Hereford United 0 Colchester United 2.

HEREFORD’S relegation was mathematically confirmed as they suffered their 28th defeat of the season.

This made it the worst campaign in the club’s 85-year history.

Hereford were able to recall centre-backs Dean Beckwith and Josh Gowling.

The duo replaced Richard Rose and Ben Smith in a re-shuffled outfit which featured Steve Guinan and Jennison Myrie-Williams in attack.

Hereford were fortunate not to fall behind within the first two minutes.

Kris Taylor gave the ball away to Mark Yeates in midfield and the Colchester man advanced before cracking in a shot which thudded against the outside of a post before rebounding to safety.

It was the home side, however, who did the majority of the early attacking and Myrie-Williams twice broke into the area without being able to deliver a telling cross.

Guinan’s fine pass sent Marc P)ugh racing to the bye-line but his cross was easily held by keeper Dean Gerken.

Colchester responded with long-range efforts from Akanni Suday-Wasiu and Kem Izzet which ended wide of the target.

On 32 minutes, Taylor’s weak header sold Gulacsi short as Vincent raced in but the keeper did well to chest the ball clear.

But Gulacsi was left grasping at air a minute late as a shot from Alan Maybury flew inches wide of an upright.

The visitors took the lead nine minutes before the break as Hereford proved vulnerable from dead-ball situations yet again.

Gwynne was pulled up for a foul on Wasiu and Yeates curled a shot around the defensive wall and past Gulacsi.

Yeates was heavily involved when Colchester extended their lead three minutes before the interval.

He fired in a cross from the right and the ball skimmed off Beckwith’s head and into the net.

With the result apparently settled, all the sting went out of the game at the start of the second period.

Within the first 20 minutes of the half, the only incident worthy of note, other than a booking for dissent for Guinan, was a long-range effort from Myrie-Williams which flashed wide.

A flurry of substitutions went some way to waking the crowd up before a neat turn by Wasiu brought a shot just off target.

Then the dangerous Yeates drew a low save from Gulacsi with a powerful drive.

Hereford, despite plenty of effort, were never able to break down the Colchester defence and failed to get in a meaningful on-target shot throughout the 90 minutes.

Hereford: Gulacsi; Gwynne, Beckwith, Gowling, Taylor (Rose, 46 min); Pugh (Jones, 72 min), Diagouraga, O’Leary (Smith, 72 min), Done; Guinan, Myrie-Williams. Subs not used: Veiga, MacLeod.

Colchester: Gerken; Maybury (Corcoran, 89 min), Coyne, Baldwin, Tierney; Yeates, White (Heath, 84 min), Izzet, Hackney (Wordsworth, 70 min); Vincent, Wasiu. Subs not used: Cousins, Trotman.

Referee: Carl Boyeson (East Yorkshire).

Attendance: 2,100 (including 189 from Colchester).

Yellow card: Guinan, dissent, 57 min; Colchester – Coyne, handball, 85 min.

Goals: Yeates, 36 min, 0-1; Beckwith og, 42 min, 0-2;