Son of Eric was at Bootham Crescent last night to watch Hereford defeat York City 2-1.
Here’s the speed read. If you went to Curzon Ashton you’ve seen this game. Home team are on top and take the lead but can’t convert their superiority into a lead looking limited upfront. The away team bring on substitutes who help get them back into the game. The home team’s keeper gifts a goal and the shaky confidence and pressure of a big home crowd see them crumble before a wonder goal wins it.
York are a club very similar to Hereford and one for nostalgia enthusiasts as this was probably the last competitive midweek game. The toilets are literally from a different century with photos of their antique nature being shared on social media. It was a pity to hear from one of the senior stewards that York fans have not been behaving so well and all those we encountered were more long suffering having seen years of decline, not just a few months of mediocrity. It is to be hoped their move to a new ground will see the club back on an upward trend.
Hereford started without Symons starting or on the bench with Lloyd playing alone upfront. Hereford went with a 5-4-1. The spooky similarities between these two teams in “transition” continued with York starting a host of loan signings, including both centre backs. York started brighter winning a corner. Hereford responded with nice play by Richards finding Lloyd who went down under a challenge, but no foul was given. Lloyd came out of the traps sharply running eagerly everywhere but playing alone up against big centre backs he was at times a boy against men and all his honest endeavour could not work without someone closer to him to play with.
Hereford’s Bermuda triangle to the left of Smith, behind Greenslade and across from O’Sullivan again opened up. A long ball saw captain Burrow win his header against Gowling and flick into acres of space. Kemspter ran on to the ball unchallenged admiring the wide-open spaces and shot hard and low across Yates as the manuals tell you.
When playing three at the back Liburd understands that you need to play wider and frequently got over to cover on the right side, but Smith still plays at times does not understand his role. Greenslade had pushed forward as the wing back and when Hereford lose possession he’s not going to get back and Smith should understand that he needs to read the game and cover the danger. Smith was substituted at half time and Hereford were a lot better in the second half switching to four at the back.
Richards had some nice touches and got in a couple of shots one easily saved by former United keeper Adam Bartlett and another going wide. Owen-Evans again looked bright but was marked closely. York had more of the game but looked most dangerous at set pieces with burrow heading a corner wide. O’Sullivan was late with a tackle and received a talking to. Owen-Evans won a free kick just outside the box and Greenslade hit the free kick into the wall.
Thomas was Hereford’s most combative midfielder again and put in a heavy challenge on Kempster. One up Kempster became the first of a series of York players to stay down and need a long time for treatment as with half an hour gone, they showed the poverty (or nervousness?) of their ambition entering the Chorley challenge for timewasting. Centre forward Burrow was getting the better of Gowling much of the time and Josh body checked him to try and stop him.
Hereford looked very limited but despite York having the better of the game they were unable to go on and extend their lead. The two minutes of additional time did not reflect the timewasting York had already started upon and which got worse into the second half. York like many teams now have scouted Hereford and whenever the ball needed to be cleared in a hurry it was fired long down the inside right channel and kept causing problems for the disorganised Hereford defence.
York is a cultured place. In the pub your correspondent and fellow fossils made the mistake of sitting in the space reserved for the Archaeology quiz. We moved on searching for young gems and there can be no doubt Ryan Green has dug up a player who can be polished into a diamond. James Waites may be an inch taller than Simon Brain and not have the tree trunk thighs, but he takes the ball and runs without scattering defenders. It was good to see Richards acknowledging he had set up wrong by taking off Smith and putting Waites on to revert to more of a 4 4 2/ 4 3 3 as Hereford went chasing the game. Waites made an instant impact, Richards got down the right and crossing for Waites to glance a header into the side netting, and soon after taking the ball surging through and firing a shot which Bartlett did well to hold.
The York Vice President wrote in the programme about the lack of confidence in the side. The sheer vigour and joie de vivre of Waites seemed to infuse Hereford (although they could not have been much poorer than their first half performance). Fans started to mutter that if only we could nick a goal York could crumble…
Goal scorer Kemspter went off with an injury just after the break and without him only Wes York on the right offered much of a threat for York in the second half. York also switched centre backs and the game started to swing. Gowling was booked for serial fouls. Greenslade had another free kick just outside the box firing it into the all and then putting the rebound just past the post. McLaughlin fired in a shot at the near post and palmed the ball away. Flat on the floor Yates bounced back up but he was out of position. Burrow on the edge of the six-yard box picked up the ball. He resisted thrashing it controlled the ball, turning inside leaving the challenging Greenslade on the floor. The goal was wide open, but Yates threw himself across and whilst as the cliché goes Burrow hit at a nice height for the keeper Yates turned the ball away for a superb double save.
Yates could do well to look at the career of his opposite keeper. Adam Bartlett is a super shot stopper, but the rest of his game has not seen him play at higher levels. Yates seems to always have a mistake in him, and it almost came again. A long ball down York’s left saw Burrow bearing down. Gowling was getting across. Oates was running back so he wasn’t through and there was double potential cover. Hereford had no substitute keeper on the bench yet again as they gamble with the playing budget. Caution surely? No, Yates rushes out to the edge of the box on a wet, slippy evening for a 50/50 ball. The risk is a penalty or a sending off and there is cover…
Yates gets there just in time, he’s called it right but then makes a total air kick missing the ball completely. The ball runs through and the York striker can’t quite get to it. Kind observers might say Yates slipped, but the rain was pouring down. He got away with this one, but the mistakes are just too regular despite the wonder saves. It is an accident waiting to happen, what will happen if Yates ever has to go off? Any chance of a substitute goalkeeper?
By now the rain was pouring down. You pay the same home or away at York but the home fans get cover, away fans had to pay an extra pound to get under the cover and sit. As the rain drenched us many of the Hereford fans paid their extra pound. It was not as bad as the soaking at Woking but York could have shown a little generosity like Gillingham did many years ago in the Leyland Daf and opened up their stand. Customer is still a difficult subject for football clubs. Hereford won a third free kick just outside the box and Danny lined up again. Third time lucky? we muttered under our breaths. Greenslade hit hard and low, through the wall but at least a yard inside the post. Bartlett got across but the ball dipped and went under him.
Game on. Hereford were mud larks and Waites’ enthusiasm saw Hereford diving in and York losing no opportunity to stay down and time waste. The anxiousness from the York players and crowd was tangible. Tom Owen-Evans was marked more tightly than I have seen before, his reputation is clearly growing but he got down the left and crossed to the edge of the box, Waites gracefully took a less than easy ball with one touch, turned and bang! 2-1 watch the video this is a classy introduction.
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| Sorry No Picture Of Waite Scoring The Goal - Other Players In The Way! |
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York arose from their slumbers and tried to desperately get back into the game but now it was Hereford’s turn to time waste. Richards sending Lloyd over to the far touchline before substituting him for Roberts in time added on. No one likes it but York deserved to have a little of their own medicine.
Truthfully this was not a great game, but it was a great result seeing Hereford surge up the table to the bottom of mid table obscurity. The cliché would be a game of two halves, but I saw it as an example of how one man can turn a match. It’s only 45 minutes of football, but get yourself to a game and see James Waite. I don’t think I’ve been as excited by a substitute debut since Beadle promoted Jarrod Bowen from youth to first team. As droves of York fans left early, we were singing in the rain Hereford United we all love you….