Saturday, April 29, 2006

Hereford United clinched runners-up spot for the third consecutive season with an excellent win at York City's KitKat Crescent Stadium.

The Bulls will now travel to Morecambe at the weekend for the first leg of the play-off semi-finals.

Hereford survived an early battering from the lively home side before easing into a two-goal half-time lead through Andy Williams and Rob Purdie.

Andy Bishop pulled a goal back at the start of the second period but Guy Ipoua's last-minute strike sealed the win.

The home side forced three corners in the first 10 minutes and it took a fine save by 'keeper Wayne Brown to prevent Neal Bishop from giving the Minstermen the lead.

With 12 minutes played, however, Hereford broke out for almost the first time and Craig Stanley was fouled 35 yards from goal.

Home 'keeper Chris Porter spilled Alex Jeannin's powerful drive and the ball fell to Williams who cracked home his 10th goal of the season.

On 34 minutes, Simon Travis, who showed up well in an unfamiliar right-midfield position, delivered a left-foot cross into the six-yard area.

Porter failed to gather the ball under pressure from Williams and the ball fell nicely for Purdie to side-foot home.

But Purdie blotted his copybook three minutes before the break, mis-kicking with the goal at his mercy.

A couple of half-time substitutions livened up the home side and they reduced the arrears 11 minutes into the second period.

Tamika Mkandwire, for once, completely miscued his header when a free-kick arrived in the Hereford area and Andy Bishop had the easy task of adding to his impressive season's tally of 23 goals.

Hereford should have restored the two-goal margin nine minutes later, however, when another fine move sliced through the York rearguard.

Travis' cross from the right found Adam Stansfield in the clear, five yards from goal. Inexplicably, the striker missed his kick completely as he attempted to side-foot home.

Mkandawire's flashing header from a Purdie corner flew inches wide a few minutes later but York thought that they had squared matters six minutes from time.

A corner from Dave Merris was half-cleared to Neal Bishop on the edge of the area and the midfielder's drive flew through a crowd of players towards the bottom corner of the net. But Brown, who can have had little sight of the ball, dived to pull off a stunning block.

In injury-time, Hereford made victory certain when Stuart Fleetwood's pass played in Purdie whose cross was stabbed home by Ipoua.

HEREFORD: Brown, Green, Mkandawire, Beckwith, Jeannin, Travis, Stanley, Ferrell, Purdie, Stansfield (Ipoua 82), Williams (Fleetwood 82). Subs not used: Mawson, Pitman, Nicolau.

ATTENDANCE: 2,755.