Bristol battering for Bulls

4:53pm Saturday 23rd August 2008

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Bristol Rovers 6 Hereford United 1.

HEREFORD were given a fearful battering at the Memorial Stadium which sent them plunging to the foot of League 1.

United never recovered from a disastrous start which saw them concede twice in the first six minutes.

Boss Graham Turner decided to name an unchanged team for the Bulls’ trip to Bristol Rovers.

After the encouraging features of the home defeat by Yeovil the previous Saturday, Turner persisted with a 4-4-2 formation, with goalscorer Bradley Hudson-Odoi named on the substitutes’ bench.

Former Bulls striker Andy Williams was named among the Rovers substitutes but another ex-United favourite, Ryan Green, was not fit to be included in the 16.

Hereford made an awful start when, with just two minutes played, Dean Beckwith fell over in the penalty area to allow Darryl Duffy an opening which he did not waste.

Three minutes later, the Bulls were two goals adrift when Ricky Lambert found some space 25 yards out, turned and unleashed an unstoppable shot which flashed over Craig Samson and into the net.

A further two minutes on and it could have been even worse.

Duffy sped clear of the defence and, although his shot beat Samson, the woodwork came to Hereford’s rescue.

Ironically, in the midst of all this defensive carnage, the Bulls were playing some good football, and, after Steve Guinan had a header saved, Toumanui Diagouraga saw a 25-yarder excellently clawed away by goalkeeper Steve Phillips.

But the Bulls were punished again on 22 minutes.

Sam Oji failed to get close enough to Duffy and the striker cracked his second of the game past the helpless Samson.

Hereford tried hard to get a foothold and both full-backs tried their luck.

Robbie Threlfall blazed high over from 25 yards before Richard Rose prodded a shot past a post after good work on the right by Simon Johnson.

Ben Smith was the next to try his luck, seeing a 25-yard drive parried away by the flying Phillips.

Hudson-Odoi replaced the ineffectual Moses Ashikodi at half-time but any hopes of a quick revival were shattered inside 35 seconds of the second-half.

Richard Rose’s indecision left Jeff Hughes in the clear and his fierce drive from 25 yards nestled in the top corner.

Hudson-Odoi had a shot cleared off the line and had the ball in the net only to be ruled offside after 55 minutes.

Clint Easton flicked a header wide at the near post before Rovers extended their lead on 78 minutes.

Lambert somehow managed to curl his free-kick from 25 yards around the Hereford wall and into the bottom corner of the net.

And, if that was not bad enough, Chris Lines conjured up a virtual repeat three minutes from time for the sixth.

Guinan’s injury-time goal was little consolation for the 588 travelling Hereford fans.

Hereford: Samson; Rose, Beckwith, Oji, Threlfall; Johnson (MacLeod, 72 min), Smith, Diagouraga, Easton (Done, 46 min); Guinan, Ashikodi (Hudson-Odoi, 46 min). Subs not used: Randolph, Taylor.

Bristol Rovers: Phillips; Pipe, Anthony, Elliott, Lescott; Lines, Campbell, Disley, Hughes; Lambert (Hunt, 79 min), Duffy (Williams, 79 min). Subs not used: Green, Hinton, Rigg.

Referee: Andy Hall (West Midlands).

Attendance: 6,738 (588 from Hereford).

Goals: Duffy, 3 min, 1-0; Lambert, 6 min, 2-0; Duffy, 22 min, 3-0; Hughes, 46 min, 4-0; Lambert, 78 min, 5-0; Lines, 88 min, 6-0; Guinan, 90 min, 6-1.

Yellow cards: Hereford – Oji, dissent, 36 min; Rovers – Pipe, foul, 13 min.