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Hereford get the points
Hereford United kept up their challenge for a play-off place with a 2-0 home win against Kettering. Ben Smith in the first half and Matt Clarke in the second half were the scorers. Conditions were difficult with gusty winds and a sticky pitch. The Bulls stay in sixth position with 58 points from 34 games, but as both Chester and Halifax lost today, there is still all to play for.
Clarke returns
with a bullet header
Hereford
United 2 - 0 Kettering Town
Graham Turner warned that Kettering Town
would be no easy opponents before the game, and so he was
proved correct as Hereford United were made to work for
their 2-0 victory at Edgar Street.
The drinks at the end were on Matt Clarke, who made his first start for two months after recovering from a knee operation and scored a late goal to ensure that the points were made safe.
Early on, Kettering battled well and looked a useful side for the first twenty minutes or so. Hereford were forced to weather the storm on a slippy pitch but they soon took control and John Grant missed the target midway through the half when a Steve Guinan ball found him in the box. Two minutes later, neither striker could link onto a Paul Parry cross as it got stuck in the mud in the six-yard box.
Michael Rose had a good chance to put Hereford into the lead on thirty two minutes when his twenty five yard strike was tipped over by Kettering's veteran goalkeeper Ian Bowling. The former Mansfield Town stopper could do nothing, though, when a Danny Williams short corner saw Michael Rose hook in a good cross for Ben Smith to head home from six yards with five minutes of the half remaining.
Marak Haran attempted to find his side's way back into the game just before the break when he nodded a corner inches over Matt Baker's crossbar, and Poppies player-boss Carl Shutt should have levelled things two minutes after the restart but fired over from eight yards with only Matt Baker to beat in the Hereford goal.
John Grant was replaced for Rob Purdie four minutes later as United boss Turner perhaps tried out his attacking ability in preparation for the trip to Scarborough next week. Grant's sending off at Yeovil has gone to an appeals panel, but if not overturned will mean he will miss three games, the first of which will be at the McCain Stadium.
As the second half wore one, Hereford increased the pressure searching for another goal. Paul Parry fired into the side netting and Rob Purdie forced a low save from Bowling after picking up the ball from a defender on the edge of the box. Bowling then tipped over a Parry effort from twenty five yards with ten minutes to go, and then Matt Clarke found the back on the net three minutes later with a superb header which bounced down off the crossbar and over the line from a Parry cross. Ben Smith ran in to make sure it counted, but there was no doubting which side had earned the victory.
The sixty five away fans will see that Kettering battled well, but they lacked something in front of goal and looked doomed. Hereford, on the other hand, are still pressing for the play-offs, and will need to do it all again at Scarborough next weekend.
The drinks at the end were on Matt Clarke, who made his first start for two months after recovering from a knee operation and scored a late goal to ensure that the points were made safe.
Early on, Kettering battled well and looked a useful side for the first twenty minutes or so. Hereford were forced to weather the storm on a slippy pitch but they soon took control and John Grant missed the target midway through the half when a Steve Guinan ball found him in the box. Two minutes later, neither striker could link onto a Paul Parry cross as it got stuck in the mud in the six-yard box.
Michael Rose had a good chance to put Hereford into the lead on thirty two minutes when his twenty five yard strike was tipped over by Kettering's veteran goalkeeper Ian Bowling. The former Mansfield Town stopper could do nothing, though, when a Danny Williams short corner saw Michael Rose hook in a good cross for Ben Smith to head home from six yards with five minutes of the half remaining.
Marak Haran attempted to find his side's way back into the game just before the break when he nodded a corner inches over Matt Baker's crossbar, and Poppies player-boss Carl Shutt should have levelled things two minutes after the restart but fired over from eight yards with only Matt Baker to beat in the Hereford goal.
John Grant was replaced for Rob Purdie four minutes later as United boss Turner perhaps tried out his attacking ability in preparation for the trip to Scarborough next week. Grant's sending off at Yeovil has gone to an appeals panel, but if not overturned will mean he will miss three games, the first of which will be at the McCain Stadium.
As the second half wore one, Hereford increased the pressure searching for another goal. Paul Parry fired into the side netting and Rob Purdie forced a low save from Bowling after picking up the ball from a defender on the edge of the box. Bowling then tipped over a Parry effort from twenty five yards with ten minutes to go, and then Matt Clarke found the back on the net three minutes later with a superb header which bounced down off the crossbar and over the line from a Parry cross. Ben Smith ran in to make sure it counted, but there was no doubting which side had earned the victory.
The sixty five away fans will see that Kettering battled well, but they lacked something in front of goal and looked doomed. Hereford, on the other hand, are still pressing for the play-offs, and will need to do it all again at Scarborough next weekend.
Written by Terry Goodwin - 8th March 2003
| Hereford United | Kettering Town |
| Matt Baker | Ian Bowling |
| Matthew Clarke | Martin Matthews |
| Michael Rose | Marak Haran (off, 65 minutes) |
| Tony James (captain) | Lee Howarth (captain) |
| Andy Tretton | Craig Norman |
| Jamie Pitman | Wayne Duik (off, 87 minutes) |
| Ben Smith | Niall Inman |
| Steve Guinan | Brett Solkhon |
| Danny Williams (off, 87 minutes) | Carl Shutt (off, 72 minutes) |
| John Grant (off, 51 minutes) | Victor Asombang |
| Paul Parry | Shaun Murray |
| Subs | Subs |
| Rob Purdie (on, 51 minutes) | William Gourlay |
| Ken Griffiths | Michael Boyle-Chong (on, 87 minutes) |
| Rob Sawyers | Steffan Dancy |
| Richard Teesdale | Delroy Gordon (off, 65 minutes) |
| Jay Lovett (on, 87 minutes) | Davey Williamson (on, 72 minutes) |
| Yellow cards | Yellow cards |
| Steve Guinan (unsporting behaviour, 77 minutes) | Lee Howarth (foul, 30 minutes) |
| Red cards | Red cards |
| - | - |
| Scorers | Scorers |
| Ben Smith (39 minutes) | - |
| Matt Clarke (83 minutes) | |
| Man of the Match | Paul Parry |
| Attendance | 2062 |
| Referee | Mr. C. Harwood (Manchester) |