Margate 0 Hereford United 2

ANOTHER stunning late goal - this time from Paul Parry - propelled Hereford into third place in the Nationwide Conference table at Hartsdown Park on Tuesday.

Jay Lovett fired a stoppage-time winner against Nuneaton Borough on Saturday and Parry struck from long range in the 90th minute to upset Margate who had lost just one of their last eight Conference matches and just two all season at home.

The Bulls deserved their victory and hit Margate with powerful shots in each half.

After Margate had the better of a lively start, Hereford starting moving through the gears.

Parry slammed a curling shot into the cross-bar on 11 minutes, but the opening goal arrived on 30 minutes.

The home side failed to clear a free-kick from deep on the left wing and the ball fell to Michael Rose, who powered a 30-yard blast beyond Phil Smith in the home goal.

From then on Hereford really started taking control, their superior passing in the midfield really showing up on an excellent pitch.

The second half saw Margate have most of the possession, but Matt Baker in the Bulls goal was rarely tested.

The home side should have drawn level on the hour when a great run from their man-of-the-match Jay Saunders allowed Simon Beard to beat the offside trap and go one-on-one with Baker.

But the midfielder took the ball to one side and then fired his shot wide of the angle.

Both teams made changes, and Baker was tested again when Saunders fired in a low shot which he held.

Then Parry decided the issue when he picked the ball up in the 90th minute, cut inside from the right and buried another shot from outside the area into the bottom corner.

Hereford gave a professional performance and were especially strong in defence, making sure Baker was rarely tested by shots on target.

Hereford: Baker, Tretton, James, Wright, Rose, Parry, Smith, Pitman, Lovatte, Grant (Husbands 76 min), Purdie.

Attendance: 667.