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Here's look back at BN's report of the game:
The Bulls Are Back - by Brian
After
nine long years in non-league wilderness, Hereford United are back in
the Football League. It took 120 minutes to find a winner, but
eventually, after an enthrawling and extremely tense encounter, The
Bulls managed a 3-2 victory to send themselves up and to keep Halifax
Town down. The Bulls are sure not to be in The Shaymen's good books, as
it was Hereford who sent Town down from the league, though they have had
a brief return since then.
With
the game being played at the neutral venue of The Walkers Bowl, in
Leicester, fans from both teams flooded to Leicester hours before kick
off to soak up the pre-match atmosphere that built in the streets and
pubs in the surrounding area. There appeared to be some friendly banter
before the game, and the good manner seemed to carry on throughout the
day with very little (if any) trouble evident.
It
was the same side for Hereford that has been named for the previous
three outings that emerged out of the tunnel to a huge welcome from the
9,000-10,000 Hereford fans in a crowd of 15,499. The opening stages of
the tie were quite open, but it was Halifax who threatened first. Within
the first couple of minutes Lewis Kileen had fired off target and he
had another good effort, having collected a pass from strike-partner
Ryan Sugden, drilled a low shot that Wayne Brown met well.Before Kileen's second effort, United's skipper Mkandawire was fortunate that his handball in the box went unnoticed.
The Shaymen, playing the ball better than their counter parts and
looking far more dangerous going forward, almost stunned the Hereford
fans when Danny Foster's shot skimmed off the top of the cross bar.
However, Town weren't going to be wasteful any more and took full
advantage on twenty seven minutes. United were reduced to ten men at the
time, as Rob Purdie was receiving stitches to a head wound, when Kileen
unleashed a brilliant first time effort that flew into the top left
hand corner of Brown's goal from twenty odd yards.
Just
minutes earlier, Craig Stanley had forced John Kennedy into his first
real work of the afternoon, as Stanley's curling shot from twenty five
yards required the fingertips of the 'keeper to force it over the
crossbar. The goal though, had spurred United into action and seven
minutes later the scores were level again. Mkandawire rallied the troops
from the back, and raced out of defence with the ball, released it to
the right, and continued his run all the way to the front post.
Meanwhile, Adam Stansfield was racing down the flank and, with the
skipper making a decoy run to the front post, youngster Andy Williams
was left unmarked at the far post to meet the ball with a diving header,
that bounced off the surface before springing up, out of the reach of
Kennedy, and just inside of the far post.
The
Whites, boasting an all new white kit, went on to pose more problems
for their opponents before the break, with Purdie having a close range
header saved, but also being denied a penalty. Simon Travis raced into
the box and seemed to be felled by Kennedy. The referee, in the eyes of
many Hereford fans', has pointed to the spot, but he had actually given a
goal kick.
United
continued where they left off after the restart, and Stansfield almost
put The Bulls in front. His mazy run bought him some space inside the
box and he homed in on goal from the right but, with a clear sight on
goal from just yards out, shot low to the near post, where Kennedy
somehow managed to keep the ball out with his feet.
It
would also, again, appear that the referee was not on Hereford's side,
much like the referee of the Aldershot play off semi final second leg of
two years ago, when they were denied what was a clear-cut penalty just
before the hour mark. Purdie had tore down the left wing, knocked the
ball past his marker, and paced onto it, now inside the penalty area.
Tyrone Thompson, the culprit of Purdie's sprint, then followed the
former Leicester youth player and slid in from behind, catching Purdie
on the calfs, but again - no penalty for the Bulls.
Still,
The Bulls battled on and Stansfield had another glorious chance to put
them in front. Travis supplied the cross to the far post, where
Stansfield towered to meet it, but he diverted his header inches the
wrong side of the post. At the other end Matt Doughty handed United a
reminder when he hooked a shot wide of the far post from inside the box
before the 65th minute introduction of one John Grant, formerly of
Hereford United. Cue murmers amongst some of the travelling Bulls about
Grant, who had a hugely unsuccessful spell with them, being likely to
come back to haunt them, while others taunted him.
