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EXETER (away) 30/12/05 Ten-man Hereford came away from Exeter City with a superbly ground out backs-to-the-wall victory. The Bulls survived the whole of the second half a man down following the frankly ridiculous dismissal of striker Guy Ipoua, who earlier had equalised. Exeter made the brighter start, and within seconds Craig Farrell hit a snapshot straight at recalled goalkeeper Wayne Brown after a long throw from Jon Challinor. They were not to be denied for very long however: Dean Beckwith misjudged the flight of the ball from a clearance, letting Lee Phillips in for a clear shot at goal. The Grecians' top scorer made no mistake, firing across Brown for the opening goal. Hereford battled hard but could not make much impression on the match, with the home side's industrious full-backs, Billy Jones and Dan Woodards, snuffing out most of the threats Hereford imposed. Exeter continued to take the game to Hereford, with Beckwith in particular struggling to contain their lively front pairing of Farrell and Phillips. It was to be half an hour before United managed a shot on goal, but it was enough to produce a leveller. Ipoua turned after collecting Craig Stanley's pass before beating another defender and firing in a shot that goalkeeper Paul Jones could only help into the top corner of the net. The goal, as was the case at Forest Green, galvanised the Bulls into action, and minutes later another shot from Ipoua just clipped the post on its way wide. Exeter continued to look threatening, but Brown was rarely called upon to make a serious save as most attempted shots landed safely in his arms. After a mistake from former Exeter player Alex Jeannin however, Farrell hammered a shot from a narrow angle against the bar. It was Jeannin, on his twenty-eighth birthday, that scored what proved to be the deciding goal. Andy Williams was bundled over by Chris Todd twenty yards from goal, and Jeannin stepped up to send the ball around the wall and into the top corner for a cracking goal. The celebrations that followed saw the game's main talking point, with referee Neil Kinesey alleging that Ipoua had made an obscene gesture to the home fans, and he saw fit to show the Bulls' striker a straight red card. It took a couple of minutes for play to be restored as furious Hereford players and management demanded an explanation, and television replays showed the Cameroonian did nothing more than to point to the name on the back of Jeannin's shirt. It was the sixth time Kinesey has overseen a Conference match, and the fourth time he has produced a red card. Minutes later he showed the only yellow of the game after Woodards crudely hacked down Rob Purdie. This left Adam Stansfield up front on his own for the second half and he worked tremendously hard to get a third goal to give his side a more comfortable lead. Five minutes into the second period he almost managed, pushing the ball inches wide of goal after good play by Stanley. It was a difficult ask for Hereford to continue to attack, and now Exeter produced the bulk of the attacking football. Todd and Phillips both had shots blocked by the once-again impressive Tamika Mkandawire, and Brown had to clear off the line from another goalbound effort. The Hereford keeper was now more prominent and was swiftly off his line to deny skipper Glenn Cronin a shot at goal, as the ball spent a worrying amount of time in the Hereford half of the pitch. That is not to say Hereford didn't have chances of their own, with Andy Williams being upended in the box and substitute Danny Carey-Bertram forcing Jones into a fine double save. More chances came Exeter's way, with Todd totally miscuing a shot that had no power and also putting a header wide from a corner. Right in the final minute came the Grecians' best chance to equalise, with Brown saving at the feet of Cronin before Challinor put the rebound back into the six-yard box. However Woodards, literally feet away from an open goal, somehow put the ball over the bar when it looked easier to score, much to the relief of the visiting fans. The win was arguably a smash-and-grab raid, but to get such a result against a side that will be challenging for the title has to be a cause for celebration. Team and ratings: Brown (7), Travis (7), Mkandawire (7), Beckwith (5) (sub Blewitt (6)), Jeannin (7), Williams (6), Stanley (7), Pitman (7), Purdie (5), Ipoua (6), Stansfield (7) (sub Carey-Bertram). Subs not used: Mawson, Brady, Evans. Star man: Alex Jeannin
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