Hereford United were defeated for the first time under the leadership of Martin Foyle, going down 2-0 at Rodney Parade against table toppers Newport County. Goals from Andy Sandell and Aaron O'Connor settled proceedings, although things could have been different had Harry Pell not have seen his penalty saved in the first-half.
The Bulls came out of the blocks quickly with Tom Nichols threatening in and around the area, with the ball eventually breaking loose to Sam Clucas, who had a right-foot shot blocked. Moments later, Newport should have been one up but for a horrendous miss by the much travelled Jefferson Louis. After a short back-pass by Andy Gallinagh, Louis pounced, rounding Hanford but after looking appearing too relaxed, he failed to sort his feet as he homed in on an empty goal, before the ball was eventually cleared by the Hereford defence. A searching ball down the right-wing by Pell found Nichols, who sent a low pass across the box for strike partner Sean Canham but his effort was easily held by Lenny Pidgeley.
Just after the ten minute mark, Hereford were awarded a penalty for a foul on Pell. A pass by Marley Watkins was controlled by Nichols, who in turn found the onrushing Pell, taking the ball in his stride before having his feet clipped when bursting into the box. Penalty awarded but Pell couldn't find the net, with his strike pushed away by Pidgeley, with the follow-up effort from Nichols clearing the crossbar.
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| Nichols missed the rebound |
The rest of the half saw both sides get in behind the oppositions' defences but fail to muster up any clear-cut chances. The best efforts fell to Sandwell who curled past Dan Hanford's post and Michael Flynn's 20 yard strike after a quick counter-attack which was a foot or so off target.
The second-half took a while to get going, with both sides cancelling each other out to a certain extent. A long punt forward by David Pipe into the channel found Danny Crow but his powerful right-foot half-volley failed to trouble Hanford. Jake Thomson and Ryan Charles were introduced, in place of Lee Evans and the ineffective Louis; sandwiched in between these changes was a half-chance after Nichols cut-back a pass from the by-line with Sandwell's sliding clearence nearly ending up in his own net. A long free-kick from the touch-line caught United napping and Ismail Yakubu nearly got a decisive touch in behind but his deft finish was pushed away by Hanford.
After Ryan Bowman was introduced in place of Canham, County took the lead with a stunning strike. Former Bristol Rovers left-back Sandell struck a ferocious effort from close to 30 yards which had too much power for Hanford to hand Newport the advantage. United reacted by replacing Chris Carruthers with Brian Smikle but rarely threatened with County playing on the break; they were nearly rewarded when a Hereford corner was cleared and a pass over Gallinagh's head allowed Charles to race in goal shooting wide under pressure from the backtracking Smikle. Bowman controlled with his chest but a half-volley was well held by Pidgeley before five minutes of injury time were added. As Hereford pushed men forward for the equaliser, the inevitable breakaway proved decisive once more as O'Connor latched onto a misplaced pass on the half-way line, raced down the left-wing before cutting in and placing an unstoppable shot into the far top corner.
A disappointing night, where Newport thoroughly deserved the three points. Had Pell's penalty not been saved, the game could have taken a very different pattern but two moments of quality seperated the team. The hosts look very useful coming forward, with some neat-football played and some tricky players up top, although defensively, they looked a little shaky at times, with United failing to capitalise on this. Despite the loss, fans should remain upbeat. Ten points from a possible fifteen is a promising start to the season and there's plenty of potential within the team. 4,365 were in attendance at Rodney Parade, making for a cracking atmosphere, with just under 600 in the away end. Next up for Hereford is the visit of Grimsby on Saturday, with Foyle and co looking to return to winning ways.
Hereford: Hanford, Gallinagh, Townsend, Graham, Carruthers (Smikle), Watkins, Pell, Clist, Clucas, Nichols, Canham (Bowman).
Subs not used: Bittner, Stam, Sammons.
Newport: Pidgeley, Pipe, James, Yakubu, Sandell, Porter, Evans (Thomson), Flynn, O'Connor, Louis (Charles), Crow.
Subs not used: Perry, Hughes, Harris.