BN looks back to this day in 2003.
Manager Graham Turner had been busy in the few days previous to the game bringing in two attacking players, Albano Correia from Bristol City and Karl Hawley from Walsall.
Jean Michel Sigere broke away from a Hereford attack as added time progressed to round the stranded Matt Baker and fire a low ball into the back of the net, despite the efforts of Rob Purdie to keep Hereford on level terms.
Hereford made three changes to the side that lost 2-1 at Barnet last week, with Tony James injured, Jamie Pitman suspended and Steve Guinan dropped to the bench. In replacement, Rob Purdie filled in in midfield as United reverted to a 4-4-2 formation, while Albano Correia partnered Karl Hawley in attack after their recent signings.
In the opening ten minutes, Hereford dominated. After three minutes, Correia's acute shot rebounded off the crossbar, and Smith was forced into a save from Hawley a couple of minutes later. However, Margate opened the scoring after eleven minutes when Phil Collins was fouled by Andy Tretton just outside the United area. Greg Oates took the free-kick, which was deflected for a corner which he swung into the box. Two saves from Matt Baker were not enough as Hereford couldn't clear the danger, and Sigere popped up for his first of the afternoon.
Six minutes later, Phil Collins made it 2-0 with a bizarre goal. Some forty yards from goal, Collins fired a high ball goalwards and then turned away, so he didn't see it fly over Matt Baker and into the back of the net. It was then when the vast majority of the 1959 crowd at Edgar Street felt it wasn't going to be their day.
Jay Saunders fired a Graham Porter ball into the net midway through the half, but that was ruled out for offside and Hereford regrouped. Ian Wright had a header tipped over by Smith at the other end before Paul Parry stepped up nine minutes prior to the break to narrow the scoreline. A throw from the left was flicked on by Ian Wright, blocked, and then fell to Parry sixteen yards out. His rifling shot was touched by the goalkeeper, but found its way into the top corner for the Welshman's tenth Conference goal of the season. In added time at the end of the half, Parry had a free-kick just outside the box which was pushed away by the goalkeeper, but Ben Smith swung the ball back in for Correia to head inches wide of the far post.
After the break, Hereford camped out in the Margate half for long periods as Danny Williams and Karl Hawley tried their luck early on, but it was substitute Steve Guinan who really made the difference. With twelve minutes to go, his cross almost eluded the goalkeeper at the near post and a couple of minutes later, a Parry corner found Matt Clarke on the far post, and he headed it back across goal for Guinan to run in and equalise.
The Margate fans at the game, though, went home happy when Sigere finished off the match with a last-gasp winner.
| Hereford United | Margate |
| Matt Baker | Phil Smith |
| Matt Clarke | Greg Oates |
| Michael Rose | Paul lamb |
| Ian Wright (captain) | Bill Edwards |
| Andy Tretton | Graham Porter (captain) |
| Rob Purdie | Sam Sodje |
| Ben Smith | Jake Leberl |
| Albano Correia | Jay Saunders |
| Paul Parry | Leon Braithwaite (off, 90 minutes) |
| Karl Hawley | Phil Collins (off, 53 minutes) |
| Danny Williams (off, 68 minutes) | Jean Michel Sigere |
| Subs | Subs |
| Steve Guinan (on, 68 minutes) | Adrian Clarke (on, 86 minutes) |
| Ken Griffiths | Lee Shearer (on, 53 minutes, off, 86 minutes) |
| Richard Teesdale | Iain O'Connell |
| Jordan Lambert | Charlie Mitten |
| Rob Sawyers | |
| Yellow cards | Yellow cards |
| - | Sam Sodje (foul, 6 minutes) |
| Red cards | Red cards |
| - | - |
| Scorers | Scorers |
| Paul Parry (36 minutes) | Jean Michel Sigere (12, 90 minutes) |
| Steve Guinan (81 minutes) | Phil Collins (19 minutes) |
| Man of the Match | Paul Parry |
| Attendance | 1959 |
| Referee | Mr. T. Kettle (Maidenhead) |
Guinan should have started
Hereford
United's aspirations to get into a play-off place took another knock
this afternoon with the defeat by Margate. Graham Turner opted to play
his two new strikers and left Steve Guinan on the bench. He may now
regret that decision as neither of the two signing seem as good as
Guinan at collecting and holding the ball and so United were unable to
keep possession from high balls.
When Guinan was eventually brought on it looked as through Hereford
could win and after he equalised they were very unlucky to go down to a
breakaway goal much like that scored by Barnet last week. By bringing
virtually everyone up front the Bulls were left wide open for a break
and that's exactly what happened when Margate scored the winner.
Ian Wright spoke about the defeat to BBC Hereford & Worcester
after the game. "We came off the pitch and all the lads were absolutely
gutted," he said. "We played really well, they scored a couple of fluky
goals to go 2-0 up and I thought we came back really well. We showed a
lot of character, got back to two each but they snatched it right at
the end. It was very disappointing.
"We actually started very well. We had chances before they scored.
The first time they got players into our box they got the first goal and
then the second goal, I don't think you will ever see it again! The
player just hooked it over his head about thirty-five to forty yards
out, the wind got hold of it and caused Matt Baker all sorts of problems
and it's dropped in."
Parry's goal just before half time was "a good strike that gave us a great opportunity to get back in the game".
Asked about the new players Wright thought they did well. "They held
it up well and caused problems up-front so for a first game it was a
good performance.
With four defeats in five games Wright said: "No it's not (play-off
form).The last couple of games we have played reasonably well especially
today. There are still 15 points to win."
Graham Turner was downcast after the game and told the press: "We
have got to see the season out positively and see what that brings, but
the second goal was one of the most freakish I've seen and to see the
ball land in the net was a huge blow."
Several supporters noted that whilst both new strikers started well
enough Albano Correia looked very tired towards the end and it was
surprising that he was not subbed.