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United Notch Up first friendly win
Hereford United left Ludlow Town with a comfortable 4-0 victory in their first pre-season friendly. There were many trialists and youngsters on the bench but the first team was as expected, excluding Tony James who was left out but was not injured. This meant that Andy Tretton took the captains armband for the evening.
Ben Scott was in goal, and Simon Travis played as left wing back. Craig Stanley made his first appearence in the midfield, and Adam Stansfield was in the Hereford attack alongside David Brown. Andy Williams, Matt Rees (from Millwall), Daniel March (from Shrewsbury), Rob Taylor (from Stourport Swifts), Nathan Talbot (from Wolves), Adam Gwynne, Lewis Jones, Sam Gwynne and John Trewick all started on the bench but made appearances later on in the game.
It took the Bulls just eight minutes to get the ball into the net from debutant Adam Stansfield, but he was in an offside position when he followed up a blocked shot from the impressive Danny Williams. Williams went close minutes later forcing a good catch from the Ludlow 'keeper as he fired in a powerful twenty-yard drive. Stansfield made the goalie work again after nineteen minutes when he broke into the area, drove a powerful drive towards the top corner from a tight angle, but the keeper was equal to it and tipped it around the post.
The resulting corner, swung in by Williams, met the head of Tretton who powered the ball into the roof of the net to make it 1-0. The next chance almost saw an equaliser for the hosts. Tretton misjudged a bouncing ball, which allowed an attacker to nip in and drive a twenty yard shot against the post. Man of the match, Williams, almost doubled the lead just after the half hour mark when his powerful twenty yard volley, set up superbly by Simon Travis, stopped well the by goalkeeper.
Travis was very unlucky not to score in the thirty-ninth minute. He had space on the left wing and cut inside, struck a curling right-footed effort that rebounded off the upright. It was a minute before half time when Hereford's second finally came. Travis crossed from the left for Brown to head into the bottom corner.
The second half was far less eventful and was interrupted by substitutions from both sides. All the Hereford substitutes got a run out and they replaced Travis, Rob Purdie, Brown, Tretton, Williams, Mkandawire, Scott, Ryan Green and Adam Stansfield. United played the last five minutes with ten men, as Craig Stanley limped off with what appeared to be cramp.
Just before the hour mark the Bulls made it three. Stanley broke from his own half, played the ball to Stansfield on the left, who then returned the pass to Stanley in the box. Stanley found the far bottom corner with a low drive across the helpless goalkeeper.
Hereford's fourth was from a corner taken by Stanley and headed in by what appeared to be a Ludlow player, but Tom Smith took all the congratulations from his team mates. Ludlow Town made a few chances of their own in the last ten minutes and had it not been for some poor finishing and some good goalkeeping, then Hereford would have only won by a goal or two.
The game was a disappointment compared to last seasons demolition of 13-1, but the coaching staff at Hereford had a good chance to look at some trialists and youngsters. Maybe they will have a better idea of who they want to keep on after Saturdays fixture at Edgar Street when the Bulls host Swansea City.