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Bulls share the points
Too many missed chances cost Hereford three points at Northwich Victoria this afternoon. Hereford went in front early on as Rob Purdie scored but Northwich turned the game around by going 2-1 up. Hereford battled on and got a reward when John Grant scored to make it 2-2. It finished Hereford 2-2 Northwich.
Northwich
Victoria 2 - 2 Hereford United
Hereford United could only collect a
point from Wincham Park, the temporary home of Northwich
Victoria, in a closely-fought clash.
The Vics were on a role following their 2-1 win over Doncaster Rovers last Saturday, but couldn't repeat the feat against a Hereford side who drop to fifth in the play-off zone after the match.
The opening was drab, but it was the Bulls who drew first blood after ten minutes when a Jay Lovett cross from the right wing was nodded on by a defender before Rob Purdie fired home from close range. The Bulls were the better side in the first half, but Northwich drew level on twenty five minutes. Top scorer Greg Blundell, who has already notched sixteen Conference goals this season, found his way through the Hereford defence and knocked the ball past Matt Baker. David McNiven then slid in to ensure that the ball was goalbound.
Hereford's cause was further worsened by the loss of skipper Ian Wright to injury. He has a jarred knee, and was replaced by Richard Teesdale. There was nothing that the substitute, or the rest of the defence for that matter, could do about Northwich's second goal a minute before the break. Former Manchester United trainee Paul Teather smashed a long-range shot out of nothing into the top corner to hand the home side the half time lead.
After the restart, Hereford continued to dominate in spells, and gained just rewards for their efforts on the hour mark. A good run by Paul Parry and then a Jamie Pitman flick-on found former Northwich striker John Grant surging into the box from the left channel. He struck well to level the scores.
Both sides utilised the last half hour to find a winner, but neither succeeded. Greg Blundell tried his luck for Northwich, while United substitute Steve Guinan fired inches over Gary Kelly's crossbar with seventeen minutes to go.
However, there was drama stored up for the last minute when David McNiven's shot was spectacularly pushed over the crossbar by Matt Baker in added time. This was after Paul Parry had been penalised by the referee when clean through on goal. Play was pulled back for a foul on a United player. Finally, a Tony James own goal for Northwich was ruled out because of a push in the box.
The draw, though, was probably the fair result but doesn't greatly aid either side's ambitions for the season.Written by Terry Goodwin - 15th February 2003.
The Vics were on a role following their 2-1 win over Doncaster Rovers last Saturday, but couldn't repeat the feat against a Hereford side who drop to fifth in the play-off zone after the match.
The opening was drab, but it was the Bulls who drew first blood after ten minutes when a Jay Lovett cross from the right wing was nodded on by a defender before Rob Purdie fired home from close range. The Bulls were the better side in the first half, but Northwich drew level on twenty five minutes. Top scorer Greg Blundell, who has already notched sixteen Conference goals this season, found his way through the Hereford defence and knocked the ball past Matt Baker. David McNiven then slid in to ensure that the ball was goalbound.
Hereford's cause was further worsened by the loss of skipper Ian Wright to injury. He has a jarred knee, and was replaced by Richard Teesdale. There was nothing that the substitute, or the rest of the defence for that matter, could do about Northwich's second goal a minute before the break. Former Manchester United trainee Paul Teather smashed a long-range shot out of nothing into the top corner to hand the home side the half time lead.
After the restart, Hereford continued to dominate in spells, and gained just rewards for their efforts on the hour mark. A good run by Paul Parry and then a Jamie Pitman flick-on found former Northwich striker John Grant surging into the box from the left channel. He struck well to level the scores.
Both sides utilised the last half hour to find a winner, but neither succeeded. Greg Blundell tried his luck for Northwich, while United substitute Steve Guinan fired inches over Gary Kelly's crossbar with seventeen minutes to go.
However, there was drama stored up for the last minute when David McNiven's shot was spectacularly pushed over the crossbar by Matt Baker in added time. This was after Paul Parry had been penalised by the referee when clean through on goal. Play was pulled back for a foul on a United player. Finally, a Tony James own goal for Northwich was ruled out because of a push in the box.
The draw, though, was probably the fair result but doesn't greatly aid either side's ambitions for the season.Written by Terry Goodwin - 15th February 2003.
| Northwich Victoria | Hereford United |
| Gary Kelly | Matt Baker |
| Denny Ingram (captain) | Jay Lovett |
| Shaun Came (off, 23 minutes) | Michael Rose |
| Steve Davis | Ian Wright (captain, off, 34 minutes) |
| Chris Royle | Tony James |
| Jake Sedgemore | Andy Tretton |
| Paul Teather | Ben Smith |
| Steve Garvey | Rob Purdie (off, 65 minutes) |
| David McNiven | Jamie Pitman |
| Jonny Allen | John Grant |
| Greg Blundell | Paul Parry |
| Subs | Subs |
| Matthew Parry | Richard Teesdale (on, 34 minutes) |
| Jimmy Quinn (on, 68 minutes) | Ken Griffiths |
| Danny Griggs (on, 23 minutes, off, 68 minutes) | Michael Husbands |
| Steve Walsh | Rob Sawyers |
| Gregor Rioch | Steve Guinan (on, 65 minutes) |
| Yellow cards | Yellow cards |
| - | - |
| Red cards | Red cards |
| - | - |
| Scorers | Scorers |
| David McNiven (25 minutes) | Rob Purdie (10 minutes) |
| Paul Teather (44 minutes) | John Grant (61 minutes) |
| Man of the Match | Rob Purdie |
| Attendance | 896 |
| Referee | Mr. P. Canadine |