Monday, May 3, 2004

Hereford face another season in the Nationwide Conference after Aldershot smashed their promotion dream with a shoot-out win in the play-off semi-final at Edgar Street.

Villain of the piece as far as the Bulls and their fans were concerned was Northamptonshire referee Andy Woolmer whose decision to send off Andy Tretton in the 20th minute was contentious to say the least.

Tretton tangled with Aaron McLean as a long ball was pumped over the top and when McLean went to ground, Woolmer reached for his red card to general amazement on and off the pitch.

"The referee has had an absolute nightmare," said Graham Turner, Hereford's director of football. "To make a decision like that with so much significance attached to it is hard for us to take."

It was not to be the last time that Woolmer and his team of officials were to infuriate the home contingent and he crowned his display deep into the second period of extra time when he waved play on after Tim Sills clearly handled a Tony James cross in the penalty area.

To make matters worse, the linesman -- less than 25 yards away -- must have had a clear view of the incident.

Despite the loss of Tretton, Hereford had the chances to win the match in the first half when, fired up by the injustice they felt had been done to them, they created the best of the openings.

Danny Williams will be wondering how he managed to side-foot Michael Rose's cross wide of the post and Steve Guinan should have done better when he steered his header from a Simon Travis shot wide.

United had their chances in the second half and the long-range shooting of Rose continued to prove a threat, but it was goalkeeper Matt Baker who earned the plaudits at the other end with some faultless handling and a string of fine saves.

Baker kept up his heroics as the game entered added time, saving superbly from Tim Sills when a goal seemed certain and producing a brilliant tip-over from Chris Giles' header.

Ironically, however, considering Baker's brilliant record in saving spot-kicks over the years, he was overshadowed in the shoot-out by his opposite number Nikki Bull.

After Roscoe D'Sane had hit the cross bar with the first kick, Bull saved United's first two penalties from David Brown and Mark Beesley.

Then, although Tony James and Tom Smith found the net, Aldershot also scored with all four of their kicks to earn a place in the play-off final on May 16.

HEREFORD: NBAKER 9, Green 8, Tretton 6, James 8, Smith T 7, Travis 8 (Betts, 80 min, 6), Pitman 8, Williams 6 (Cozic 110 min), Rose 7, Guinan 6 (Beesley, 73 min, 7), Brown 7, Subs not used: MacKenzie, Carey-Bertram.

ALDERSHOT: Bull, Giles, Sterling, Warburton, Downer (Chewins 60 min), Gosling, Charles (D'Sane 70 min), Challinor, Antwi, Sills, McLean (Nutter 84 min), Subs not used: Barnard, Johnson.

REFEREE: Andy Woolmer (Northamptonshire)

ATTENDANCE: 7,044.

SENDING -OFF: Hereford - Tretton, professional foul, 21 min)

BOOKINGS: Hereford - Rose, foul, 26 min; Guinan, dissent, 26 min; Brown, foul, 45 min; Betts, foul. 110 min: Aldershot: McLean, foul, 50 min; Charles, foul, 52 min.