Hereford'S dismal end to 1998 continued unabated into the new year as Harriers completed a holiday period Football Conference double over them with only their second away league win of the season.

It was the Bulls' fourth successive reverse -- their worst sequence of defeats in the Conference.

To add to their woes, they had John Snape sent off in the 68th minute immediately after he had deflected Stewart Hadley's header into the net to give Harriers a 2-1 lead.

While Harriers were celebrating, Snape took a kick at Steve Taylor and for the second time this season he was red-carded by Swindon referee Robert Desmond. Last month Desmond gave him his marching orders for two bookable offences at Hayes.

His dismissal put paid to any hopes United had of getting back into the game, And, just to rub it in, in the 82nd minute former Bulls striker, substitute Leroy May, volleyed in a Mark Yates cross from a narrow angle with his first touch of the match.

Before a crowd of 2,658, the biggest of the season for a Conference match at Edgar Street, United got off to an inauspicious start by missing an eighth-minute penalty.

Mark Taylor was brought down by Yates in United's first attack of the game and, with their usual penalty-taker Richard Leadbeater down with flu, the spot-kick was entrusted to Mark Druce.

He fired his shot to Stuart Brock's left, but it was at a comfortable height and the keeper was able to push it away.

Seven minutes later Druce made amends by slipping a pass to former Wolves and Northern Ireland international Robbie Dennison who, on his home debut for United, put them ahead.

Brock got a hand to his shot without being able to stop it from going in.

On the half-hour Clarke went close to extending Hereford's lead, heading a Taylor flag-kick against the bar.

Within 15 seconds of the re-start, however, Kidder-minster equalised. Quy blocked a fierce drive from Arnold and when the ball ran to Hadley his shot cannoned off a defender to Taylor who rammed it home from close range.

After that United's challenge petered out, much to the disgust of their fans.

United director of football Graham Turner said: ''There are areas of our game that are just not good enough. We worked hard for half an hour in the first half. But after the interval we lost our discipline, particularly John Snape.''

Hereford: Quy, Lane, Clarke, James, Collins, Rodgerson (Dyer 81 min) Taylor, Snape, Williams, Druce, Dennison (Parry 84 min). Sub not used: Cross.