Stuttering Bulls recover to earn point at Hyde

Hereford United came back from a goal down after taking an early lead through a Chris Bush free kick.  Hyde hit back with goals from Collins and Tomsett before the break but Michael Rankine fired home midway through the second period to earn a share of the points.

Martin Foyle was forced to make one change when Kingsley James failed to recover from a training thigh strain.  He was replaced by Frankie Artus.

Hyde commenced with a long forward ball that Rhys Evans came to collect and the hosts continued to take the initiative as Collins sent a shot just wide of the upright.  Chris Smith tried a 30-yarder that threatened the corner flag more than the goal before a Purdie corner fell to Artus.  The midfielder jinked past two player but his shot screwed agonisingly wide of the target.

Smith then got past his defender and pulled a ball back, which Rob Purdie hit first time, but it whistled inches wide.  

Rankine Earns The Free Kick

Michael Rankine’s persistence to work his way across the box when he was being pulled back was eventually rewarded with a free kick from which The Bulls opened the scoring on 15 minutes.

Chris Bush hit a scorcher from 22 yards that took a deflection and nestled into the corner of the net.

Chris Bush Being Congratulated On Scoring With His The Free Kick

Danny Carlton, the former Morecombe striker, was through on goal soon after but the assistant’s flag halted his progress although Evans had anticipated the threat and was swiftly out to smother.  Then, on twenty minutes, Hyde got their equaliser.

Tomsett and Collins combined well in midfield to get the ball wide to Poole and his cross found the advancing Collins who fired home from 12 yards leaving Evans with no chance.  At this stage, Moses (on for the injured Brown) and Tomsett were bossing the middle of the park, as The Bulls appeared to concentrate on shape rather than closing down the opposition.

Rankine won several flicks but found no-one moving to the ball and when his efforts earned a corner it was deep and easily cleared.  Hyde took the lead on 41 minutes with another well-worked goal.

Tomsett and Moses were again involved in the build-up as the ball was worked out to the right. And back into the centre where Tomsett skipped past two defenders before firing home a fine shot from the edge of the box.

A Hyde corner saw a late challenge by Carlton on Evans who had come to claim and he followed this by chopping the legs from under Danny Leadbitter as he broke forward.  Unbelievably, the referee didn’t produce a card.  Even more strange that he should instantly whip out a yellow for Chris Bush’s relatively harmless tug on Poole later in the game.

HT  Hyde 2  Bulls 1

United came out unchanged for the second period when there was arguably a case for replacing the largely ineffective Smith and Walker.  Bush burst forward and when his driven cross a hacked away Artus let fly from 40 yards and keeper Carnell had to be on his toes as the ball swerved and dipped in front of him.  Almond cut in from the right and fired wide under pressure from Leadbitter before an Almond cross was volleyed over by Carlton from 15 yards.

The Hyde midfield were showing a greater appetite for the game being quicker to find space in possession and to close down in defence.  Walker was slow to react to a Luke Graham clearance and responded with a silly challenge that presented a free kick to Hyde on the edge of the box that, fortunately, came to nothing.  Walker got past the fullback and delivered a decent cross to the back post but Smith completely missed his header with the goal gaping.

Martin Foyle responded by replacing Smith with Chris Sharp while, at the same time, pitching Danny Pilkington into the fray in place of Frankie Artus.  Rob Purdie dinked a free kick into the box and O’Keefe was felled from behind but referee Holmes inexplicably awarded a free kick outside the box.  This time, Chris Bush’s blockbuster was charged away.

Bush About To Take His Second Free Kick Of The Afternoon

  
However, on 70 minutes The Bulls were back on terms.

Danny Leadbitter showed what a winger should do when his electric run took him clear and he delivered a perfect low cross for Rankine to blast in from 12 yards.

Subs Thank Rankine For Scoring Hereford's Second Goal

Birthday boy Joel Edwards came on to replace the ineffective Walker for the last quarter and was immediately involved in setting Rankine for a 30-yarder that tested Carnell.  Chris Sharp’s miss-hit cross fell to Rankine but this time Carnell was able to block the shot.

With The Bulls finally showing some attacking intentions, Rankine won a back post header and set O’Keefe for a tap in but our Josh somehow manage to scoop over from two yards out.

The three added minutes failed to produce any further score and while in might be argued that Hyde played the better football, on chances a draw was probably the right result.

FT Hyde 2  Bulls 2

Hereford: Evans, Leadbitter, Graham, McDonald, Bush, Purdie, Artus (Pilkington 59), O’Keefe, Walker (Edwards 74), Rankine, Smith (Sharp 59). Subs unused:  Collins, Gwynne.

Hyde: Carnell, Thurston, Dennis, Ashworth, Blakeman, Tomsett, Poole, Brown (Moses 11), Carlton (Hughes 75), Collins (Spencer 67), Almond. Subs unused:  Frith, Mainwaring.

Attendance 509 of which approximately 100 were visitors.

I had promised myself that I would avoid the Jekyll and Hyde jokes but this really was a hot and cold performance from United.  A good start was, not for the first time, allowed to go to waste and it wasn’t until the introduction of Pilkington and reassuringly, Joel Edwards that The Bulls began to look like a football side with threat.  The three-man midfield was again left exposed to the pass and move football of the opponents.

I’m sure it’ll get better given time and the right formation.

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