Hereford 6 – Continental Star 0

Hat-trick For Pablo Haysham

With his man of the match performance in his first league start against Brocton on Saturday, Carlos Moriera retained his place in an unchanged starting lineup ahead of Hereford FC entertaining Continental Star at Edgar Street this evening. Sol Wheatley and Nathan Summers both remained sidelined with their respective injuries.

Hereford kicked off attacking the Blackfriars End and created a few half-chances in the opening stages. Firstly, Pablo Heysham put Continental Star’s goalkeeper Jordan Ellis under pressure, forcing a throw. With the ball being crossed into the box, Adam Page failed to win his aerial duel, as the ball was headed clear.

No more than 2 minutes later, a foul committed by the visitors on Pablo Heysham led to a free kick being awarded on the edge of the area. As Heysham delivered the ball deep into the box to Joel Edwards, Hereford's skipper mistimed his header, failing to test Star’s keeper Ellis.

Just shy of the quarter of an hour mark, Joel Edwards did well to dispossess Star’s Bruno Semedo before releasing Adam Page on a spirited run. After cutting into the centre, he offloaded the ball to John Mills; with Hereford's top goalscorer managing to round goalkeeper Jordan Ellis, he made no mistake in slotting the ball home with his left foot from an acute angle.

John Mills Scored Hereford's First Of The Game

As the 20 minute mark beckoned, Mills found Adam Page on the wing, and as the Cheltenham loanee crossed the ball to Aaron Birch, his flicked header was well-caught by the diving Star stopper.

With Jimmy Oates breaking forward from his right-back position, he did well to win a corner after putting Gareth Palmer under pressure. With Page’s delivery being partially cleared, Aaron Birch set up Pablo Heysham on the edge of the penalty area. After composing himself, Heysham’s powerful drive sailed past Ellis’s outstretched right-hand to double Hereford’s advantage.

Pablo Heysham With Hereford's Second Goal

With little more than a minute left of the first period, the Bulls grabbed their 3rd goal thanks to Pablo Heysham. After good work by Mills on the left, his pinpoint cross found Heysham at the far-post, and his downward header beat visiting keeper Ellis.

HT: Hereford 3 - Continental Star 0

As the teams reemerged following the break, it was obvious that Hereford were to start the second half in the same manner that they finished the first. In the 52nd minute, Pablo Heysham’s inswinging corner was met with a thumping header from Joel Edwards to make it 4.

Joel Edwards Made It 4-0 With His Header

Four minutes later Hereford could've once again added to their goal tally. Ryan Green found Adam Page on the left with a diagonal ball, but after cutting into the box and trying his luck with a right footed shot, but was kept out by the feet of goalkeeper Ellis.

Adam Page Came Close With This Effort

After coming on as a sub for Dylan Bonella, Rob Purdie played the ball out to Adam Page on the wing. He once again cut into the box from the left, but this time his low diagonal cross flashed across the face of goal before harmlessly going behind for a goalkick.

On the 68 minute mark, Pablo Heysham got his first hat-trick in a Hereford shirt. As Ryan Green carried the ball forward from the heart of defence, his ball failed to find the advancing Adam Page, but after a defensive error the ball fell to Heysham who had sufficient time to pick his spot, firing the ball past the right-hand side of the static Ellis.

Haysham Gets His Third Of The Game

The onslaught continued as Hereford could’ve had two more goals; 2 minutes after Heysham’s goal, Rob Purdie’s burst through the centre ended with his effort going wide, before Heysham was denied by a strong hand from Ellis 6 minutes later after trying his luck from pointblank range.

Seven minutes from time, Pablo Heysham was brought down as he tried to cut in from the right. Following the referee cautioning the player responsible, Heysham tried his luck from the resulting free kick, but his effort was straight into the hands of the well-positioned keeper.

As the match entered stoppage time, an attempted clearance by Continental Star hit the back of a fellow defender. As the ball fell to the feet of John Mills, he saw his shot whistle past the upright.

With seconds left on the clock, Adam Page rounded off the evening with Hereford's 6th goal. After a cross was played to the feet of Page, he did well to control the ball before his rasping right-footed shot hit the back of the net.

Adam Page Scored Hereford's Sixth Goal Of The Game

FT: Hereford 6 – Continental Star 0

Sponsors' MotM: Pablo Heysham

Att: 2,015

Hereford: Rivers, Oates (Grant - 71') , Edwards, Bonella (Purdie - 51'), Willets, Green, Moreira, Birch (Robbins - 58'), Mills, Haysham, Page.

Subs not used: Hughes, Miller.

Continental Star: Ellis, Nelson, Palmer, Benjamin-Conde, Hazell, Green, Sterling, Hamilton, Reid, Semedo, Holgate.

Subs: Santos, Frost, Green, Robinson.

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