YET another crass piece of defending cost Hereford a Third Division point as Chester clinched a revenge victory when David Flitcroft snapped up the winner late in the game at Edgar Street on Saturday.

A point apiece - neither side deserved more from this nondescript match - looked the likely outcome with the score at 1-1 and time running out. Then, in the 90th minute, Chester won a corner. Rod McDonald, stationed at the far post, propelled the ball over his head for the unmarked Flitcroft to lunge forward and head past keeper Andy DeBont.

Flitcroft's late strike sent United sliding down the table and their last victory was at Chester where they won 3-1 on October 26. From that peak of seasonal achievement so far, they slumped to their most ineffectual home performance of the campaign on Saturday. Hereford director of football Graham Turner admitted: ''We contributed to our own downfall. Our first-half performance was poor and our supporters had every right to be critical.

''At least we took the game to Chester in the second half and equalised from a penalty. But their winner came because of basic bad defending. ''We have enough big, experienced men to have prevented their player from having a free header from a corner so late in the game.'' Chester manager Kevin Ratcliffe commented: ''When Hereford came to Chester they steamrollered us but they weren't the same side today.''

City, who ended a run of five Third Division matches without a win, were also gifted their first goal in the 30th minute. DeBont appeared set to cut out Chris Priest's low cross from the right but a lack of communication between the keeper and David Norton saw United's skipper divert the ball into his own net for a gift goal.

That was about the only noteworthy event of a scrappy, boring first 45 minutes. Hereford's 55th-minute equaliser came when Spencer Whelan was adjudged to have upended Adrian Foster - a harsh decision by referee Paul Taylor -- and Dean Smith drove a low spot-kick past Ronnie Sinclair for his seventh goal of the season.

After that McDonald and Flitcroft each smacked shots against Hereford's bar, while at the other end Adrian Foster was presented with a one-on-one situation with Sinclair but fired straight at the keeper. Among a spate of bookings by referee Taylor were Hereford's Nicky Law, Trevor Matthewson and Gareth Stoker.

Hereford: DeBont, Norton, Smith, Law, Matthewson, Hibbard, Mahon (Cook 64 mins), Stoker, Hargreaves, Adrian Foster, Brough (Ian Foster 81 mins). Sub not used: Preedy.

Attendance: 2,210.