Hereford United face a first round FA Cup replay at the Victoria Stadium after being held 0-0 by Dagenham and Redbridge at Edgar Street this afternoon. The game offered little in terms of entertainment, with the best chances of the game wasted by Andy Williams and Bradley Hudson-Odoi in front of just 1825.
Goalkeeper Darren Randolph was nowhere to be seen with Craig Samson starting in between the sticks, whilst Williams replaced Sam Gwynne on the wing following the 2-0 defeat at Peterborough last weekend. Despite his mid-week hattrick against Pegasus, Nick Chadwick had to be content with a place on the bench alongside six others following new FA Cup rules. Daggers goalie Tony Roberts started whilst highly-rated striking duo Paul Benson and Ben Strevens started up top; Strevens has been linked on more than one occasion with a move to United in the past year.
An early foul on Ben Smith allowed Kris Taylor to shoot from a free-kick but his effort dropped wide of the post. Intelligent hold up play from Steve Guinan and a switch to Williams allowed the on loan attacker to run at Dagenham left-back Scott Griffiths, before beating him on the by-line. Despite having options to pull back to, Williams continued to run inwards from the by-line and his eventual effort was blocked. Moments later, a Richard Rose throw-in was flicked on by Williams and Hudson-Odoi controlled in the box before spinning and shooting inches past the far post. Dagenham then started to put the home defence under a bit of pressure but half-chances for Sam Saunders and Danny Foster failed to trouble Samson.
Mark Arber's towering header from a Saunders corner dropped wide, whilst Solomon Taiwo's quick control and half-volley hit the roof of the Meadow End. At the other end, Guinan placed a fantastic cross into the box and Smith's forward run allowed him to meet it with a free-header but he got little direction on it and it trickled harmlessly wide. Roberts was on hand to deny a stinging long-range effort from Rose after he had cut in from the right wing whilst Williams was quickly-closed down by the veteran 'keeper after Toumani Diagouraga's excellently weighted pass. Hudson-Odoi met a Williams cross from the right-hand side but couldn't hit the target with his right-foot whilst at the other end, a fine sliding tackle from Dean Beckwith denied Strevens a clear opportunity on goal.
The second-half was dire, with both sides cancelling each other out. United's one shot on target came when Taylor switched play for Williams to control and beat Griffiths, but his 20 yard shot was well parried by Roberts. Jon Nurse replaced Matt Richie and nearly made an instant impact, when his cross/shot went straight past Karl Broadhurst and the challenging Benson before it was eventually clawed away by the diving Samson. Taiwo struck a 30 yard free-kick over the bar before the home crowd's calls for subs were acknowledged. Simon Johnson, Chadwick and Matty Done were all bought on at the same time, with Smith, Guinan and Hudson-Odoi making way. They had little impact though, as the game petered out to a close. Nurse's cross from the left-wing nearly deceived Samson with Taylor on hand to head behind as Saunders loomed behind him, whilst Diagouraga latched on to an Easton pass but his strike was awful, going out for a throw-in.
Like the last two seasons, Hereford need a second bite at the cherry in order to go through. Memories of the defeat at Dagenham last season will still hold strong in people's minds and it'll be a tough trip. The performance again was poor, with a lack of quality and entertainment for the home faithful, who showed their disappointment by booing at the end of the game and chants of "What a load of rubbish". Before the replay, Hereford face a massive 'six-pointer' when Cheltenham Town visit next Saturday.
Hereford: Samson, Rose, Broadhurst, Beckwith, Taylor, Williams, Smith, Diagouraga, Easton, Guinan, Hudson-Odoi.
Subs: Breen, Gwynne, Macleod, O'Leary, Done, Johnson, Chadwick.
Dagenham: Roberts, Foster, Arber, Okuonghae, Griffiths, Saunders, Taiwo, Gain, Ritchie, Benson, Strevens.
Subs: Huke, Nurse, Graham, Nwokeji, Uddin, Tejan-Sie, Hogan.