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| Rob Purdie |
The
largest league gate since the phoenix club was formed witnessed a
smashing game in the sun this afternoon, as Hereford FC bossed a first
half against a genuinely good team, before seeing the game out
professionally in the second half.
With a noisy Meadow End pushing the Bulls up towards the Blackfriars goal, Jennyson Myrie-Williams' looped header went over the bar with only a minute gone.
On four minutes Kettering had the ball in the net following a free kick against Rob Purdie, who seemed entirely guilt-free and a bit cross at having his special afternoon tampered with by referee Richard Gardner, but the 'goal' was chalked off as Kettering had actually committed a proper foul as the free kick was played into the box.
Shortly after, Kettering again broke through, but their Aaron O'Connor fouled Will Puddy in trying to score.
At the other end, Jimmy Oates was doing what Jimmy Oates does, charging forward and putting some dangerous crosses into the box, prompting optimism in the Meadow End as they suggested that they might get on the pitch if a certain retiree scored.
On ten minutes (yes it was an eventful start), that self-same retiree saw a curling free kick tipped over the bar for a corner, resulting in Dara O'Shea having an effort deflected wide.
However, two minutes later (did I say it was eventful?), the talented young Baggies loanee opened the scoring with a smashed finish from a goalmouth scramble precisely into the far corner of the net.
This was followed quickly by a looped header from, inevitably, one Robert Purdie.
And three minutes later the shellshocked Poppies conceded a penalty, following an incisive and pacy Hereford attack. With everyone expecting Purds to step up, it was in fact Lance Smith, lively from the off, who took the kick, blasting it confidently straight and true.
On 18 minutes the Kettering centre forward, whose physique was doing its best to cast shadows over an otherwise gloriously bright Edgar Street, had a decent chance to reduce arrears, but blazed over. As the visitors looked to get a foothold in the game, another chance went begging two minutes later, with a header going wide from close range.
In immediate response, Cameron Pring, again looking like he could do a job higher up the pyramid (hint, hint), ran the length of the pitch and delivered a peach of a cross which, unbelievably, managed to bisect three waiting Bulls in the box.
Despite Dara O'Shea marshalling the back four confidently and vociferously like an Irish Ryan Green, Kettering again had a chance to get back into the game with a turn and shot in the box which was well saved by Will Puddy, increasingly doing an impression of a Joe Hart who can actually catch a ball (ouch, sorry, but he is a Sloppie).
A rampaging Pring was brought down by the bus-like Rene Howe, resulting in a yellow card, and then a once-again-assured Jordan Liburd (looks like he could play at a higher level hint, hint) took an elbow in the face, which bafflingly resulted in no censure for the away team. The resulting free kick was shepherded out by the Poppies' Tom Marshall whose physique made their Rene Howe look vaguely athletic. The shepherding was therefore done somewhat incrementally.
As half time approached, Kettering picked up a yellow card for a cynical foul on the lively Myrie-Williams as Hereford threatened to break again, and Oates went off for treatment for a stamped foot.
A thoroughly entertaining first half ended with a sweeping Bulls move resulting in an influential Mike McGrath taking a shot fielded by the Kettering keeper.
With the Beast coming on at the start of the second half, presumably to put Marshall into some sort of human perspective, at the expense of the waif-like Keyon Reffell, and Jack Deamon on at the back for Oates, the Bulls were quickly back on the attack, with Smith attempting a trick in the box that didn't quite come off.
Kettering then did get a goal back, as reward for a period of good possession and greater intent, with an effort rebounding off the post kindly back into the six-yard box, from where the ball was dispatched confidently into the net.
As the half progressed Simmo started to impose himself, although having been caught five yards offside his protestations of innocence were a convincing enough performance to suggest that he, rather than Tom Cruise, should play Peter Beadle in any forthcoming Hereford FC feature film. To the sound of a resonating, goosebumping Meadow End, Simmo then managed to produce a Platiniesque chip, which looped just over the bar from 20 yards.
With a noisy Meadow End pushing the Bulls up towards the Blackfriars goal, Jennyson Myrie-Williams' looped header went over the bar with only a minute gone.
On four minutes Kettering had the ball in the net following a free kick against Rob Purdie, who seemed entirely guilt-free and a bit cross at having his special afternoon tampered with by referee Richard Gardner, but the 'goal' was chalked off as Kettering had actually committed a proper foul as the free kick was played into the box.
Shortly after, Kettering again broke through, but their Aaron O'Connor fouled Will Puddy in trying to score.
