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FOREST GREEN ROVERS (away) 26/12/05 Hereford handed Forest Green two late Christmas presents as they dropped another two points in their quest for promotion. Having fallen behind in the first half, Hereford clawed their way into the lead, only for substitute Guy Madjo to equalise for Rovers seconds after the Bulls had gone in front. United lacked the cohesive passing that had been the dominant feature of their previous match against Scunthorpe, and for long spells of an untidy first half resorted to copying the home side's long-ball game. Neither midfield was able to make much impression on the game, with the ball bypassing the men in the middle for long spells. Forest Green's tall striker Julian Alsop won virtually every header that came his way, but Rovers were unable to pick up the pieces and launch a convincing attack. Hereford looked to get into the game through their wingers, and much of the good work they produced came from their wide men, Purdie and Williams. Williams in particular continued where he left off against Scunthorpe and made a number of good runs, but his crosses were usually met first by a Rovers defender. The home defence was overly physical on occasions, giving United some inviting set piece opportunities, but these were wasted through a succession of poor deliveries. The first shot on target came on half an hour, when from another free-kick Purdie got the ball over the wall and comfortably into the midriff of Rovers keeper Ryan Clarke. A goal did not look very forthcoming, but Rovers took the lead with ten minutes of the first half remaining. A Hereford attack was broken up and the ball was pumped up towards Alex Meechan. He did not have too many options and went for goal himself: quick feet saw him get past Darren Blewitt before the striker sent the ball across Craig Mawson and into the bottom corner of the net. In truth, it was the only real moment of quality from either side in the first half, although Hereford had the chance to equalise in stoppage time following their best move. Purdie's pass allowed Adam Stansfield - whose hard work often went unrewarded - to play in Williams, but his shot flashed just wide of the post. The second half proved more entertaining as the visitors produced some semblance of passing football. Nonetheless, goalscoring opportunities were still at something of a premium until the game really came to life in the last quarter. On the hour mark, Hereford gained a free-kick after Stansfield was pushed home skipper Jon Richardson. The kick was floated in and looked all the while to be a simple catch for Clarke. Right at the very last moment however, captain Tamika Mkandawire appeared from nowhere and nodded the ball over the stranded goalkeeper and into the net. This goal saw the Hereford fans find their collective voice once more, and this spurred the players on in an effort to snatch a winner. Guy Ipoua saw his shot from ten yards brilliantly saved by Clarke, and after a scramble the same player hit another attempt straight into Clarke's arms. Hereford should also have been awarded a penalty after Purdie was hacked down by Richardson, and Ipoua - again - came close when after turning well he saw his shot strike the angle of post and bar. Mawson at the other end was rarely troubled, as Hereford pressed hard in search of another goal. Stansfield saw a header from a difficult position go wide, and Purdie also missed the target with a shot. Forest Green now introduced Guy Madjo in attack, and his pace, allied with Alsop's strength, went on to cause the Bulls' defence an even greater number of problems, with Madjo testing Mawson with a shot. However, it was Hereford who looked more likely to score the next goal, and it duly came with ten minutes remaining. Ipoua worked his way into the box and saw a cross headed away by a defender. The ball only reached Alex Jeannin, who from out wide and twenty yards from goal, calmly lofted the ball over Clarke's head and into the bottom corner of the net for a quality striker. Just when it looked as if Hereford had carved out a hard-fought win, they threw away all of their hard work when the defence fell asleep before the celebrations of the previous goal had died down. Stansfield has initially taken the ball clear in search of a goal that would clinch victory, but he miscontrolled it and saw Rovers launch a swift counter attack. The midfield was caught out of position, leaving Alsop and Madjo up against Mkandawire and Blewitt: from Alsop's knock down Madjo crashed home a terrific volley from the edge of the area. It could have been even worse for the Bulls, but Madjo was denied a winner with the defence once again dithering after Mawson anticipated the danger well and made a brave save at Madjo's feet. By now Hereford had left it far too late to grab a winner, with Ipoua wildly miscuing an overhead kick. Despite an unconvincing display, and seeing Rovers continually look dangerous, Hereford will see this as a game they should have won. This was certainly a case of two dropped points: points that would have kept up the pressure at the top of a tightly-contested table. Team and ratings: Mawson (6), Travis (6), Blewitt (6), Mkandawire (7), Jeannin (6), Williams (7), Stanley (5), Pitman (5), Purdie (7), Ipoua (6), Stansfield (7). Subs not used: Brown, Brady, Carey-Bertram, Evans, Gwynne. Star man: Andy Williams
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