Hereford'S fortunes fluctuated furiously before it took an 88th-minute goal by midfielder John Snape to salvage a Nationwide Conference point from an eight-goal thriller on Saturday.

The Bulls held the edge on taking 2-0 and 3-2 leads. But it was Scarborough who looked set to collect all three points when Steve Brodie shot them 4-3 ahead in the 86th minute.

Two minutes later, however, Hereford equalised through the unlikely source of Snape who fired in a 15-yard drive for only his second goal for United. He admitted: "I don't score many and I'm over the moon with that one from my left foot - I usually just stand on that one."

It was the second successive game that United had scored four goals and they are the Conference top scorers with 27. But they have conceded 24, beaten only by Welling's 25.

Striker Paul Fewings gave the Bulls a tremendous start with two goals in as many minutes to raise his tally to seven in seven games. In the 10th minute Paul Sturgess and Paul Parry worked the ball to Mark Taylor who attempted a weakish shot from the edge of the box. Fewings latched on to it and rifled his drive out of keeper Andrew Wood's reach.

Two minutes later Fewings struck again, flicking a header into the net after Rob Elmes had nodded down Taylor's corner. The Seasiders came back into the game in the 17th minute. Brodie's shot was deflected to Andy Morris who side-footed the ball past Mark Jones.

Within another 18 minutes Scarborough were level. Jones misjudged Marvin Harriott's wind-assisted 35-yard shot which dropped over him as he vainly tried to tip it over the bar. The game then swung the Bulls' way again in the 42nd minute as Elmes headed in Sturgess' free-kick for his seventh goal of the campaign.

The second half was comparatively uneventful until the 59th minute when former United midfielder Gareth Stoker struck a run-of-the-mill shot from 18 yards. Jones was slow going down for it and the ball went under him into the net.

It was a game in which there had to be an exciting climax and it duly came. David Bass' overhead kick was headed on by the 6 ft 5 in Morris for Brodie to net from close range. Scarborough's celebrations had hardly died down before Snape stunned them with his equaliser.

Scarborough manager Colin Addison, who had two spells as Hereford's boss, said: "What a game! Our defending was atrocious in the first half, but give our lads credit, they showed character and resolve to come back and score four times."

United director of football Graham Turner said: " We did not play the ball about as we did against Rushden but they didn't allow us as much room. We knew their tall players would give us problems from set-pieces and it was a game in which the referee gave a lot of free-kicks. But we are giving our fans plenty of goals."

Hereford: Jones, Clarke, Wright, James, Sturgess, Rodgerson, Taylor, Snape, Elmes, Fewings, Parry (Williams 76 min). Subs not used: Lane, Cotterill, Wall, Beale.

Attendance: 1,886.

l Hereford came from behind to pip Burton Albion 2-1 away in the Central Conference on Monday.

Burton led 1-0 at half-time but United drew level through James Wall who chested down a corner and volleyed the ball into the net. Steve Piearce, returning after injury, snapped up the winner.