One minute of thunderous applause was a fitting pre-match tribute to former Bull Adam Stansfield, who so tragically died at the tender age of 31 earlier this week.
A hefty shower then drenched the greensward, as Edgar Street witnessed the return of real football- 90 minutes of huff and puff with not a vuvuzela (or a goal, for that matter) in sight. Opponents Gillingham were hit by injuries and named the experienced Matt Lawrence in defence alongside Josh Gowling, formerly of this parish, and Adebayo Akinfenwa passed a fitness test. Hereford boss Simon Davey named Sean Canham to start in place of Kenny Lunt.
Mr Akinfenwa has proved a real handful for defences in the past, and today continued the trend. His sheer bulk, (one wag suggesting that his shorts would comfortably make two parachutes) coupled with a surprising level of skill in such a figure make him difficult to shake off the ball. As early as the fourth minute he deftly cut a ball back for Chris Palmer, whose initial effort was blocked by Captain Kovacs. However, it fell kindly for Palmer, and this time Adam Bartlett had to react quickly to tip the shot over his crossbar. Ryan Green made an excellent clearing header, and Canham returned the pass. Stuart Fleetwood was released down the wing and a dangerous cross was cleared by Gowling. A slight misunderstanding between Michael Townsend and Bartlett almost gifted a chance to Andy Barcham, but he was slow to react. On 15 minutes, a bodged clearance then gave Canham a clear shooting chance, and former Stevenage stopper Alan Julian made the block. From the resulting corner, the ball found its way through a ruck of players before an unsighted Kovacs snatched at the shot. A free kick needlessly conceded by Hereford led to an elaborate training ground move culminating in a shot by Chris Palmer which stung the post before rebounding clear.
Mathieu Manset showed some expert control at times, but tended to hold on for too long, and was unsuccessful with a couple of ambitious long range attempts, when a crisp pass would have been a better option. One or two neat moves from either side lacked the penetration of the telling final pass as the game entered a stalemate. Proceedings were enlivened when the demonstrative Janos Kovacs received the game’s only yellow card for tackling Akinfenwa from behind. After a lengthy treatment, the two met again and Kovacs was treated to a stern finger wagging, this time from his opponent. Referee Mr Gibbs surprisingly did not consider issuing another official warning. O’Neil Thompson came closest to disturbing the scorer with a 30 yarder that was deflected narrowly wide. Meanwhile, the game drifted towards the interval, and there was an exchange of views between the Irresistible Force and the Immovable Object as the teams left the arena.
HT: HUFC 0 GILLINGHAM 0
Messrs Keyte and Russon had received a warm welcome before the game, and new caterers Ascari had sourced some of their ingredients locally, the Herefordshire beef pie gaining accolades from at least one hungry punter near your reporter. The absence of the electronic scoreboard was, however, a minus. The Bulls started the second period with some determination. A promising move ended with a clever flick from Fleetwood to Manset, whose shot hit the side netting from an acute angle. Canham then chased a lost cause, gained possession and cut the ball back to James Mcquilkin, who was quieter than normal today. Again, the shot found the side of the target. At the other end, some hesitancy in the home defence led to the award of a free kick for obstruction. This was deflected for a corner, which then whizzed harmlessly across the face of the goal.
Half-chances continued to be created, though it became apparent that a goalless draw was the most likely outcome. Some visiting Exeter City fans, here to add their voices to the Stansfield tribute, were given a touching and friendly send off from the Meadow End. The closest the game came to a goal came in the 92nd (and last) minute. Bulls fans held their collective breath as Danny Spiller unleashed an Exocet missile bound for the top corner. The agile Bartlett flew through the air to tip the ball to safety, thus ensuring that, despite a rather lacklustre display, another league clean sheet could be chalked up, and another point won.
FT: HUFC 0 GILLINGHAM 0
Attendance: 2915, with 410 Kentishmen (or Men of Kent). Ask them!
HUFC: Bartlett, Green, Kovacs, Townsend, Valentine, Colbeck, Thompson, McQuilkin, Manset, Fleetwood, Canham.
GILLS: Julian, Nutter, Maher, Barcham, Palmer (Payne 81), Gowling, Lawrence, Bentley, Sinclair, Spiller, Akinfenwa.