Superb Goals Sneak a Point

Jared Hodgkiss Scored Hereford's Second Goal

Son of Eric watched Hereford draw with Brackley yesterday afternoon after being 2-0 down at half time.

Hereford’s last home game of the season took place on a dry cool overcast day. Driving through the shire signs to visit gardens didn’t tempt Bulls fans who turned out in good numbers for a game with little at stake for them. By contrast Brackley still had a chance of the championship and automatic promotion yet barely 100 fans came across from Northamptonshire in the crowd of 1812. The crowd seemed keen to take one last chance to put money into the club with healthy queues for the HUST 50/50 sellers.

For many players this may have been their last game in a white shirt. Hall was in goal and Josh opted for a back three of Egan, Haines and Pollock with captain Hodgkiss and Revan as wing backs with McLean, Patten, Klukowski, and Owen-Evans behind Touray. Lloyd was injured, Pearce recovering from a stay in hospital leaving Storey, Vincent, Njie, Pinchard and Wright on the bench. Jaanai Gordon returned and received many a boo and a jeer from the Hereford fans.

Brackley started strongly and soon took the lead, pressing high Lowe won possession on the right and put in a routine ball. Gordon and Walker were waiting beyond the far post, but Hodgkiss followed the ball and came in front of Hall to head the ball away. He only succeeded in knocking the ball against the back of Egan and the ball bounced back past the helpless Hall. A poor goal to concede which seemed to be the result of a lack of communication. 

Brackley were dominating and only McLean was making the occasional break for the Bulls. Gordon pulled free and fired a low shot which Hall saved at the expense of a corner. Gowling appeared to have enough of the Bulls being pulled out of position after 15 minutes or so switching to a back four and opting for his customary two defensive midfielders and Klukowski the creative number 10. Something which totally failed to materialise as the game passed Jan by. The change of formation made little difference and Brackley continued to boss the game.

Patten produced a long slick pass from his own half which found McLean running across the backline and as Ryan turned and tried to take it into the box goalkeeper Lewis quickly came out and closed down the chance. This was a rare moment when Brackley’s high press was punctured and their ability to keep winning the ball high up the field produced a second goal. Egan played a short simple pass towards Hodgkiss near the hallway line. Walker read it and intercepted racing down the left-wing with Hodgkiss charged back. Egan came out to challenge but Walker evaded them and got to the by-line. In the middle Gordon was surrounded by Pollock, Hall, and Revan yet Walker’s cross was allowed to go straight in front of Jaanai for a chance a five-year-old could have converted. Hereford’s defence looked uncharacteristically disorganised.

Murombedzi and Armson were dominating the middle of the park. Owen-Evans and McLean switched wings and Ryan made some headway. He took the physical challenge to Brackley surprising some of their players with how robust he was. Tom was booked tussling with Murombedzi and Hodgkiss made some progress but this was one of the poorest halves of Hereford football for some time. Brackley had looked at least a division better and there appeared little prospect of the Bulls getting into the game.

The gap between the two sides was highlighted by the centre forwards. Touray was struggling to retain the ball and rarely went wider than the penalty box, and posing little threat as was in Dean’s pocket. 

By contrast Gordon appeared inspired by the jeering, working across Hereford’s backline influencing the first goal, scoring the second and getting more strikes on goal than the whole Hereford team combined. Maybe the board could do a compare and contrast video and say when we want to boost the budget this is the difference we are looking to pay for. 

At half time Storey replaced Touray and Pinchard came on for Patten. Brackley replaced captain Dean with Prosser, but it was Walker who moved back to centre back. With Gateshead losing at half time Brackley still had a chance of the championship. Maybe they thought there was no chance the ineffective Bulls could win at Gateshead next week but in the second half Brackley failed to sustain the impressive level of intensity they had shown in the first half.

It was as though Brackley went into keep what we have mode and save ourselves partly for the play offs. For the first twenty minutes or so they still looked comfortable, but Hereford came out better and Pinchard’s creativity hinted at the possibility of a comeback. Storey worked across the pitch whereas Brackley seemed to have found Touray’s movement more predictable. The dynamic Murombedzi fired just wide of the post and Luke Haines talked himself into the book. It looked like game over when Brackley scored from a corner, but referee McCarrick saw a foul and disallowed it.

