HEREFORD had rather the poorer end of the first period of the Carling Cup first-round tie but the game was goalless at the interval.

Brentford made a lively start and Adam Bartlett did well to block a Charlie MacDonald effort with his legs inside the first minute.

The ball went out for a corner but the Bulls defence easily cleared Sam Saunders’ flag-kick.

The Bulls defence got themselves in a tangle shortly afterwards when Bartlett picked up the ball after it bounced off Rob Purdie 15 yards from goal.

Referee Phil Gibbs deemed it a back-pass and gave a free-kick. But fortunately for Hereford, Saunders hammered his shot against the wall.

Hereford had another let-off on 10 minutes when Clayton Donaldson got around the back of the Bulls defance and pulled the ball across goal to Kevin O’Connor whose shot was blocked expertly on the line by Purdie.

With Brentford still in the ascendant, Shaleum Logan forced a diving save from Bartlett with a curling 20-yarder.

Then Jonathan Douglas shot high over from the edge of the area.

Hereford enjoyed a better spell of play with some good possession but were rarely able to penetrate into good attacking positions.

Finally, though, on 32 minutes, Delroy Facey headed Stuart Fleetwood away and last season’s top-scorer raced to the edge of the area but fired a left-foot shot high over the bar.

Hereford were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous position on the edge of the area but referee Gibbs failed to punish the advancing Bees defender who blocked Fleetwood’s shot from around five yards away.

Gibbs then cautioned Joe Colbeck for a relatively innocuous challenge in the lead-up to the interval.

Hereford kept up the pressure and forced their first corner a minute before the break.

James McQuilkin’s flag-kick flicked off the head of Facey and out for a throw.