It was the same story as the two games over the Easter period as Hereford United took on Southport, fighting for survival at the bottom of the Conference, at Edgar Street this afternoon. That was the case, until the last minute of normal time when a breakaway goal changed things.
Hereford made just two changes from the side that started against Tamworth last Monday, with Andy Williams returning to the starting eleven at the expense of Nicky Nicolau and Wayne Brown replacing Craig Mawson. It seemed a good move as United started brightly and attacked well from the start, particularly down the right where Williams was playing. Craig Stanley picked out Rob Purdie with a ball to the left flank as The Bulls tried to gain an early advantage. Purdie slipped a ball into the run of Stuart Fleetwood, who was denied from a tight angle by 'keeper Steve Dickinson.
Andy Ferrell gifted the ball to Carl Baker at the other end, but his low drive was easily gathered by Brown before Hereford were on the attack again. Danny Carey-Bertram had touched the ball back to Ferrell, who then spread play to the left where Alex Jeannin skipped past a challenge before delivering an inviting cross to the far post. Fleetwood though, was just underneath the cross and it was headed behind for a corner.
Hereford thought they'd taken the lead midway through the half, but a dubious decision by the referee meant the scores stayed level. Ferrell was felled thirty yards out by a rash challenge, which the referee let go. The ball had broken to Carey-Bertram, who had turned towards goal and then fired a low shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. The whistle had already been blown though by the time the ball had netted, and the referee brought play back for a free kick for the foul on Ferrell - which he originally let go. If he'd played advantage, it was a baffling decision to say the least, as Hereford obviously had an advantage.
This seemed to give the Sandgrounders a boost and they had the best chances of the rest of the half. Firstly, after Tamika Mkandawire had slipped, Dean Beckwith was left to deal with two attacker and the ball was played to Steve Daly, but his effort rebounded away off the post. Then, on the stroke of half time, defender Gary Brabin headed inches over from a corner kick.
Graham Turner introduced Adam Stansfield at the break in the place of Carey-Bertram, and then minutes after Port made a change as the injured Daly was replaced by Neil Robinson. Stansfield was quick to get an effort in when he latched onto a flick on by Fleetwood, but he blazed his effort well wide before Stansfield was blocked off in the box following some patient build up play. Brabin, at the other end, drilled a free kick wide of the mark, albeit via a deflection.
Jamie Pitman was introduced in place of Fleewood and Williams, who had been quiet so far, moved alongside Stansfield in attack. This meant that Ferrell, seemingly, moved to the left and Stanley to the right, leaving Purdie to play in the centre. It took a while, but the change seemed to pay off as Hereford took the lead with fourteen minutes left. United pressed around their opponents box before Ferrell slipped a ball wide to Simon Travis who had some space. His first time cross to the near post was met with a delightful header from Stansfield that glanced into the far bottom corner, much to the relief of the somewhat frustrated home fans in a crowd 2,547.
Southport had to come out and attack after the goal and began to show more intent going forward and even more aggression in the tackles. Baker triggered a mass brawl as he left the studs showing in a tackle against Brown and was booked once everyone had calmed down. Then with about ten minutes left, Guy Ipoua was subbed on in place of Williams, and the Cameroonian showed some nice touches in his short spell on the pitch. Purdie, who was again Hereford's most creative player, especially when playing in a central position, and man of the match, saw a shot deflected shot go wide before Southport grabbed a late equaliser.
A long ball from the middle of the park picked out Robinson, making a break down the left, and he held up the ball until Blakeman arrived on the edge of the box. Blakeman jinked inside and then unleashed an unstopable shot into the far top corner, much to the delight of the travelling 182 supporters.
The game plan for The Whites was again evident - to do just enough to win the game, without sustaining any injuries or picking up too many cards, and it almost worked for a third game in a row, until a breakaway goal in the final minute. It was poor to watch for the most apart, but not too many people will be complaining if this game plan pays off come the end of the play offs.
HUFC: Brown, Travis, Mkandawire, Beckwith, Jeannin, Purdie, Stanley, Ferrell, Williams, Carey-Bertram, Fleetwood. Subs: Pitman, Nicolau, Mawson, Stansfield, Ipoua.