Hereford United have moved up two positions in the table to third following their draw against Carlisle United at Edgar Street this evening. The entertaining game, which failed to produce any goals, means that Carlisle can still win the league and thus Barnet are not yet crowned champions.
Hereford stuck with the same starting line up that had beaten Stevenage 1-0 on Saturday but made a couple of changes to the bench. Brian Smikle, who was featured for West Brom's reserves recently, was back at Edgar Street as a sub taking the place of Andy Williams.
The Bulls dominated from the start with Rob Purdie having a cross from the left deflected into the arms of Matt Glennon in the Cumbrian's goal in the first minute. Purdie fired a free kick from twenty five yards at Glennon again in the earl stages. Lee Mills headed down for Darryl Taylor who found Adam Stansfield in the area. He cut the ball back for his partner, Mills, but the ball was stolen off his toes by Chris Lumsdon.
Mills showed some of his class with a superb knock out to the left, where Purdie raced down the flank before squaring for Craig Stanley, whose shot was too hot to handle for Glennon as he tipped it behind, diverting it away from the top corner. United were playing some of the best football of the season at Edgar Street before half time, with Taylor terrorising Tom Cowan on the Hereford right. Taylor found Mills in the box moments before half time, but Mills' attempted chip from a tight angle was off target.
Hereford continued as they had left off before half time with Mills and man of the match Purdie again linking up well, but there was no attacker to meet Purdie's cross to the far post other than Cowan who put the ball behind. Mark Robinson's corner was met by Stanley at the far post and his cross won United another corner. Purdie's first corner was headed behind, before his second, much deeper, one was met by a vicious volley by Stanley, which screamed across the face of the goal and wide just beyond the far top corner.
Andy Tretton set up a good chance for Stansfield, when the striker raced onto his ball over the top from the left but smashed the ball just over the cross bar. The visitors had hardly threatened up until now but following the replacement of Derek Holmes in the attack by Glenn Murray they started to create some of their own opportunities. Tamika Mkandawire's late run was perfectly timed for Robinson's corner before Carlisle made any chances though, but he failed to connect fully and the ball hit a defender before flying over the bar. Mkandawire headed over the second time.
G. Murray's whipped cross was spilt by Craig Mawson but luckily for him Ryan Green was on hand to clear any danger as a result. The Bulls made their only change with twenty minutes remaining with Danny Williams replacing Taylor. The final twenty proved to be the Cumbrian's most productive period of the game, starting when G Murray headed a chip into the box inches wide, having beaten Mawson with the effort. Another similar ball into the box caused problems for Mawson, who came but failed to collect presenting the ball to G Murray but his placed volley fell wide.
Mills hammered a volley against a defender at the other end before Green was booked for a foul just to the right of the penalty area. The ball was swung in and met by the head off Karl Hawley, as Edgar Street fell silent, only to breathe a huge sigh of relief as the ball rebounded off the cross bar and Mawson collected. One last attack in injury time for the Bulls saw Stanley set Green pacing forward down the right, but his cross was cleared behind for a corner by Kevin Gray and was sucessfully defended before referee Rob Lewis, who had a good game, blew for full time.
Hereford will be very happy with their defensive performance, giving them a fourth consectutive clean sheet. Four points from a possible six in the last two games for Hereford was what was expected by many before the weekend and so nobody will be too dispondent with the result. The attendance of 3,819 including 280 Carlisle supporters, was the second highest of the season at Edgar Street.
HUFC Team: Mawson, Green, Mkandawire, Tretton, Robinson, Taylor, Stanley, Pitman, Purdie, Stansfield, Mills. Subs: Travis, Scott, Hyde, Smikle, Williams.
CUFC Team: Glennon, Cowan, Gray, Billy, Beharall, Murphy, Livesey, Lumsdon, Adam Murray, Hawley, Holmes. Subs: Arnison, Vieira, Hackney, Coyles, Glenn Murray.