MORE mistakes from Hereford’s error-ridden goalkeeper Adam Bartlett helped Swindon to their sixth straight League 2 win.

The Bulls’ keeper ‘s poor cross led to a penalty six minutes before the break.

And he then failed to hold a cross as Paul Benson picked up the second.

Hereford rallied strongly and a fine goal from Rob Purdie gave them hope and, with defender Byron Anthony heading against the bar, they were agonisingly close to an equaliser.

Hereford have now lost at home 11 times in the league.

Hereford boss Jamie Pitman threw new loan signing Anthony straight into the fray for the visit of the high-flying Robins.

Anthony lined up alongside his old Bristol Rovers team-mate in central defence.

With Tom Barkhuizen ruled out by injury, Purdie, who took over the captaincy, moved to the left of the midfield quintet.

Nicky Featherstone returned to central midfield where he was partnered by Kenny Lunt, making his first appearance in the Bulls side since the game at Swindon on October 8.

Alan Connell was named among the Swindon substitutes.

After the initial jousting, Swindon forced the first corner of the game after four minutes but Alessandro Cibocchi shot high over.

Hereford, though, wasted a great chance to take the lead a couple of minutes later.

Joe Colbeck sent Nathan Elder away on the left but then fired his shot wide from a great position when the ball was returned to the middle.

Hereford, who were withstanding the expected pressure quite well, had another good chance on 16 minutes.

A Simon Clist free-kick fell to former Swindon midfielder Will Evans whose shot was parried away by keeper Wes Foderingham.

Anthony rolled the rebound towards goal where Jonathan Smith booted the ball off the line.

After 24 minutes, however, Hereford had to survive a tremendous goalmouth scramble before Cibocchi drllled a shot into Adam Bartlett’s arms.

Swindon had been pressingly strongly without creating much danger, although they did force a corner on 30 minutes, which came to nothing.

A further corner, on 33 minutes, met a similar fate with the ball, from Matt Ritchie, flashing through the goalmouth and out of play on the other side.

Hereford forced their first corner, through Colbeck on 36 minutes but, as at the other end, Clist’s cross failed to prompt any danger.

Hereford conceded a penalty after a bad error by Bartlett.

The keeper’s attempted clearance only reached Paul Benson on the edge of the area.

The striker advanced into the area where he was brought down by a combination of Ryan Green and Anthony.

Paul Caddis drilled the penalty under the diving Bartlett.

Colbeck forced a corner with a good run at the other end as Hereford tried to fight back.

And then Purdie forced a flag-kick on the other side, but neither came to anything.

Hereford pressed forward promisingly at the start of the second period and a Purdie shot was deflected for a corner.

Once again, however, the flag-kick came to nothing.

And, after more Hereford pressure, Swindon began to come back into the game with Ritchie testing Bartlett with a firmly struck 20-yarder.

Swindon went further ahead on 62 minutes when Bartlett failed to hold a cross from the right and Benson tapped in from a yard out.

Hereford, however, got themselves back in the game three minutes later when Purdie found some space on the edge of the area to guide a perfectly-placed shot into the corner of the net.

And the Bulls skipper nearly engineered an equaliser on 74 minutes when he picked out substitute Lyle Taylor with a fine cross which the on-loan striker headed just wide.

With all three substitutes on, Hereford were playing some good football and an Anthony header from Clist’s corner thudded against the bar.

Purdie created another opportunity for Taylor two minutes from the end with a well-placed corner which the striker headed wide.

Hereford United: 4-5-1: Bartlett; Purkiss, Green, Anthony, Clist; Colbeck (Taylor 57), Evans (Pell 63), Lunt, Featherstone, Purdie; Elder (Facey 68). Subs not used: Cornell, Clucas, Pell, Facey.

Swindon: 4-4-2: Foderingham; Caddis, Boateng, McCormack, Cibocchi; Ritchie, Cox, Smith (Risser 66), Rooney (De Vita 71); Bodin (Connell 83), Benson. Subs not used: Kennedy, Murray.

Referee: Gary Sutton (Lincolnshire).

Attendance: 3,068 (including 1,181 from Swindon).

Goals: Caddis pen, 39 min, 0-1; Benson, 62 min, 0-2; Purdie, 64 min, 1-2.

Yellow card: Hereford – Purdie, foul, 20 min; Lunt, foul, 32 min; Evans, foul, 58 min; Clist, foul, 66 min; Swindon – Caddis, deliberate handball, 28 min; Smith, foul, 64 min.