Rotherham may be the birthplace of the Chuckle Brothers, but the management of both teams today are not likely to raise more than a wry smile that says we didn't lose. Bulls manager Graham Turner opted for a 4-4-2 formation with Chris Weale getting the nod over Wayne Brown in goal and Ben Smith finding himself on the bench as Kris Taylor and Toumani Diagouraga bagged the central midfield slots. Upfront, Turner elected to start with Guinan and Benjamin.
Although Rotherham were quicker to settle, it was Hereford who created the first real chance when Taylor played a ball into Benjamin but the big striker couldn't get the ball out of his feet to get a decent shot away. Shortly after, Todd fed O'Grady who brought a save from Weale. In the sixteenth minute a neat move involving Guinan and Easton resulted in a slightly miscued Taylor effort going wide. A Benjamin flick found Guinan fractionally offside as he looked to get clear of Rotherham's flat back four and a similar move which again found Guinan ghosting wide to the left enabled the striker to cross hard and low. Fullback Hurst's hasty sliced clearance narrowly missed his own goal. A breakaway from the resulting corner saw Todd bearing down on a stretched Bulls defence but Kris Taylor, who had chased back from the opponents half got in timely saving tackle as Todd shaped to shoot. On the whole, the first half honours went to Rotherham who seemed a little more composed and were closing down the Bulls midfield possession much quicker. HT 0-0.
Hereford started the second period kicking towards the Meadowend and were quickly into their stride. Easton, having been found by Taylor, played the ball into the feet of Steve Guinan whose neat drag-back and lay-off enabled Easton to volley just over the bar. Nine minutes into the half, Trevor Benjamin used his strength to fend off the attention of Coughlan and get a shot off on the spin but Warrington was on hand to smother the effort on the line. The Bulls were now building a head of steam and McClenahan sent over a fine cross to the far post, which was met by a Guinan header that went just wide. Next up was a 30-yard scorcher from Toumani, which had Warrington at full stretch to tip the effort round the post. On sixty minutes Turner introduced Theo Robinson in place of Benjamin and the Watford loanee was soon into the action with his added pace and movement. The increasingly effective Ainsworth produced several bursts of speed, which resulted in dangerous crosses, one of which caused an almighty scramble in the goalmouth as Robinson flicked goal wards. As the ball was eventually poked clear Ainsworth was again on hand to force a save from Warrington but despite having by far the better of the second half chances The Bulls just couldn't find the goal to clinch all three points in a game which finished as it started, goalless.
On reflection, it was probably a typical opening game performance as players fit into their new surroundings. Defensively, despite a couple of hairy moments, Hereford looked fairly competent. The midfield, when in possession, probed and moved well as a unit although there were times, particularly in the first half, when they were a bit slow to close down. Of the wide players, Ainsworth looked the more dangerous and showed signs of being a player that will produce goal scoring opportunities while up front Steve Guinan worked tirelessly both on and off the ball. The clearly different strengths of Benjamin and Robinson were both there to be seen and no doubt Graham Turner will rotate the starting strikers depending on the opposition. It may take a few more games before any real judgements can be made on this newly assembled squad but a point is a point and we now look forward to a game against Yeovil on Tuesday which offers a chance to play with, maybe, a bit more freedom.
FT Hereford United 0 Rotherham 0
Hereford: Chris Weale, McClenahan, Broadhurst, Beckwith, Rose, Ainsworth, Taylor (Smith 72), Diagouraga, Easton, Guinan, Benjamin (Robinson 61).
Subs Not Used: Brown, McCombe, Gwynne.
Attendance 3566 (673 away)
Text at top (next game etc)
Next: Away At AFC Fylde On Saturday October 25th At 3.00pm
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