Hereford are through to the first round proper of the FA Cup after seeing off Rochdale with a 1-0 win at Edgar Street.
Ethan Freemantle was Hereford’s hero, netting late in the second half.
But Adam Rooney had a great chance to break the deadlock, getting onto the end of a long ball from defence – flicked on by Ethan Freemantle – but the back-peddling keeper just managed to tip his chipped volley over the bar. There was also a chance for Yusifu Ceesay who tried leaping like a salmon, but he couldn't quite connect with a cross from the right.
Into the second half, the referee's consistently inconsistent approach continued, favouring to book Hereford for slight infringements and the perhaps slightly smarter Dale walking away Scot free.
Six minutes into the second half Alex Babos saw his curling shot from 25-yards tipped around the post before at the other end of the field, Pond pulled off a miraculous save to deny the problematic Cian Hayes.
Pond continued to prove his worth, tipping a Gilmour free kick wide, as he kept Hereford in the game as Ethan Freemantle went on to break the deadlock. With Dale off guard, Babos won the ball on midfield and, bursting forward, played the ball to the Kidderminster loanee… in front of Meadow End basking in sunshine, he coolly slotted home.
In front of 2,817, a nervous last 10 minutes and six minutes of added time saw Hereford play out their 1-0 win against a Dale who failed to create much despite dominating possession.
Anyway, it doesn't matter. First round here we come