Son of Eric reports from Edgar Street:
On a cool blustery day Hereford made one change with Jaanai Gordon leaving the club to make more money. Touray came in up front with the thrilling trio of Kouhyar, Owen-Evans and McLean dancing behind, relying on the solid platform of Lloyd and Vincent. The now settled defence of Captain Hodgkiss, Pollock, Pearce and Revan, and Hall in goal was unchanged. On the bench new signings Keenan Patton and Andreas Sondergaard joined Egan, Gillela and Storey.
Momodou Touray
As in recent games
Hereford flew out of the traps and attacked ferociously. Lloyd, Revan,
and McLean all had chances as Hereford showed the confidence of four
wins in five, unafraid to shoot and going forward with quick, slick
passing. Guiseley keeper Mason is only 17 and on loan from Mansfield,
Hereford were keen to test him out and the young man gave a good account
of himself. McLean’s pace was frightening the Lions defence and when he
roasted them his shot on goal was a little disappointing with Mason
saving.
Ryan Mclean
McLean was the most potent attacking force on the pitch
and would go on to miss three great opportunities to score after some
sweet finishes recently against Farsley and Gloucester.
Ryan Mclean
His attitude is
first class, and he just keeps on bouncing back. Ryan fed the unmarked
Kouhyar on the left of the box and his strike hit the cross bar when it
seemed easier to score.
Maziar Kouhyar
Guiseley finally got an attempt on goal with a
soft header from Mbeka which Hall dealt with easily.
It is hard to convey how utterly rampant Hereford were, and this half of football was their most one-sided display of the season. Guiseley went into time wasting mode with keeper Mason staying down for a strain which he recovered from to give an excellent performance.
Guiseley manager Russ O’Neill kept on shouting that it was not a fair fight, and he was correct as his players were out run, out battled and outclassed. Stepping on to the field for no good reason he was booked by referee Maskrey.
Pearce joined in the fun exchanging passes and striding into the box, only to be denied by an impressive recovery by Brown at the expense of a corner. Kouhyar’s dead balls were not to their usual high standard, failing to beat the first man. Guiseley counter attacked but the Chief blocked Bremang’s shot. This was rare relief, but Hereford fans grew increasingly concerned that the dominance was not being converted into goals. Following problems with throw-ins at Chorley a quick Cantrill throw in caught Hereford ball watching and Hutchison’s curler went just past the post to the home crowd’s relief.
Hereford’s pressing dropped a little, but their intensity had been very impressive, and they remained firmly in control. As it seemed Guiseley might hold out Lloyd’s shot was blocked and found Kouhyar again in space on the left of the box and this time he passed crisply into the bottom left of the net.
The goal gave Hereford renewed energy and Tom swapped passes with Ryan but shot too close to the keeper. Touray fed Ryan and yet again he burst through but fired wide across the keeper.
Apart from the wasteful finishing this was top class entertainment from the Bulls, and they looked like they belonged in a higher division with Guiseley’s midfield utterly overrun. The disappointing crowd of 1680 with less than a full bus of Lions fans had been warmly rewarded in the biting cold.
Bremang on loan from Barnsley was getting little joy against Pearce and a nasty foul resulted in him being booked. Guiseley were improved when Hey came on for Brown and they started to get more into the game with a more physical approach which saw Hutchison booked.
Brandon Hall Kept a Clean Sheet
As seems to be a regular tactic now McLean was substituted for Storey
just after the hour. On the far side of the pitch Ryan left to warm
applause as he walked along the Len Weston and the volume increased as
the Meadow End showed their appreciation for yet another fine, entertaining display from the man from the Potteries.
Guiseley had their best chance when Bremang beat Hall but was forced wide by the keeper. With recovering defenders, he needed to strike on goal but seemed to struggle to keep his balance and Bremang’s shot into the side netting was a relief and a warning that Hereford could fail to get the win they deserved.
Touray was replaced by Patten. Touray possibly has a better touch than Gordon and sees things a little earlier, but he seemed to struggle with the pace of the game. This Hereford side demand a level of alertness and sharpness which reserve team football has not provided him with. His recovery play was nowhere near the standard of Gordon. When Chorley scored to get back into the game a fortnight ago it was from a free kick conceded outside Hereford’s box by Gordon. If Touray can reach the work rate Gowling demands and which the rest of the team consistently demonstrate then he could be an upgrade from Gordon.
Patten ran around a lot with Storey going up front. For a tiring defence the prospect of having to face Storey sprinting must be disheartening. Patten made a quick impact getting in a low shot which Mason saved.
You could feel a tension in the home crowd that Guiseley might nick a goal but finally the Bulls doubled up to complete their first double of the season. Owen-Evans ran at the tiring Guiseley back line and released the ball to Kouhyar who was free in a disgraceful amount of space and the most skilful player on the pitch took full advantage to shoot low inside the near post giving the impressive Mason no chance.
Egan came on for Lloyd and Hereford saw out a victory which should have been far more comfortable with perhaps four or five goals a realistic reflection of the difference between the two teams.
Hereford are to be praised that they are now selling Covid socially distanced tickets. With ten per cent of the population shielding or living with someone who shields the club rightly wants to maximise attendances. I talked to a supporter making their first visit of the season to take advantage of the scheme. They said that the game reflected what they had heard about the team. That this Hereford FC side play the best football in the youthful history of the club, reminding the observer of some fine Graham Turner sides. However, in spades they showed the failure to score which means the Bulls are stretching for the playoffs when they should be at least comfortably within them. The rich entertainment and seating arrangements will bring the visitor back and it is hard to understand why the crowd dropped so much from last week with such high-quality skills on show.
Kouhyar was man of the match by a country mile. Guiseley’s outstanding keeper Mason looks older than his tender years and appears to have a very bright future.