At the other end, Jimmy Oates was doing what Jimmy Oates does, charging forward and putting some dangerous crosses into the box, prompting optimism in the Meadow End as they suggested that they might get on the pitch if a certain retiree scored.
On ten minutes (yes it was an eventful start), that self-same retiree saw a curling free kick tipped over the bar for a corner, resulting in Dara O'Shea having an effort deflected wide.
However, two minutes later (did I say it was eventful?), the talented young Baggies loanee opened the scoring with a smashed finish from a goalmouth scramble precisely into the far corner of the net.
This was followed quickly by a looped header from, inevitably, one Robert Purdie.
And three minutes later the shellshocked Poppies conceded a penalty, following an incisive and pacy Hereford attack. With everyone expecting Purds to step up, it was in fact Lance Smith, lively from the off, who took the kick, blasting it confidently straight and true.
On 18 minutes the Kettering centre forward, whose physique was doing its best to cast shadows over an otherwise gloriously bright Edgar Street, had a decent chance to reduce arrears, but blazed over. As the visitors looked to get a foothold in the game, another chance went begging two minutes later, with a header going wide from close range.
In immediate response, Cameron Pring, again looking like he could do a job higher up the pyramid (hint, hint), ran the length of the pitch and delivered a peach of a cross which, unbelievably, managed to bisect three waiting Bulls in the box.
Despite Dara O'Shea marshalling the back four confidently and vociferously like an Irish Ryan Green, Kettering again had a chance to get back into the game with a turn and shot in the box which was well saved by Will Puddy, increasingly doing an impression of a Joe Hart who can actually catch a ball (ouch, sorry, but he is a Sloppie).
A rampaging Pring was brought down by the bus-like Rene Howe, resulting in a yellow card, and then a once-again-assured Jordan Liburd (looks like he could play at a higher level hint, hint) took an elbow in the face, which bafflingly resulted in no censure for the away team. The resulting free kick was shepherded out by the Poppies' Tom Marshall whose physique made their Rene Howe look vaguely athletic. The shepherding was therefore done somewhat incrementally.
As half time approached, Kettering picked up a yellow card for a cynical foul on the lively Myrie-Williams as Hereford threatened to break again, and Oates went off for treatment for a stamped foot.
A thoroughly entertaining first half ended with a sweeping Bulls move resulting in an influential Mike McGrath taking a shot fielded by the Kettering keeper.
With the Beast coming on at the start of the second half, presumably to put Marshall into some sort of human perspective, at the expense of the waif-like Keyon Reffell, and Jack Deamon on at the back for Oates, the Bulls were quickly back on the attack, with Smith attempting a trick in the box that didn't quite come off.
Kettering then did get a goal back, as reward for a period of good possession and greater intent, with an effort rebounding off the post kindly back into the six-yard box, from where the ball was dispatched confidently into the net.
As the half progressed Simmo started to impose himself, although having been caught five yards offside his protestations of innocence were a convincing enough performance to suggest that he, rather than Tom Cruise, should play Peter Beadle in any forthcoming Hereford FC feature film. To the sound of a resonating, goosebumping Meadow End, Simmo then managed to produce a Platiniesque chip, which looped just over the bar from 20 yards.
Shortly after, the champions made sure of the win, with a quite
sublime improvised finish from man of the match Lance Smith, found with a
pinpoint cross from Pring (who we've already established might be able
to play at a higher level, preferably for a team in black and white).
Rob Purdie then understandably took a little while to be substituted for Pablo Haysham (and I may have felt a little emotional as the whole ground rose as one, or at least those seated rose as one; those standing were already rose as one because they chose to be in that state when they bought their tickets).
A sharp-looking Pablo then fed Myrie-Williams, who looked to have come from an onside position in rolling his defender to break clean through, but the referee's assistant thought otherwise.
Eliot Richards then tried something a bit silly from outside the box, which possibly ended up with the ball landing on the pitch at Pegasus, before Kettering's dangerous Rhys Hoeness cut in to shoot, producing a great save from Puddy.
All in all, a super performance from the Bulls, comfortably seeing off a team who have been unbeatable lately, and who, in fairness, may have found this third match in a week catching up with them a little.
Hitchin and St Ives to come, and if that doesn't result in six more points on the evidence of today I'll eat the Southern League Shield, which looks like it's bigger than Jupiter.
Ref - Richard Gardner
BN Man of the Match: Rob Purdie