Scarborough 0 Hereford 1

Hereford completed their first double of the season with a hugely important Nationwide Conference success at the McCain Stadium on Saturday.

After dropping four points out of six against lowly Forest Green over the Holiday period, it was vital that the Bulls picked up three points against another struggling side.

And while it was not always pretty to watch on a wet and tacky pitch, Hereford did enough to return with the points thanks to Adam Stansfield's 10th minute strike.

With Guy Ipoua sidelined with a hamstring problem, leading scorer Danny Carey-Bertram was recalled to partner Stansfield in attack.

And with Jon Brady departed to Cambridge United, loan signing Daryl Taylor was preferred to Andy Williams on the right of the Hereford midfield.

Stansfield posed an early threat, racing on to the ball after good link play by Taylor and Jamie Pitman. The striker cut through to the bye-line but when he delivered a cross, no-one was waiting to prod the ball home.

Stansfield showed his team-mates how to find the net shortly afterwards, though, racing on to a long ball from Craig Stanley and, under heavy pressure from the home defence, slipping the ball neatly past Seadogs goalkeeper Leigh Walker.

It was Stansfield's fifth goal in seven matches since returning from his hernia operation, amply demonstrating what a big loss he was while sidelined for more than two months.

Stansfield's goal represented the high point in Hereford's afternoon for, after this, they ceded territorial advantage to the home side for much of the game.

Scarborough, however, who have now lost six times in the last seven outings, are short of confidence in front of goal and rarely found the ammunition to test Wayne Brown in the Bulls goal.

Kevin Nicholson forced Brown into a good save with a header from an Ashley Lyth cross which was heading for the top corner and the keeper dived to make a low save from Tony Hackworth's low drive five minutes before the interval.

It was Hackworth who provided the principal threat after the break in a half full of scrappy football.

The former Leeds man worked three good shooting opportunities for himself but cracked two of them straight at Brown with the third sliding agonisingly past an upright.

Mark Quayle should also have done better for the home side, firing wide from six yards with the goal gaping.

Hereford's forward line also found it hard going and were rarely able to conjure up the openings to test Walker.

The best chance came 15 minutes from time when Tamika Mkandawire ghosted in to meet a corner from Rob Purdie, only to direct the ball inches wide of the far post.

HEREFORD: Brown, Travis (Green 77), Mkandawire, Beckwith, Jeannin, Taylor (Evans 90), Pitman, Stanley, Purdie, Carey-Bertram (Williams 70), Stansfield. Subs not used: Mawson, Gwynne.

ATTENDANCE: 1,502