Martin Horsell With The Penalty Save That Won The Game For Hereford |
With Ryan Green starting his three game suspension and Rob Purdie unavailable, in came Clayton Fortune in defence and Calvin Dinsley in midfield.
Hertfordshire-based Royston got the game underway, and were lucky not to go a goal down with 11 minutes on the clock. John Mills had a great chance to open the scoring, but he couldn't quite get on the end of Joel Edwards' low cross from the left to turn it home from close-range.
Joel Edwards Crosses The Ball But No One Got On The End Of It |
A misplaced pass from Mark Preece then let Royston through on goal, but John Frendo couldn’t find the target with his header midway through the first half.
After making an early substitution, the Crows almost gifted the Bulls the lead. Dan Brathwaite’s back-header forced the keeper into making a diving save to keep the clean sheet intact.
Nine minutes from the break, Mike Symons brought down Calvin Dinsley’s cross before teeing-up Pablo Haysham just outside the area. Joe Welch was left untroubled in goal for the Crows as Haysham’s shot sailed over the crossbar.
John Mills should've done better following some good work down the left by Mike McGrath, but Mills’ wayward shot whistled wide of the mark.
Hereford couldn’t break the deadlock at the start of the second half after chances from Joel Edwards and Mike McGrath. Joel Edwards fired his diagonal shot wide after being set up by John Mills, before McGrath's free kick fizzed over the bar following a foul on Jamie Edge.
Jamie Edge Is Fouled |
With 63 minutes on the clock, substitute Spyros Mentis did well to deny Pablo Haysham. After running onto the end of a long-ball forward from defence, Haysham worked himself a shooting opportunity, but his right-footed effort took a deflection off Mentis.
Pablo Haysham Watches As His Shot Is Deflected For A Corner |
Referee Philip Hardisty Talks To Mike Symons After An 'Incident' |
Both sides had goalworthy chances in the remaining ten minutes. Firstly, John Mills’ shot on the turn left the keeper well-beaten, but the far post denied the Hereford marksman.
John Mills Turns And Shoots But His Effort His The Post |
Hereford's last clear-cut chance of the game fell to Jimmy Oates, but his shot from the right-hand side of the box went behind after taking a deflection.
FT: Hereford 0 - Royston Town 0
With the scores level at full time, the game went straight to penalties to decide the champion of champions.
Martin Horsell and Joe Welch Ready To Face Penalties |
Both sides then scored the next two, with Symons and McGrath netting for the Bulls. Substitute Bradley Williams then saw his penalty saved, but the score remained level after Rod Orlando-Young fired his shot well-wide.
Mike Symons Converted His Penalty |
Calvin Dinsley sent the keeper the wrong way as he scored Hereford’s fifth, before Martin Horsell saved Royston’s sixth penalty by pushing it onto the post.
Captain Joel Edwards With Martin Horsell After The Keeper Saved The Penalty |
Hereford 0 – Royston Town 0 (Hereford won 5-4 on penalties)
Att: 1,852
Sponsors’ MotM: Jimmy Oates
Hereford: Horsell, Oates, Edwards (c) Edge (Sinclair – 70’ (Williams – 89’)), Preece, Fortune, Dinsley, McGrath, Mills, Haysham, Symons.
Subs not used: Huntbach, Franklin, A. Harris.
Royston: Welch, Scott-Morriss, Brathwaite, Bridges (c), Murray (Mentis – 14’), Bridges, Orlando-Young, May, Frendo, Powell (Nolan – 56’), Castiglione (Towner – 77’).
Subs not used: Watkins, Frater.