ADRIAN Foster and Trevor Wood were Hereford's heroes as the rampant Bulls turned the tables on league leaders Carlisle United to score a priceless victory.

Foster took home the match ball after notching up a hat-trick, while Wood saved a penalty in the last minute to take back all three points for needy Hereford. Carlisle had threatened to coast to victory themselves when they went two goals ahead. Paul Conway connected with a long throw after only three minutes, and Chris Freestone doubled the lead on the quarter hour.

Hereford's reply was immediate. John Williams fired in a shot from close range, and when the ball bounced high off Carlisle goalkeeper Tony Craig, Adrian Foster nodded it home. The goal sparked Hereford into life, and from that moment on, for the remaining 73 minutes of the game, table-topping Carlisle were always second best.

The inevitable equaliser came on 37 minutes, when John Brough lofted the ball into the penalty area and Foster glanced a perfect header inside the far post.

More was to come six minutes into the second half, when lanky Carlisle defender Dean Walling gifted Foster an opportunity with a woefully short back pass. Foster helped himself to a clear run on goal, and coolly slotted the ball past Tony Craig to silence the vast majority of the 5,063 crowd.

Hereford's small travelling army went quiet in the last minute when Gary Cook unwittingly handled and gave away a penalty.

Owen Archdeacon struck his spot kick well, but Wood dived at full stretch to his right and kept the ball out.

Manager Graham Turner said after the game that on that form, Hereford shouldn't worry about league survival. On Saturday, they looked good enough for promotion.

Hereford: Wood, Norton, Fishlock, Smith, Brough (sub, Pitman 40 min), Matthewson, Hargreaves, Warner, A. Foster (sub I Foster, 81 min), Williams, Cook. Sub not used: Jordan.