Bulls dumped out of Carling Cup

9:56pm Tuesday 12th August 2008

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Crystal Palace 2 Hereford United 1. HEREFORD were dumped out of the Carling Cup at Selhurst Park as they threw away the lead for the second time in four days.

Moses Ashikodi headed Hereford in front four minutes before the break, but goalkeeper Darren Randolph failed to deal with a long-range shot and a cross as United’s second visit of the season to London ended in disappointment.

Hereford boss Graham Turner announced an unchanged team for his side’s first visit to Selhurst Park for 33 years.

This meant that the Bulls would continue with the 4-5-1 system which they used at Brisbane Road against Leyton Orient on Saturday.

With the capacity to name seven substitutes, Gary Breen and Sam Gwynne joined the five who had filled the replacement slots against Orient.

Hereford were on the back foot in the early stages and Randolph did well to punch clear a dangerous left-wing cross.

The Bulls broke smoothly out of defence on a couple of occasions and Simon Johnson’s cross forced the first corner on 12 minutes, although this came to nothing.

Matt Done had the first shot of the evening, a left-foot drive on 16 minutes which was comfortably saved by Darryl Flahavan.

Ashikodi then drove a vicious, angled drive just over.

On 31 minutes, Hereford were awarded a free-kick 25 yards out and Robbie Threlfall’s curling drive cleared the bar by inches.

Palace forced their first corner of the game on 38 minutes but Nick Carle’s flag-kick was easily dealt with by the Bulls defence.

The Bulls took the lead on 41 minutes, when, after a neat move out of defence, Ashikodi nipped in between two defenders to head in Kris Taylor’s cross.

Palace tried to hit back immediately, but Carle sliced his shot badly over from a good position.

Carle levelled, however, seconds before half-time when his 20-yard shot went through Randolph’s hands and into the corner of the net.

Three minutes after the break, John Oster’s powerfully-struck cross from the right completely deceived Randolph and went into the net off the far post.

Palace forced three successive corners midway through the half, but the Bulls defence was able to deal with the danger on each occasion.

But Carle had Randolph leaping as a 30-yard drive flashed a yard over the bar.

And Carle then popped up on the left to rifle a powerful shot into the side-netting.

United used all three substitutes in a bid to revive their attack but, instead, had to rely on a good Randolph save to keep out Carle’s drive as Palace looked to exploit space at the back.

Close to the end, Flahavan almost gifted the Bulls an equaliser when he spilled a Clint Easton cross, only to recover the ball at the second attempt as Bradley Hudson-Odoi closed in.

Hereford: Randolph; Rose, Beckwith, Oji, Threlfall; Johnson (Guinan, 79 min), Diagouraga, Smith, Taylor (Easton, 79 min), Done (Hudson-Odoi, 68 min); Ashikodi. Subs not used: Samson, Breen, Gwynne, MacLeod.

Crystal Palace: Flahavan, Hill, Derry, McCarthy, Fonte, Carle, Moses (Djilali, 58 min), Andrew, Butterfield, Ifill (Fletcher, 46 min), Oster (Scannell, 83 min). Subs not used: Hills, Thomas, Erti, Wilkinson.

Referee: Trevor Kettle (Rutland).

Attendance: 3,094 (372 from Hereford).

Goals: Ashikodi, 41 min, 0-1; Carle, 45 min, 1-1; Oster, 49 min, 2-1; Yellow cards: Ashikodi, foul, 89 min.