Loughborough University were the visitors at Edgar Street tonight, a side which Hereford played their last league game against just over two weeks ago.
Manager Pete Beadle handed starts to James Bowen, Dylan Bonella, Joe Tumelty and John Mills as Ross Staley, Mustapha Bundu and Mike Symons dropped to the bench.
Loughborough kicked off attacking the Meadow End, and soon put Hereford's defence under pressure. Nathan Summers was slow to react as Loughborough's Ben Ward-Cochrane found himself through on goal. Martin Horsall rushed off his line, but Ward-Cochrane failed to get a decent shot away as his effort went well wide of the target.
With 7 minutes on the clock, after controlling a long throw from Jimmy Oates, Pablo Haysham rounded his man on the right wing before stinging the hands of keeper Conor O'Keefe with his powerful cross come shot.
John Mills, who returned to the starting XI after being absent from both legs of the vase, burst through the centre with just the keeper left to beat. Scholars’ stopper O’Keefe was quick to react however, scrambling the ball away from the feet of Mills.
5 minutes later Joel Edwards chased down a lost cause on the left wing, but his subsequent cross was confidently saved by the rising O'Keefe amongst a congested penalty area.
Before the break, Hereford could’ve taken the lead through John Mills. Joe Tumelty worked the ball out to Jimmy Oates on the right, who quickly delivered the ball to the feet of Mills in the box. After the marksman did well to create enough space for a shot, his strike beat the keeper before being cleared of the line as far as Jimmy Oates by Callum Williams. Oates’ cross connected with the head of James Bowen, but the Cheltenham loanee saw his effort saved by O’Keefe.
HT: Hereford 0 – Loughborough University 0
Loughborough saw most of the ball within the opening stages of the second half, but they couldn’t capitalise on the possession.
9 minutes after the restart Hereford were awarded a corner against the run of play, which the Whites were desperately unlucky not to score from. Dylan Bonella's inswinging ball from the right was headed clear as far as Joe Tumelty on the edge of the area, but his powerful shot cannoned off the crossbar as Loughborough sought to quickly clear the danger.
Moments later the keeper pulled off a fine save, palming away Pablo Haysham's strike from an acute angle before the ball was pumped clear by Andrew Bridge.
Hereford made two changes just shy of the hour mark, replacing Joe Tumelty and James Bowen with Mike Symons and Mustapha Bundu respectively. The substitutions made an instant impact on the game, when in the 65th minute Hereford were awarded a penalty. Mustapha Bundu made good progress down the left flank before cutting into the area. His right-footed effort took a deflection before being half-cleared by Williams, but Symons picked up the loose ball on the edge of the area before being brought down by Ward-Cochrane. Referee Thomas Jones instantly pointed to the spot.
 |
| Mustapha Bundu with the initial shot |
Despite having his spot kick saved at Salisbury on the weekend, and John Mills being back in the starting XI, Mustapha Bundu stepped up in front of an expectant Meadow End. Bundu sent the keeper the wrong way, slotting the ball into the bottom left hand corner of the net, the opposite side to his previous penalties.
 |
| And then converts a spot kick after Mike Symons was fouled |
Whilst Hereford keep up the pressure on Alvechurch at the top of the table, Loughborough can count themselves unlucky not to have got something out the game.
FT: Hereford 1 – Loughborough University 0
Att: 2,349
Sponsors’ MotM: Ryan Green
Hereford: Horsell, Oates, Edwards (c), Bonella, Green, Summers, Tumelty (Symons – 57’), Birch, Mills, Haysham, Bowen (Bundu – 57’).
Subs not used: Willets, Staley, Grant.
Loughborough University: O’Keefe, Legg (Langford – 63’), Bridge, Brenan, Williams (c), Poxon (Gordon – 78’), Rankin, Winchester (Dasaolu – 81’), Ward-Cochrane, Webb, Herbert.
Subs not used: Wright, Selway.