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Bulls
slip to another defeat
Hereford
United 0 - 2 Morecambe
Morecambe recorded their first ever win
at Edgar Street as Hereford United slumped to yet another
disappointing defeat.
The 2-0 reversal on home soil is Hereford's fourteenth league loss this season, although they remain nine points clear of the drop zone.
Bulls coach Phil Robinson named Stuart Jones in goal as he made his home debut, with Matt Baker returning on the substitutes bench. Richard Holmes, a defender on-loan from Notts County, made his debut at full back whilst Steve Piearce started his first game of the season in attack. John Snape and Matt Clarke were both suspended. Morecambe, managed by ex-Hereford midfielder Jimmy Harvey, named striker Peter Thomson on the bench following a move from Luton Town.
The game started with Morecambe having the best of the play, a trend that continued for most of the match. However, Gavin Williams tested away 'keeper Craig Mawson with a dipping cross on two minutes, before Scott Goodwin headed wide. Then the Shrimps surged forward. After eleven minutes, Phil Robinson was forced to clear a Ryan Zico-Black cross at the far post before an Adriano Rigoglioso squad hit the Hereford post. Zico-Black tapped in the rebound, but the referee deemed it to be offside.
Hereford 'keeper Jones saved well from Gary Thompson twice in five minutes as Morecambe pushed to open the scoring, and there were few chances at the other end as Hereford removed the injury Ian Rodgerson for Jimmy Quiggin. With thirty five minutes on the clock, John Shirley, who hadn't been impressive thus far, cleared the ball off the line. A Zico-Black long shot caused the problem, and Hereford broke with a Phil Robinson shot spilled by the goalkeeper. He recaught the effort but appeared to clash with Steve Piearce in the process, and required treatment.
Ian Wright and Gavin Williams went close as Hereford pushed, but John Norman should have given Morecambe the lead at the other end - his header was thwarted by Jones.
Morecambe were even more dominant in the second period that they were in the first. Their defence was solid, with Rob Elmes and Scott Goodwin missing the target as Hereford lost Steve Piearce through injury. Morecambe's front-pairing of Norman and Thompson was causing problems for Jones but he was equal to all they could throw at him, albeit with a bit of good luck!
However, good fortune can only last so long and it ran out for the Bulls with twenty one minutes left. A cross from the left by Rigoglioso was turned goalwards by Zico-Black, but it took a wicked deflection off United defender Richard Holmes before sailing past the stranded Jones.
United never looked like coming back into the game with a lack of pace in attack, and the lead was doubled ten minutes later. A cross from defender Paul McGuire was controlled well by Norman, who took it around Jones before slipping the ball into an unguarded net.
In added time, Gavin Williams tested Mawson at the other end, but Hereford were already demoralised and defeated. There is much work to do if anything is to be gained from Tuesday's encounter against Chester City.
The 2-0 reversal on home soil is Hereford's fourteenth league loss this season, although they remain nine points clear of the drop zone.
Bulls coach Phil Robinson named Stuart Jones in goal as he made his home debut, with Matt Baker returning on the substitutes bench. Richard Holmes, a defender on-loan from Notts County, made his debut at full back whilst Steve Piearce started his first game of the season in attack. John Snape and Matt Clarke were both suspended. Morecambe, managed by ex-Hereford midfielder Jimmy Harvey, named striker Peter Thomson on the bench following a move from Luton Town.
The game started with Morecambe having the best of the play, a trend that continued for most of the match. However, Gavin Williams tested away 'keeper Craig Mawson with a dipping cross on two minutes, before Scott Goodwin headed wide. Then the Shrimps surged forward. After eleven minutes, Phil Robinson was forced to clear a Ryan Zico-Black cross at the far post before an Adriano Rigoglioso squad hit the Hereford post. Zico-Black tapped in the rebound, but the referee deemed it to be offside.
Hereford 'keeper Jones saved well from Gary Thompson twice in five minutes as Morecambe pushed to open the scoring, and there were few chances at the other end as Hereford removed the injury Ian Rodgerson for Jimmy Quiggin. With thirty five minutes on the clock, John Shirley, who hadn't been impressive thus far, cleared the ball off the line. A Zico-Black long shot caused the problem, and Hereford broke with a Phil Robinson shot spilled by the goalkeeper. He recaught the effort but appeared to clash with Steve Piearce in the process, and required treatment.
Ian Wright and Gavin Williams went close as Hereford pushed, but John Norman should have given Morecambe the lead at the other end - his header was thwarted by Jones.
Morecambe were even more dominant in the second period that they were in the first. Their defence was solid, with Rob Elmes and Scott Goodwin missing the target as Hereford lost Steve Piearce through injury. Morecambe's front-pairing of Norman and Thompson was causing problems for Jones but he was equal to all they could throw at him, albeit with a bit of good luck!
However, good fortune can only last so long and it ran out for the Bulls with twenty one minutes left. A cross from the left by Rigoglioso was turned goalwards by Zico-Black, but it took a wicked deflection off United defender Richard Holmes before sailing past the stranded Jones.
United never looked like coming back into the game with a lack of pace in attack, and the lead was doubled ten minutes later. A cross from defender Paul McGuire was controlled well by Norman, who took it around Jones before slipping the ball into an unguarded net.
In added time, Gavin Williams tested Mawson at the other end, but Hereford were already demoralised and defeated. There is much work to do if anything is to be gained from Tuesday's encounter against Chester City.
Written by Terry Goodwin - 23rd March
2002.
| Hereford United | Morecambe |
| Stuart Jones | Craig Mawson |
| Richard Holmes | Paul McGuire (off, 82 minutes) |
| John Shirley | Jamie Murphy |
| Phil Robinson | Dave McKearney |
| Ian Wright (captain, off 89 minutes) | Dave Perkins |
| Tony James | Crumbleholme |
| Scott Goodwin | Ian Arnold (off, 71 minutes) |
| Steve Piearce (off, 59 minutes) | Gary Thompson |
| Rob Elmes | John Norman |
| Gavin Williams | Adriano Rigoglioso |
| Ian Rodgerson (off, 19 minutes) | Ryan Zico-Black (off, 80 minutes) |
| Subs | Subs |
| Jon Hill (on, 89 minutes) | Andy Fensome (on, 82 minutes) |
| Matt Baker | Iain Willcock |
| Jimmy Quiggin (on, 19 minutes) | Peter Thomson (on, 71 minutes) |
| Danny Davidson (on, 59 minutes) | D. Carlton (on, 80 minutes) |
| C. Robinson | |
| Yellow cards | Yellow cards |
| Scott Goodwin (26 minutes, foul) | - |
| Red cards | Red cards |
| - | - |
| Scorers | Scorers |
| - | Richard Holmes (own goal, 69 minutes) |
| John Norman (79 minutes) | |
| Man of the Match | Tony James |
| Attendance | 1,408 |
| Referee | Mr. G. Chapman |