Report: Hereford 7 - Ewyas Harold 0

Jack Deaman Captained Hereford

For the second year running Hereford will meet Lads Club in the County Challenge Cup final after they beat Ewyas Harold 7-0 on Tuesday evening. A strong Bulls XI eased past the County League side with the final expected to be played on Early May Bank Holiday Monday at Edgar Street.

Sean Swan

Ewyas Harold got the game underway attacking the Meadow End terrace in the first half, with the travelling supporters quick to get on the back of the home side. The first real threat from Hereford came in the 6th minute after left-back James Bowen made a quick break down the wing. After feeding the ball through to Lance Smith, he was dispossessed as he broke into the box with the opportunity coming to nothing more than a fruitless corner.

The Bulls then started to ramp up the pressure as Jamie Cuss’ effort was cleared off the line after stabbing Lance Smith’s parried shot towards goal. Another chance followed for Jamie Cuss, but once again he couldn’t find the back of the net as his shot was met with a decent save by visiting keeper Mike Bamborough.

It was a case of third time lucky for Cuss as in the 9th minute he opened the scoring after getting onto the end of a loose ball in the box and firing home.

Three minutes later Lance Smith doubled Hereford’s lead, heading past Bamborough following a good ball forward from Eliot Richards.

Ewyas Harold called Hereford’s stopper Will Puddy into action on the quarter of an hour mark, but Curtis Bound’s tame shot from close-range was easily gathered by the former Bristol Rovers man.

Despite the chance for Ewyas Harold, just a minute later it was 3-0 to the Evo-Stik South Premier outfit. Jamie Bird played the ball through to Mike McGrath who had little difficulty in rifling the ball home.

In the 32nd minute Jamie Bird got his name on the scoresheet with Hereford stringing together a number of passes in the build up. Bird burst forward and connected well with Jamie Cuss’ ball into the centre of the box and found the bottom left-hand corner of the net.

On the stroke of half time Mike McGrath forced the keeper into making a diving save as he tried his luck from a free kick, but from the resulting corner captain Jack Deaman made it five. As the corner came in from the left, Mark Cooper headed out as far as Eliot Richards, whose powerful ball into the box was flicked on into the back of the net by Deaman.

HT: Hereford 5 – Ewyas Harold 0

At the start of the second half lady luck was on the visitors’ side as the bar and a sprawling defender prevented a sixth. Lance Smith’s initial shot smashed against the bar before Mike Symons’ follow up shot was cleared off the line.

The sixth goal followed though as Hereford’s Eliot Richards got his first goal of the evening. An unstoppable shot was fired towards goal from outside the area after bursting forward.

Richards then netted his second as he found the bottom corner after being teed up by Mike Symons.

Just before being replaced by Joey Watkins, Jake Cleeves had an effort on goal for Ewyas Harold, but his long-range strike turned out to be a routine save for Will Puddy. 

In the 71st minute Mike Symons struck the post before substitute Cameron Pring's cross was headed against the upright and fell nicely to the keeper.

James Bowen Heads Towards Goal

As the game entered the final ten minutes, two chances for Mike Symons couldn’t futher extend the host’s lead as the first was met with a decent save from the keeper before the second was poked just wide.

FT: Hereford 7 – Ewyas Harold 0

Att: 405

Despite the somewhat unflattering score-line, Mike Bamborough between the sticks for Ewyas Harold made a number of decent saves throughout the course of the game and it could’ve easily been a double-figure goal tally for Hereford, similar to their 15-1 win against Tenbury United in the previous round. The County League side did themselves proud against a Hereford side made up of mainly first team players

Hereford: Puddy, Swan, Bowen, Richards, Liburd, Deaman, Cuss (Pring – 69’), Bird (Purdie – 82’), Smith (Hayes – 61’), McGrath, Symons.

Subs not used: Horsell.

Ewyas Harold: Bamborough, R. James (M. James – 87’), Fuller, Docherty, Lloyd, Davies (Cooper – 31’), Cleeves (Watkins – 73’), King, Price (Lindesay – 46’), Bounds, Sevenoaks (McNally – 80’).

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