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| Tate Campbell's 82nd minute goal sealed the win |
Go back any further and it was a certain Jarrod Bowen, now playing for West Ham United and England, scoring for the Bulls in the super April 2014 3-2 home win.
But back to the present day, it was a game of two halves and a little bit of luck seeing Hereford to the vital three points. The first half saw two sides cancel each other out with no notable chances, whereas in the second half, Hereford had a little bit more nouse and fight - while still remaining patient - to carve out the win.
Looking for their seventh win in eight games - and fourth win on the bounce - Paul Caddis was forced to leave Sammy Robinson out of the squad due to illness, with Lewis Hudson and Jason Cowley dropping to the bench. In came Alex Babos with the captain's armband, Aaron Skinner and Dylan Mitchell.
The first half didn't get off to the best start for the Bulls as they struggled to create any meaningful chances, with Alfreton trying their luck on 10 minutes with a speculative shot from Sam Osborne blazing over the bar after cutting in from the flank before Lewis Salmon's snapshot flashed just wide after a similar move.
The best chance of the half came in the 15th minute when Alfreton George Cantrill broke free of Kyle Howkins on the left and cut in in front of the Meadow End. Some hasty defending saw the ball fall to Lewis Salmon but the ball zipped wide of the upright.
With still nothing of note for Hereford, other than doing well to cope with a typical Alfreton playing for free kicks and throw ins while taking an age to do so, the visitors then won their first corner of the game in the 29th minute. It was journeyman striker Gerry McDonagh who forced a save out of Theo Richardson.
White Brought Down But Hereford's Free Kick Came To Nothing
Hereford's first corner then came in the 36th minute but having been defending set pieces with 11 men behind the ball, the Bulls were unable to create anything and then found themselves hit on the counter - but this didn't bear fruit for the visitors as Osborne failed to create a meaningful chance.
Half time: Hereford 0 - Alfreton 0
With the 2,483 fans inside Edgar Street all hoping for a better second half, the Bulls did have two chances within five minutes of the restart. The first saw Tate Campbell and fellow midfielder Dylan Mitchell combine well, but the latter's effort was always doing high and wide of Jake Askew's net. The second then was no closer as Ceesay, against his former club, twisted his way to freedom on the edge of the area but fired well wide.
Hereford's defence, perhaps not looking as resolute as they were earlier in the month, were then almost caught out with Osborne's solo run, but he couldn't get enough on his eventual shot to control it and hit the target. Richardson called into action though in the 56th minute as Osborne played a wicked ball through the box to Jed Abbey, but his cross-come-shot was claimed by the on-loan Hereford stopper.
Perhaps heeding the warning from the latest chances for an Alfreton side looking to avoid their third straight defeat, Ceesay broke the deadlock in the 59th minute. With a stunning run down the right wing, carving through two red shirts, the lively winger - who's forever causing problems for defenders - drove a shot towards goal, taking a deflection before nestling in the back of net.
Two more chances followed for the visitors as Osborne and Abbey combined before one of Alfreton's three new signings of the last 48 hours, Luke Matheson, crossed to the back post for Salmon - only for his effort to be straight at Richardson. The second, this time from Abbey, saw him denied by Richardson's out-stretched arm after being teed up by Osborne.
With only one goal separating the two sides, a second for Hereford was crucial to them having some breathing space going into the dying stages of the game at a sunny, almost spring-like Edgar Street. Hereford hadn't been without their fair share of chances though, including a scramble in the box where nobody could find a way through a sea of red shirts, Howkins laying off to Tate Campbell whose first-time shot proved an easy save for the keeper, and Babos finding himself on the end of a poor Abbey clearance as his shot was deflected over.
The crucial second goal did come though in the 82nd minute as Hereford played out a well-rehearsed set piece. With Cantrill impeding Jaiden White as he tried to break towards the box from the right, the referee didn't hesitate in awarding Hereford the free kick - but stopped short of dishing out a second booking the Alfreton player after a similar foul in the first half.
As Alex Babos stepped up to take the free kick, delivering it into the area, Tate Campbell got onto the end of it and headed it into the back of the net.
With flurries of substitutions for both sides, including Caddis opting to replace Remaye Campbell whose ability to hold the ball up hadn't gone unnoticed, even though it was slightly less effective against a physical Alfreton back line.
While there was one more chance each for the sides, for Hereford it was White who burst forward and couldn't get a shot away while one-on-one with the keeper and for Alfreton it was substitute Waldock forcing a good save from Richardson, the game petered out. It did mean though that Hereford could claim the three points from Alfreton for the first time since the sides first met in National League North in 2018 and rise a place to fourth in the table.
Even without Sammy Robinson in the side, Hereford didn't often find themselves over-run in midfield and Dylan Mitchell bagged himself the sponsors' man of the match award - though it would be good for the former Manchester City youth player to make a quick recovery as his solid and dependable nature will be welcome ahead of Tuesday night's game against Buxton.
Full time: Hereford 2 - Alfreton Town 0
Attendance: 2,483 (37 away)
Sponsors' man of the match: Dylan Mitchell
Hereford: Richardson, Skinner, Howkins, Preston, Andoh, Campbell (Cowley 88’), Mitchell, White (Hudson 90+1’), Babos, Ceesay (Sturridge 90+3’), Campbell (Williams 88’)
Sub not used: McGlynn
Alfreton Town: Askew, Anson, Wiley, Cantrill (Lund 83’), Salmon (Newall 78’), Abbey (Waldock 86’), McDonagh (Francis 73’), Osborne, Solademi, Carson, Matheson
Sub not used: Hunt