And,
of course, Grant silenced the critics by handing Halifax the lead with
seventeen minutes remaining. Kileen was again involved as Halifax broke
away down the left and he crossed for Grant, who put just the slightest
of touches on the cross to divert it beyond the reach of the diving
Brown. This was surely the final blow to Hereford - well it would have
been to many Hereford sides we've seen over the years. But not to this
one.
It
took slightly longer for United to get back level this time, but just
ten minutes had past when Guy Ipoua netted a brilliant equaliser. He'd
been on the pitch just five minutes, and had already caused Halifax
problems when he rose up with the goal to send the game into extra time.
Travis was the provider, crossing in from the right and Ipoua lept
above his man, stretched back his neck muscles, and got just enough
power to put the ball above the reach of Kennedy and into the roof of
the net in front of some now delerious Hereford fans.
The
Bulls were again looking threatening straight after the restart of the
extra time period when Adam Stansfield lost his man before smashing the
ball into the side netting, but with the net shaking, it would have
appeared to some Hereford fans, located at the far end of the ground,
that the ball had sneaked in side the near post. Not so. This was
Stansfield's final contribution as he made way for the fresh legs of
Stuart Fleetwood. This was Hereford's final change as Stanley had been
replaced, having been suffering with cramp, at the end of normal time.
Jamie Pitman was on to help the dogged Andy Ferrell who had excelled in
the middle throughout.
The
second half of extra time saw the two teams attacking their own sets of
fans, and, with three minutes of the second half gone, Ryan Green
popped up with the third goal. After some good passing on the right,
Green went to cross, before dragging the ball back onto his left foot,
taking his marker out of the game. Green then, from just outside of the
right hand side corner of the box, looped a left footed ball into the
box, which evaded everyone, including Kennedy, and nestled into the top
far corner of the goal. Whether he meant to shoot or cross, is another
thing, but they all count, and that is all the jubilant United fans
cared about. They'd taken the lead for the first time of the game.
There
were still many more heart-stopping moments for The Bulls though, none
more so than when Brown rushed out to the feet of Chris Senior,
appearing to fell him, and the ball running out for, what in the end,
despite appeals from Halifax for a penalty, was a goal kick. The worry
wasn't over for Hereford though, as Brown remained on the deck. With all
subs taken up, Ferrell had gone over the the dugout and had started to
put a 'keepers shirt on, when Brown struggled to his feet, and made
eventually made a full recovery. The result though, was six minutes
added on at the end, adding hugely to the tension being suffered by
Hereford, who had waited so long for their return. The defence stood
strong though, and Fleetwood, similarly to the game against Morecambe,
had a great chance to make it 4-2 on the break. He outpaced the Halifax
centre backs, rounded Kennedy, but his shot, which was good enough, was
knocked off the line by Danny Bushell.
The
final whistle finally, after what seemed an eternity, sounded, much to
the delight of the Hereford fans. A phenonimal roar of delight, relief,
and pure joy rang out from the Hereford end, and the celebrations began.
And no doubt went on long into the early hours of the morning.
So
Hereford United did it, but of course not the easy way. The game was a
fantastic advert for the Conference, not only with a huge audience at
the game, but being screened all over the world by Sky TV. Halifax have
to take a huge amount of credit in making it such an entertaining final,
in which both sets of fans experienced the extreme highs and lows of
emotions. There had to be a winner though, and this was Hereford's turn,
and no doubt they deserve it!
Hereford:
Brown, Green, Beckwith, Mkandawire, Jeannin, Purdie, Stanley, Ferrell,
Travis, Stansfield, Williams. Subs: Mawson, Pitman, Carey-Bertram,
Fleetwood, Ipoua.
HTFC:
Kennedy, Haslam, Quinn, Atherton, Young, Doughty, Foster, Thompson,
Forrest, Sugden, Killeen. Subs: Bushell, Butler, Smikle, Senior, Grant