A LARGE crowd at Wyeside witnessed a feast of rugby as Hereford were pipped 28-24 by Midlands 1 West champions Newport Salop in a pulsating contest.

Coach Kieran Hallam said that, while he was proud of the performance, the final pass was not going to hand on a number of occasions, which proved pivotal.

The home side took an early 6-0 lead with two Dean Powell penalties, only for Newport to respond with a couple of their own and an unconverted try.

The final act of the first half then saw Andrew Potter's drive from a scrum end in a minor brawl, and Powell's penalty pegged Newport's lead back to 11-9.

Hereford led again in the second half when a line-out take from Richard Preece set up a drive led by Jock Welch.

The ball was moved wide and a 50-yard run saw Mark Philo dart over, Powell converting.

Newport countered with two more tries but Hereford, with centres Perry Pudge and Tom Ewins outstanding, again hit back. A slick move saw the visitors concede a penalty which Powell slotted over.

With time running out the Newport pack set up a rolling maul from a line-out for a fourth try to open up a clear 28-19 advantage.

But Hereford were in no mood to go down without a final blast.

A penalty was transferred to Powell, whose accurate cross-kick allowed Leon Parsons to force his way over in the corner.

A win for Worcester Wanderers meant Hereford slipped to third place in the table and their aim now is to get 10 points from their final two games with Silhillians and Stoke to keep a play-off place within their grasp.