After nine long years in non-league wilderness, Hereford United are back in the Football League. It took 120 minutes to find a winner, but eventually, after an enthrawling and extremely tense encounter, The Bulls managed a 3-2 victory to send themselves up and to keep Halifax Town down. The Bulls are sure not to be in The Shaymen's good books, as it was Hereford who sent Town down from the league, though they have had a brief return since then.
With the game being played at the neutral venue of The Walkers Bowl, in Leicester, fans from both teams flooded to Leicester hours before kick off to soak up the pre-match atmosphere that built in the streets and pubs in the surrounding area. There appeared to be some friendly banter before the game, and the good manner seemed to carry on throughout the day with very little (if any) trouble evident.
It was the same side for Hereford that has been named for the previous three outings that emerged out of the tunnel to a huge welcome from the 9,000-10,000 Hereford fans in a crowd of 15,499. The opening stages of the tie were quite open, but it was Halifax who threatened first. Within the first couple of minutes Lewis Kileen had fired off target and he had another good effort, having collected a pass from strike-partner Ryan Sugden, drilled a low shot that Wayne Brown met well.Before Kileen's second effort, United's skipper Mkandawire was fortunate that his handball in the box went unnoticed.
The Shaymen, playing the ball better than their counter parts and looking far more dangerous going forward, almost stunned the Hereford fans when Danny Foster's shot skimmed off the top of the cross bar. However, Town weren't going to be wasteful any more and took full advantage on twenty seven minutes. United were reduced to ten men at the time, as Rob Purdie was receiving stitches to a head wound, when Kileen unleashed a brilliant first time effort that flew into the top left hand corner of Brown's goal from twenty odd yards.
Just minutes earlier, Craig Stanley had forced John Kennedy into his first real work of the afternoon, as Stanley's curling shot from twenty five yards required the fingertips of the 'keeper to force it over the crossbar. The goal though, had spurred United into action and seven minutes later the scores were level again. Mkandawire rallied the troops from the back, and raced out of defence with the ball, released it to the right, and continued his run all the way to the front post. Meanwhile, Adam Stansfield was racing down the flank and, with the skipper making a decoy run to the front post, youngster Andy Williams was left unmarked at the far post to meet the ball with a diving header, that bounced off the surface before springing up, out of the reach of Kennedy, and just inside of the far post.
The Whites, boasting an all new white kit, went on to pose more problems for their opponents before the break, with Purdie having a close range header saved, but also being denied a penalty. Simon Travis raced into the box and seemed to be felled by Kennedy. The referee, in the eyes of many Hereford fans', has pointed to the spot, but he had actually given a goal kick.
United continued where they left off after the restart, and Stansfield almost put The Bulls in front. His mazy run bought him some space inside the box and he homed in on goal from the right but, with a clear sight on goal from just yards out, shot low to the near post, where Kennedy somehow managed to keep the ball out with his feet.
It would also, again, appear that the referee was not on Hereford's side, much like the referee of the Aldershot play off semi final second leg of two years ago, when they were denied what was a clear-cut penalty just before the hour mark. Purdie had tore down the left wing, knocked the ball past his marker, and paced onto it, now inside the penalty area. Tyrone Thompson, the culprit of Purdie's sprint, then followed the former Leicester youth player and slid in from behind, catching Purdie on the calfs, but again - no penalty for the Bulls.
Still, The Bulls battled on and Stansfield had another glorious chance to put them in front. Travis supplied the cross to the far post, where Stansfield towered to meet it, but he diverted his header inches the wrong side of the post. At the other end Matt Doughty handed United a reminder when he hooked a shot wide of the far post from inside the box before the 65th minute introduction of one John Grant, formerly of Hereford United. Cue murmers amongst some of the travelling Bulls about Grant, who had a hugely unsuccessful spell with them, being likely to come back to haunt them, while others taunted him.
And, of course, Grant silenced the critics by handing Halifax the lead with seventeen minutes remaining. Kileen was again involved as Halifax broke away down the left and he crossed for Grant, who put just the slightest of touches on the cross to divert it beyond the reach of the diving Brown. This was surely the final blow to Hereford - well it would have been to many Hereford sides we've seen over the years. But not to this one.
It took slightly longer for United to get back level this time, but just ten minutes had past when Guy Ipoua netted a brilliant equaliser. He'd been on the pitch just five minutes, and had already caused Halifax problems when he rose up with the goal to send the game into extra time. Travis was the provider, crossing in from the right and Ipoua lept above his man, stretched back his neck muscles, and got just enough power to put the ball above the reach of Kennedy and into the roof of the net in front of some now delerious Hereford fans.
The Bulls were again looking threatening straight after the restart of the extra time period when Adam Stansfield lost his man before smashing the ball into the side netting, but with the net shaking, it would have appeared to some Hereford fans, located at the far end of the ground, that the ball had sneaked in side the near post. Not so. This was Stansfield's final contribution as he made way for the fresh legs of Stuart Fleetwood. This was Hereford's final change as Stanley had been replaced, having been suffering with cramp, at the end of normal time. Jamie Pitman was on to help the dogged Andy Ferrell who had excelled in the middle throughout.
The second half of extra time saw the two teams attacking their own sets of fans, and, with three minutes of the second half gone, Ryan Green popped up with the third goal. After some good passing on the right, Green went to cross, before dragging the ball back onto his left foot, taking his marker out of the game. Green then, from just outside of the right hand side corner of the box, looped a left footed ball into the box, which evaded everyone, including Kennedy, and nestled into the top far corner of the goal. Whether he meant to shoot or cross, is another thing, but they all count, and that is all the jubilant United fans cared about. They'd taken the lead for the first time of the game.
There were still many more heart-stopping moments for The Bulls though, none more so than when Brown rushed out to the feet of Chris Senior, appearing to fell him, and the ball running out for, what in the end, despite appeals from Halifax for a penalty, was a goal kick. The worry wasn't over for Hereford though, as Brown remained on the deck. With all subs taken up, Ferrell had gone over the the dugout and had started to put a 'keepers shirt on, when Brown struggled to his feet, and made eventually made a full recovery. The result though, was six minutes added on at the end, adding hugely to the tension being suffered by Hereford, who had waited so long for their return. The defence stood strong though, and Fleetwood, similarly to the game against Morecambe, had a great chance to make it 4-2 on the break. He outpaced the Halifax centre backs, rounded Kennedy, but his shot, which was good enough, was knocked off the line by Danny Bushell.
The final whistle finally, after what seemed an eternity, sounded, much to the delight of the Hereford fans. A phenonimal roar of delight, relief, and pure joy rang out from the Hereford end, and the celebrations began. And no doubt went on long into the early hours of the morning.
So Hereford United did it, but of course not the easy way. The game was a fantastic advert for the Conference, not only with a huge audience at the game, but being screened all over the world by Sky TV. Halifax have to take a huge amount of credit in making it such an entertaining final, in which both sets of fans experienced the extreme highs and lows of emotions. There had to be a winner though, and this was Hereford's turn, and no doubt they deserve it!
Hereford: Brown, Green, Beckwith, Mkandawire, Jeannin, Purdie, Stanley, Ferrell, Travis, Stansfield, Williams. Subs: Mawson, Pitman, Carey-Bertram, Fleetwood, Ipoua.
HTFC: Kennedy, Haslam, Quinn, Atherton, Young, Doughty, Foster, Thompson, Forrest, Sugden, Killeen. Subs: Bushell, Butler, Smikle, Senior, Grant