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| Sam Osborne celebrating his goal |
Hereford were lucky to earn a point under the Edgar Street lights after a stroke of luck helped them to a 1-1 draw against AFC Telford United.
Having gone a goal down late in the first half as Matty Stenson fired low past Theo Richardson, Hereford hit back as Sam Osborne buried the ball in the back of the net on the hour mark after an Omari Sterling-James cross took a favourable deflection.
The Bulls went into the game looking to bounce back from Saturday’s narrow 2-1 defeat at South Shields, while mid-table Telford arrived in rampant form, having scored 10 goals across their previous two outings.
Hereford started with three changes from the weekend, as Matt Richards, new signing Charlie Cooper and Sam Osbourne returned to the starting XI. There was also a welcome Edgar Street return for West Brom loanee Michael Parker, who had found the net at South Shields.
It was an encouraging start for the hosts, with Parker immediately getting down the left and seeing his early cross deflected behind. Moments later, Omari Sterling-James almost produced an opener out of nothing, sending a dipping effort goalwards that forced young goalkeeper Josh Gracey into a desperate back-pedalling save to claw the ball away from under his bar.
Telford began to grow into the contest, and their first real opening arrived on 12 minutes when a corner broke kindly inside the box, but Richardson was alert to make a low save. The Bucks then started to dominate possession, moving the ball neatly while Hereford were guilty of some sloppy turnovers and an over-reliance on ineffective long balls to isolated lone striker Remaye Campbell.
In the 23rd minute, the visitors were handed a big opportunity when Kyle Howkins was adjudged to have brought down Matty Stenson inside the box, despite some fans questioning offside and/or a handball from the Telford forward. Referee Ben Robinson initially brandished a red card, only to reverse the decision after consultation and downgrade it to yellow as the Meadow End erupted in furore - unfortunately detracting from the heartfelt tributes to James Plumridge.
From the spot, Stenson’s low penalty was brilliantly tipped away by Richardson, diving full-stretch to his right to keep it level as the Bulls cleared their lines.
The save didn't do much to galvanise Hereford, as they struggled to create clear chances, and were carved open far too easily by Telford. It was the Bucks who almost struck next as Remi Walker headed over from close range before forcing another smart save from Richardson following a counter-attack. The visitors, backed by 242 fans in a crowd of 2,583, continued to dominate possession and run rings around Hereford, all without testing Richardson too much.
Hereford had a chance to score when Campbell was fouled.
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| However Sterling-James's free kick was too easy for the keeper |
Just when it looked like the sides would go in level, Hereford switched off from a free-kick in first-half stoppage time. Stenson was found on the edge of the area, and this time he made no mistake, drilling a low shot beyond Richardson to give Telford a 1-0 lead and him his 50th goal in a Telford shirt.
Half time: Hereford 0 - Telford United 1
While a handful of boos from the Meadow End met the half-time whistle after a frustrating 45 minutes where Hereford were under the cosh for large parts, Paul Caddis’s side came out fighting after the restart. A well-worked short corner saw Parker fire over from distance early in the second half as the Bulls looked to regain control.
Their persistence after a string of early free kicks was rewarded on the hour mark as Sterling-James swung in a cross from the right, ricocheting off two defenders before falling kindly to Osborne.
The Alfreton loanee reacted to steer home from close range to pull his side back level.
That goal transformed the mood inside Edgar Street as Hereford began to push forward with greater intent, and Caddis introduced Gus Mafuta and I-Lani Edwards from the bench to freshen things up. Edwards almost made an instant impact, seeing a low effort parried away by Gracey at his near post before another deflected strike looped narrowly over the bar.
At the other end, Telford remained dangerous from set pieces. Mafuta was forced into an important flicked clearance to turn a goal-bound header wide, while Hudson produced a vital block late on to deny Walker from point-blank range.
Into a frantic final few minutes, Hereford had a free-kick scrambled off the line in stoppage time before Telford boss Kevin Wilkin was sent off - possibly for holding onto the ball to delay a Hereford throw.
Substitute Luke Rowe headed wide deep into added time, but neither side could find the decisive breakthrough.
A much-improved second-half display ensured Hereford avoided back-to-back home defeats, but they will feel there was an opportunity for more against a side who had been scoring freely.
The Bulls now face another tough test on Saturday with a trip to AFC Fylde, who beat promotion hopefuls Spennymoor Town 5-0 on Tuesday evening.
Full time: Hereford 1 - AFC Telford United 1
Attendance: 2,583 (242 away)
Sponsors' man of the match: Sam Osborne
Hereford: Richardson, Skinner, Hudson, Preston, Howkins (Mafuta 57'), Richards (Edwards 57'), Cooper (Williams 80'), Osbourne, Parker, Campbell, Sterling-James
Subs not used: Lewis, Quansah, Rooney, Bitemo.
AFC Telford United: Gracey, Cranston, Piggott, Fletcher, Williams (Rowe 71'), Stenson (George 71'), Meddows (Hilton 85'), Cawthorne, Leshabela (Dinanga 71'), Walker (Armson 85'), Dyre.
Subs not used: Fridye-Harper, Lawal.