Life of Brian goal earns three points

A last minute Brian Smikle goal secured all three points against ten-man Barrow at Edgar Street this afternoon after a first half Adam Boyes goal for the visitors had been pegged back by a Josh O’Keefe spot kick.

Martin Foyle was able to name an unchanged team despite midweek illness scares from James Musa and O'Keefe while Ryan Bowman returned to the match-day squad with a place on the bench. Barrow were only able to name four substitutes.

Stam's early through ball found Sharp offside before Sam Clucas threatened to break free in the area only for Pearson to get in a timely challenge.  Chris Sharp did well on the right before pulling the ball back from the bye-line but Chris Curruthers' shot was deflected for a fruitless corner.

A period of sloppy play by both sides produced little more than a Sharp shot on the turn that failed to test visiting keeper Danny Hurst.  Then on twenty minutes Barrow took the lead following a howler by Bittner.

A fairly straightforward back-pass was not dealt with quickly and Adam Boyes stepped in to dispossess the normally reliable Bittner and tap into the empty net.

The visitors almost doubled their advantage when, with Skelton (did he used to have a TV shop in town?) poised at the back post, Kingsley James made a vital clearance at the expense of a corner before an equaliser arrived at the other end.

Good work on the right by Jackson provided an opportunity for Clucas and his goal-bound shot from just inside the box was handled on the line by McConville.  A penalty was awarded and a red card produced before O’Keefe stepped up to slot right-footed to the keeper's left.

McConville 'Saved' Clucas's Shot - Pictures From Andy Compton Of The Hereford Journal

Chris Sharp battled well on the left and got a ball back to Jackson but his effort was miss-hit and screwed wide.  One minute of added time only served to delay the queue for the halftime pie and coffee.

HT Bulls 1 Barrow 1

Bowman replaced Chris Sharp on the restart with Brian Smikle also coming on for Curruthers.  Sam Clucas fired in a cross, which the keeper had to come quickly to gather before Skelton saw his shot come back off Bittner's far post.  Smikle's cross was blocked for a corner and although Clucas got the ball in the net a foul by Graham had already caught the referee’s attention.

James Musa Receives A Yellow Card From Referee Rees

A Musa long throw was half cleared and Connor's shot veered wide of the target as the game deteriorated into a period of poor quality and misplaced passes. 

Smikle's cross was headed over the bar by Bowman before a Stam free kick was helped on but, again, Bowman failed to find the net.  Then, with time running out, The Bulls grabbed a late winner.

Smikle Gets The Winner

Kingsley James put in a cross from the left from which Bowman's header fell to Smikle who bundled over the line at the back post. 
 

Fans Congratulate Brian Smikle

The late decider may have provided some satisfaction for all but the 54 from Holker Street in a dismal crowd of just 1273.

FT Bulls 2 Barrow 1

Hereford: Bittner, Connor, Graham, Stam, Musa (Heath 71), James, O’Keefe, Carruthers (Smikle 46), Clucas, Jackson, Sharp (Bowman 46). Subs not used: McDonald, McQuilkin.

Barrow: Hurst, Pearson, Sodje, Hessey, Skelton, Hunter, Baker, Harvey, McConville, Rowe, Boyes. Subs not used: Flynn, Owen, Bayliss, Tongue.

Certainly not one for the connoisseurs but, I suppose, three points are three points.  The game rarely produced any moves to bring the spectators to their feet as errors and indecision were the only features to frequent the sparsely populated Edgar Street.

The game at Gateshead-cum-Hartlepool on Tuesday precedes what hopefully will be a better spectacle next Saturday against Hyde.

Keep the faith

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