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FOREST GREEN (home) 02/01/06 The first game of 2006 saw Hereford drop more points against Forest Green, this time at Edgar Street. A 1-1 draw saw the Bulls extend their unbeaten run to six matches in all competitions, but three points would have gone a long way to help secure a play-off place. Although Hereford had much more of the possession in the first quarter of the game, it was the visitors that had the greater number of attempts on goal. Whereas Hereford's attackers found themselves crowded out by the sheer weight of numbers in the Forest Green penalty area, their defence was in a charitable mood, gifting possession and scoring chances to their opponents. Ben Harding had the first effort on goal, just shooting wide from distance, and midfielder Matt Gadsby missed the target with an almost identical chance. Nevertheless, Hereford remained the dominant side and forced a number of corners. The vast height advantage that Forest Green had at their disposal saw to it that the Bulls were unable to gain anything from the set pieces they won. Two shots were blocked some distance in front of the well-protected goalkeeper Ryan Clarke, who had to tip over a misdirected header from a colleague. The opening goal took half an hour to arrive, with Hereford finally making their advantage pay. Alex Jeannin's free-kick struck the wall, and in trying to gather the rebound Jamie Pitman was fouled again. This time Rob Purdie rolled the ball towards Jeannin - just as everyone in the ground thought the kick had been wasted - whose fiercely-hit shot forced a save from Clarke. The ball then ran loose for Adam Stansfield to knock home his fourth goal of the season. Just as on Boxing Day, Rovers' long-ball approach was reaping dividends, with the little and large combination of Julian Alsop and Guy Madjo - who this time made it to the ground on time - causing problems. Harding again shot wide, before a long ball out of defence required Clarke to come out of his box and head clear under pressure from Stansfield. The ball fell invitingly for Craig Stanley, but the midfielder put the ball wide of an open goal, albeit from fifty yards out. The second biggest cheer of the half came just before the interval. With Hereford on the attack, Stanley collided with referee Rob Lewis - the man who famously missed Pedro Mendes' 'goal' for Spurs at Old Trafford last season - sending the man in black to the ground, much to the amusement of the supporters. Although Hereford had been well on top - having had more possession than The Exorcist - Rovers had created enough chances in the first half to warn the home side what they were capable of. It was a warning that went unheeded, as the visitors continued where they left off and made more goalscoring opportunities at the start of the second half. A close-range header flew into the grateful arms of Wayne Brown, and Madjo put the ball wide. It was Madjo that restored parity on the hour mark. Damon Searle's pass from the left wing found Madjo in acres of space just outside the six-yard box, and the on-loan striker calmly slotted the ball past the advancing Brown. Graham Turner's response was to make a triple substitution, with Jon Brady, Ryan Green and Danny Carey-Bertram replacing Jamie Pitman, Andy Williams and Stansfield. The removal of Stansfield, instead of the often disinterested-looking Guy Ipoua, was seen by fans as rather puzzling, as his pace looked to be a key asset in Hereford's best attacking moves. United now resorted to long-ball tactics, as the passing football they had attempted to play deteriorated. Having equalised, Forest Green were happy to settle for a point and Brown was not unduly worried for the rest of the game; Rovers' only shot at goal being wildly off target by Madjo. Despite not having any more chances, there was always the worry Hereford might concede another, especially with the well-regarded defence not up to its usual standard. Purdie scuffed a shot that went for a corner and Carey-Bertram blazed two efforts high and wide as Hereford went looking for a winner, but when it became apparent that one was not likely to come, several unmotivated heads appeared to drop. In one last attack, Clarke clearly handled the ball outside the area but the incident was missed by the officials. Forest Green did not play like a side struggling near the bottom and should survive in the Conference for another year. The central defensive partnership of Richardson and Graham dealt admirably with everything Hereford threw at them, and young right-back Sekani Simpson kept Purdie out of the game for long periods. With a bit more ambition they could, and maybe should, have taken all three points on the strength of their second-half showing. With the transfer window now open, the Hereford side needs freshening up. A left-winger is a must. Team and ratings: Brown (7), Travis (7), Mkandawire (6), Beckwith (6), Jeannin (7), Williams (6) (sub Brady (5)), Pitman (6) (sub Green (4)), Stanley (7), Purdie (4), Ipoua (5), Stansfield (7) (sub Carey-Bertram (4)). Subs not used: Mawson, Evans. Star man: Adam Stansfield
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