excellent finish, but the free-kick should not have been given in the first place, and it ultimately cost the Bulls a share of the spoils. That said, Hereford never looked like winning this game, despite the amount of possession they had and the pressure they put on the Grecians' defence. Strong winds and driving rain made life difficult for both sides, with visiting goalkeeper Martin Rice slicing almost all of his goalkicks into touch during the first half. The ball spent most of the first twenty minutes in the air, as a rapidly disintegrating pitch made passing football difficult. Simon Travis had a snapshot comfortably gathered by Rice within the first fifteen seconds of the game, and United missed a good opportunity from a free-kick. City immediately counter attacked when the set-piece was dealt with, and this time the visitors earned themselves a free-kick in a dangerous position, when Travis was adjudged to have illegally charged Dean Moxey off the ball. When the ball came over, Adam Stansfield was put under pressure by Andy Taylor, and could do little else but head the ball past his own goalkeeper, Craig Mawson. This is the third time a Hereford player has ëscored' for Exeter this season. With the lead taken, Exeter were happy to sit back and let Hereford attack them, and it was eighteen minutes before the visitors so much as won a corner. The Grecians defended, and defended very well, with most 50-50 challenges being won by a City defender. Gary Sawyer in particular was excellent in the heart of the defence, and Hereford were therefore only able to create two worthwhile chances. Firstly Stansfield headed a set-piece delivery straight at Rice, and Mark Robinson fired a thirty-five yard shot just over the bar. At the other end, Moxey should have scored when he blasted over from eight yards following good work down the right by Sean Devine. Exeter thought they had taken a two goal lead shortly into the second period, but Steve Flack's tap-in was ruled out for offside. The second half followed much the same pattern as the first, with Hereford having much of the possession, but continually losing it. A very fussy referee did not help, with Mr Lewis refusing to take the appalling weather conditions into account, and a lot of soft fouls were conceded. Indeed, the only two bad fouls of the whole game saw Alex Jeannin booked for a bad challenge on Ryan Green, and Marcus Martin receiving a yellow card for doing likewise to Graham Hyde, who had another decent game in midfield. A few other players also received cautions for relatively minor offences. Hereford eventually got back on level terms, although it took a slice of good fortunate and a blunder by Martin Rice to equalise. David Brown passed the ball into the area for Stansfield, but Rice appeared to have won the race to get to the ball first. Rice then missed his kick, gifting possession to Stansfield, who had the easiest of tasks to knock the ball in from six yards. Exeter went in front again ten minutes later courtesy of their disputed goal. After this, the match petered out. Hereford had a lot of the ball but couldn't do anything with it, and never looked likely to equalise for a second time, although Exeter were also happy to settle for a 2-1 scoreline and rarely bothered to attack. When they did, Tamika Mkandawire was on hand to snuff out any threat the Grecians posed š something the Malawian has been doing an a regular basis for a while now. Although United never looked likely to win, they did enough to deserve a draw, but were to be denied by shoddy refereeing. However, this cannot be used as an excuse for a fairly poor performance. Rob Purdie was injured early on, meaning the midfield lost much of its attacking flair, and Mark Robinson has to work on his crossing ability. Too often today, and in the previous match against Leigh RMI, his crosses wouldn't even clear the first defender. Exeter look a good side however, and it looks as though the current top six of Barnet, Carlisle United, Hereford, Exeter, Stevenage Borough and Halifax Town will be the top six sides at the end of the season. The Bulls will therefore have to work hard to make sure they do not finish sixth or lower and miss out on a play-off spot. A shake-up is required; changes need to be made to the starting line-up. Tony James has not been performing to the high standards he has set himself, and could do with a rest. Tom Smith should begiven a chance to show what he can do, either at centre-half, or left-back. An attacking midfielder is also a must, probably a loan signing. Either way, Hereford MUST consolidate their position at the top of the table. Team and ratings: Mawson (6), Travis (7), James (6), Mkandawire (8), Robinson (6), Purdie (4) (sub Green (6)), Hyde (8), Pitman (6), Stanley (6) (sub Carey-Bertram (4)), Stansfield (7), Brown (6). Subs not used: Scott, Tretton, Smith. |
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