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Next Game: Home Against Farsley Celtic On Saturday March 23rd Kick-Off 3.00pm

Sunday, April 30, 2017

Hereford 0 – Royston Town 0 (5-4 on Penalties)


Martin Horsell With The Penalty Save That Won The Game For Hereford
After lifting the Southern League Division One South and West shield last week, Hereford hosted the Central division champions Rosyton Town on Saturday in a champion of champions game between the two sides.

With Ryan Green starting his three game suspension and Rob Purdie unavailable, in came Clayton Fortune in defence and Calvin Dinsley in midfield.

Hertfordshire-based Royston got the game underway, and were lucky not to go a goal down with 11 minutes on the clock. John Mills had a great chance to open the scoring, but he couldn't quite get on the end of Joel Edwards' low cross from the left to turn it home from close-range.

Joel Edwards Crosses The Ball But No One Got On The End Of It
Royston’s first look on goal came two minutes later, but Stuart Bridges' free kick from 25-yards hit the four-man wall, before going behind for a harmless corner.


A misplaced pass from Mark Preece then let Royston through on goal, but John Frendo couldn’t find the target with his header midway through the first half.

After making an early substitution, the Crows almost gifted the Bulls the lead. Dan Brathwaite’s back-header forced the keeper into making a diving save to keep the clean sheet intact.

Nine minutes from the break, Mike Symons brought down Calvin Dinsley’s cross before teeing-up Pablo Haysham just outside the area. Joe Welch was left untroubled in goal for the Crows as Haysham’s shot sailed over the crossbar.

John Mills should've done better following some good work down the left by Mike McGrath, but Mills’ wayward shot whistled wide of the mark.

John Mills Controls The Ball But Shoots Wide
HT: Hereford 0 - Royston Town 0

Hereford couldn’t break the deadlock at the start of the second half after chances from Joel Edwards and Mike McGrath. Joel Edwards fired his diagonal shot wide after being set up by John Mills, before McGrath's free kick fizzed over the bar following a foul on Jamie Edge.

Jamie Edge Is Fouled
In the 54th minute, Royston were unlucky not to score through John Frendo. With Martin Horsell well off his line, Frendo failed to find the back of an unguarded net.

With 63 minutes on the clock, substitute Spyros Mentis did well to deny Pablo Haysham. After running onto the end of a long-ball forward from defence, Haysham worked himself a shooting opportunity, but his right-footed effort took a deflection off Mentis.

Pablo Haysham Watches As His Shot Is Deflected For A Corner
A free kick for Royston's captain Scott Bridges 11 minutes later proved to be an easy save for Horsell. After curling the ball around the Hereford wall, Bridges’ shot was straight into the arms of the well-positioned Hereford keeper.

Referee Philip Hardisty Talks To Mike Symons After An 'Incident'

At the other end of the pitch, Calvin Dinsley came close to scoring his first goal since returning to Edgar Street. After John Mills cut the ball back to Dinsley, Joe Welch palmed away his left-footed drive.

Both sides had goalworthy chances in the remaining ten minutes. Firstly, John Mills’ shot on the turn left the keeper well-beaten, but the far post denied the Hereford marksman.

John Mills Turns And Shoots But His Effort His The Post
With penalties looming, Matt Nolan’s flicked effort for the visitors was just wide of the upright.

Hereford's last clear-cut chance of the game fell to Jimmy Oates, but his shot from the right-hand side of the box went behind after taking a deflection.

FT: Hereford 0 - Royston Town 0

With the scores level at full time, the game went straight to penalties to decide the champion of champions.

Martin Horsell and Joe Welch Ready To Face Penalties
Hereford stepped up first in front of the Meadow End, with John Mills coolly slotting home before Danny May did the same for the visitors.

Both sides then scored the next two, with Symons and McGrath netting for the Bulls. Substitute Bradley Williams then saw his penalty saved, but the score remained level after Rod Orlando-Young fired his shot well-wide.

Mike Symons Converted His Penalty
The shoot-out then went to sudden death after Jimmy Oates and Gus Scott-Morris both found the back of the net.

Calvin Dinsley sent the keeper the wrong way as he scored Hereford’s fifth, before Martin Horsell saved Royston’s sixth penalty by pushing it onto the post.

Captain Joel Edwards With Martin Horsell After The Keeper Saved The Penalty
The win meant the Whites could lift their second trophy of the season, with the chance to do the treble should they beat Lads Club at home on Monday in the County Cup final.

Hereford 0 – Royston Town 0 (Hereford won 5-4 on penalties)
Att: 1,852
Sponsors’ MotM: Jimmy Oates

Hereford: Horsell, Oates, Edwards (c) Edge (Sinclair – 70’ (Williams – 89’)), Preece, Fortune, Dinsley, McGrath, Mills, Haysham, Symons.
Subs not used: Huntbach, Franklin, A. Harris.

Royston: Welch, Scott-Morriss, Brathwaite, Bridges (c), Murray (Mentis – 14’), Bridges, Orlando-Young, May, Frendo, Powell (Nolan – 56’), Castiglione (Towner – 77’).
Subs not used: Watkins, Frater.