There was a debate on whether it had been worth offering Gordon a contract when Brackley poached him but today he demonstrated what the Bulls have been missing. He was the fulcrum of Brackley’s play and although he may not be prolific for them, he helped them dominate the game. On this performance I think it is fair to say that if he had stayed, he would have scored or helped create the half dozen or so goals which would have been the difference in reaching the play offs. Since the end of February Hereford have not been far off only losing games by a single goal. A few games turned from losses into draws and draws into wins and the season would still be alive.

When Jaanai was substituted for Mitford on seventy minutes it was as if a switch turned. McLean had another superb run down the right and when he teed up Tom it deserved the ball hitting the target rather than going over. Luke Haines had a very poor afternoon. He started as the libero in a back three and every one of his long passes failed. Defensively the wide spaces were given over to Brackley and Gowling abandoned the plan. Pushed further forward like Hereford’s other midfielders he was dominated. With his long passing not working after half an hour he had the ball on the right flank and was being closed down by three Brackley players. Hodgkiss behind him recognising Luke’s radar was awry barked “simple ball, simple ball”. Luke’s a stubborn man and with next to no space nor opportunity he still tried the creative forward ball and yet again he gave away possession cheaply, ignoring the skipper’s wise advice. I have commented previously on what a superb mentality Luke has, every setback is instantly filed and forgotten, and he still believes in his capabilities.

Harry got down the left and put in a cross, the ball was well cleared and was falling to Luke twenty-five yards out. Control, take a touch, keep the pressure were the obvious options. Luke though advanced rose balletically and struck the ball on the volley, so, so sweetly. The ball rose over the defenders but there was such vicious topspin that it then dipped comfortably under the bar and flashed past Lewis who barely moved. A stupendous strike.

The game was on, and Wright replaced Klukowski. The game had passed Klukowski by and his performances have been underwhelming. Tom teed him up for a shot before he was substituted and with time running out and Hereford pressing the strike needed to be on target, yet Jan struck the ball well over. Andre went up front and Tom was back able to roam in the hole with Miles on the wing. Brackley went into timewasting mode and referee McCarrick ignored the need for at least a yellow to keep the game flowing.

A hopeful ball was flicked on by Wright and remarkably it was full back Hodgkiss in space in the box. A quality touch killed the ball and put it straight in front of Jared. With his second touch he struck it past Lewis. At last, the quality, instinctive striker searched for all season had been found hiding in plain sight! The ground erupted and the Meadow End burst into two nil, and you mucked it up!

Brackley tried to up their game, but the Bulls were rampant, and they looked more likely to nick a totally undeserved win with McLean running at the defence yet again. When Brackley cleared Egan was booked for pulling back an attacker. A shrewd tactical foul.

Hereford did not deserve a draw. The Bulls managed to find fifteen minutes of perspiration and inspiration at the end. Brackley do not have the flair of Champions Gateshead, but it is daunting to think that Hereford will be up against at least two of Fylde, Kidderminster and Brackley next season in the race for the title. Egan and Pollock had their most difficult afternoons for some time. The first half was Egan’s poorest display in a white shirt, yet he had the guts to come back strongly after the interval and it would be great to have in the team next season. It was notable that Pinchard and McLean with contracts for next season played at a level some who clearly expect to be leaving could not manage. This was an exceptional performance by McLean. He kept taking the game to Brackley beating dozens of players and inspiring fear with his pace. After his recent sending off he could have been careful but instead he was a little man with an attitude. It was like David Speedie with his constant challenging of bigger players and knocking them off the ball to regain possession much to their surprise as they were McCleaned out.

This was not a game of two halves. Hereford were dominated but had the character to find fifteen minutes of inspiration at the end and grab a point. That’s the sort of ugly thing which teams who get promoted do, so the last home performance gave optimism for the future.