Smith rocket secures three points

Hereford United collected their second victory of the season with a single Sam Smith goal against a Tamworth side that finished with ten men.

Rob Purdie gave way for Danny Pilkington to make his first start in an otherwise unchanged side.  Former Bulls loanees Richard Penekit and Tony Capaldi started for The Lambs while for United Kingsley James failed to recover from injury and the turned ankle incurred at Bristol kept Joel Edwards off the bench.

Tamworth kicked off attacking the Meadowend and Jake Jones blazed a wild effort high over the bar.  Frankie Artus sent a probing ball forward that was flicked on by Sam Smith but no Bulls player was positioned to take advantage.

Michael Rankine found himself sandwiched in midfield and when all three players finished in a heap it was Tamworth’s Courtney who came off worse requiring treatment before continuing.  Luke Graham powered a header over from Pilkington’s flag kick before Rankine saw his fine header cleared off the line and a shot on the rebound deflected agonisingly wide.

Rod McDonald, up for a corner, headed just wide and Chris Bush shot over as The Bulls continued to press for the opener.  Smith headed down Bush’s teasing forward ball but Rankine’s first time volley was inches wide of the upright. 

Courtney and Thomas Try To Dispossess Rankine - Pictures From Andy Compton Of The Hereford Journal

With twenty minutes played The Bulls had created the better chances and were certainly looking the more likely to score.  Pilkington’s driven cross was sliced over his own bar by Wayne Thomas and from the corner Artus’ cross was safely gathered by visiting keeper Belford.

Dan Walker went on a surging run before squaring to O’Keefe who shot over before a Capaldi Free kick from distance was tipped over by Rhys Evans.  A threatening break by United stuttered to a halt due to a poor first touch by Walker then Bush was fortunate to get away with a miss-timed challenge in the box that should have presented an opportunity to the visitors.

Pilkington whipped a cross in from the left and when Smith’s shot was deflected wide the referee strangely awarded a goal kick.

HT  Bulls 0 Tamworth 0

Rankine clipped a cross in from the left that was cleared but just five minutes after the break United took the lead with a fine goal.

Frankie Artus picked a pass to Sam Smith near the halfway line and he made ground before unleashing a twenty-five yarder that scorched into the top corner of the net with the bewildered Belford nowhere near it.

 

Keeper Beaten

And Smith Celbrates

Spurred by the strike, The Bulls pushed on to create a chance down the left but Pilkington overstretched to reach a ball and had to limp off to be replaced by the enthusiastic Chris Sharp.  Meanwhile, Tamworth introduced Andy Todd who last season had been guilty of making vulgar gestures during the late-season Mansfield match so it was pleasing for Bulls fans to see him get yellow-carded for his first real challenge.

Chris Bush burst forward to set up Sam Smith but his effort on the turn was just wide of the target.  The Lambs had been guilty of a few wayward elbows and when Courtney arrived forearm first in the face of O’Keefe referee Hopkins produced a straight red.  A petulant dig at the prostrate O’Keefe by a Tamworth player sparked a flurry of handbags and following a lengthy council meeting by all three officials they somehow contrived to caution Luke Graham who didn’t appear to have been involved.  Where do they find these people?

Hereford Manager Martin Foyle With Coach Andy Porter

Ben Richards-Everton hauled Rankine to the ground only for the man in black to penalise the astounded Bulls’ striker.  Moments later, the decision finally went the right way when Rankine was dragged back  and Richards-Everton was duly added to the list of yellows.

The closing ten minutes, including the added three, provided a frenetic spell of ping-pong without real threat on either goal before the closing whistle sent all but 80 of the 1864 home in reasonable good humour.

FT Bulls 1 Tamworth 0

Bulls: - Evans, Leadbitter, Graham, McDonald, Bush, O’Keefe, Artus, Pilkington (Sharp 55), Walker, Smith, Rankine (Collins 90).  Unused: Purdie, Gwynne, Brown.

Tamworth: - Belford, Evans, Richards-Everton, Courtney, Capaldi, Thomas, Kerry (Todd 63), Baker, Jones (Woolery 75), Byfield (Hendrie 82), Penekit.  Unused: Wren, Harris.

There were still occasions when first touch and decision making, particularly in the final third, were frustrating but overall this was another improvement on earlier performances.  Plenty of hard graft and determination is a decent platform on which to build and with a little luck today the score could easily have been three or four.

BN MOTM – Michael Rankine with honourable mentions for Bush, Leadbitter and the Balti pies.

See you at Alfreton on Monday.

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