Report from Shaymen MAD

This report on proceedings at Halifax comes from ShaymenMAD.

Defender Tamika Mkandawire continued Hereford's charge towards the Football League with a second-half winner to dent Halifax's hopes of clinching a place in the play-offs.

The Shaymen pounded the Bulls in the first half and twice hit the woodwork but could not make the breakthrough.

Hereford soaked up everything Halifax could throw at them and then grabbed the only goal of the match just seven minutes into the second half with Mkandawire's header.

This is the first time the Shaymen have lost three successive games this season and their play-off challenge has been severely damaged.

Halifax boss Chris Wilder pledged to go all out for victory and his side did just that for the first 45 minutes. With Martin Foster pulling the strings in midfield the Shaymen were rampant from the first whistle.

Town pegged Hereford back and should have scored in the 25th minute when Foster produced a pinpoint corner only to see Ryan Sugden's flying header smash against the crossbar.

Then Foster's dipping effort did not dip enough and Lewis Killeen fired a shot just over.

Five minutes before the break another Foster set-piece caused problems in the Bulls defence. This time his free-kick was met perfectly by Sugden but his flick header hit the post.

Halifax had a couple of warnings when Mkandawire's shot was cleared off the line by Jason Blunt and Adam Stansfield headed over after escaping his marker.

In the second half the Bulls, on the back of five wins in the previous six games, were a different proposition and Mkandawire headed home Simon Travis' cross for what proved to be the winner.

That killed Halifax and though the home side staged a late finale with the introduction of winger Dean Howell and centre-back Mark Monington as a makeshift striker, it wasn't enough.

The Shaymen kept up the pressure right to the end with both Adam Quinn and Greg Young both trying their luck in stoppage time.

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