Absolutely Delighted, Absolutely Fabulous

Another wonderfully entertaining game at Edgar Street. We’re owed some entertainment. Few things are better than taking an early lead against better opponents and holding on to win. Seeing your team outplayed at times, but knowing that your collective is stronger than the collection of individuals on the other side. Add a modest manager whose tactics play a key part, but does not say his technical analysis was key, instead praising his players. Always praising his players.

Hereford set up nominally 4-4-2. Pond; Southern, Howkins, captain Cameron, Skinner; Livingstone, Mendes, new signing Pugh, Ceesay; Cowley starting again and Freemantle up front. With Teixiera suspended and Babos injured Rooney, Stanley, Tolley, Arthur and Cranston were on the bench. It was a cool, dry night with many wearing gloves for the first time. The crowd of 1,934 with 16 from Northamptonshire was good for a Tuesday evening with a choice of Newcastle or Manchester City to be watched from the comfort of an armchair in the Champions League.

Brackley came out and were all over Hereford. Fluid, they attacked through the middle and especially down the left with the impressive Calder giving Southern a searching examination all night long. It looked like a difficult evening but livewire Livingstone came to the rescue. Adam broke away down the right and won a free kick near the touch line about 35 yards out.

Zak Lilly is a fine footballer, but at Hereford he too often had an error in him and for a centre back that’s a liability. Adam looked up and saw that Lilly was daydreaming, perhaps reminiscing about playing in front of a decent crowd. He looked across at Ceesay and the lively lads were sharp. Livingstone clipped in a routine cross, pass of the day though, into the middle of the box. Yusifu was on his toes whilst Brackley were on their heels. He ran across the box unchallenged and nodded a simple header classically down to bounce and beat the hopelessly exposed Lewis and score. Ole Ole Ole Ceesay sang out the Meadow End. Credit to referee Pratt for allowing the quick free kick.

Ceesay's Header

Brackley redoubled their efforts and won plenty of corners. The Pond-Howkins-Cameron triumvirate dealt with them comfortably for the most part. The fluidity of Caddis’s defence is impressive. At times when in possession they reverted to a three with Cameron enjoying a freer role to challenge. Most of the time it was a four, but when under pressure Livingstone dropped back to make a five.

Livingstone’s role seemed to bamboozle Brackley. Most of the time he played high on the right. At Brackley corners he was left up as the outlet and he regularly took the ball and made useful yards. If he had not been high up the field he would not have been able to take the quick free kick which lead to the goal. Adam had a very good game and only once did he disappoint fans. Breaking on the right Livingstone saw Freemantle, Cowley and Ceesay were charging up the centre. It just needed a straightforward diagonal ball in front of them to run on to, but Adam did not seem to trust his right foot and kept going up the wing and checked back giving Brackley a chance to recover.

Cowley And Ceesay Working Together

The other cunning part of Caddis’s plan was to withdraw Freemantle and Cowley a little from the front. Brackley’s Murombedzi is one of the best players in the division, a NLN Makelele. He has often run the game against the Bulls. Ethan and Jason sat on him at every opportunity so that he could not get the rhythm of his game going. They did this so efficiently he later moved up the field from a 6 to a 8, yet now Pugh and Mendes came to meet him. Ceesay was his usual self getting forward but also working back hard. In the second half especially he made some timely telescopic interventions.

This was not some back to the walls performance it was a well controlled team defending from the front. New boy Pugh initially played a couple of passes which showed he was a stranger to his team mates but soon adjusted and settled in. Another player to have troubled Hereford in the past down the right was Matwasa, but Skinner and Ceesay kept him the quietest he has ever been against the Bulls. Long throws from Carline were well defended as Brackley dominated possession and no doubt had a far higher xG but could not get an equaliser.

It was not that Hereford rode their luck, they defended well to go in ahead at the break. Hereford came out more evenly, but Brackley were still more likely. On the hour mark McHale came on for Armson. Referee Pratt failed to book several challenges which could have warranted a yellow on both sides. It was deeply unfair when he booked Freemantle for a routine challenge. It felt as if he had just decided it was time to book someone, anyone, rather than being consistent throughout.

Rooney then came on for Cowley. Jason had a magnificent game. He was not that great a threat up front but his relentless harrying, sacrificing maximising scoring opportunities to the organisational needs of the team epitomises Caddis’s core strategy. Brackley had a chance to break quickly and Rooney tactically fouled at the cost of a yellow. 

Skinner was mostly focused on defensive work but he broke over the half way line. He overhit his pass out on the left to Ceesay but Yusifu rescued it just before the touch line, cut back and crossed for Rooney to head against the post. 

Livingstone kept running at the Brackley defence and Lilly was booked for yet another foul. Former Bull O’Sullivan came on for Bates.

Freemantle had looked shattered for much of the second half and Arthur replaced him. Ethan put in an immense shift. Nominally he was the number ten replacing Babos but he played more as an advanced 6 breaking up play, repeatedly winning possession and if in doubt dropping deeper to preserve the lead rather than trying to poach a second. Almost immediately Livingstone fed Arthur who seemed to be onside and bearing down on goal, but was wrongly flagged offside.

Match Sponsor Robert Talbot had a very difficult decision for man of the match. Having chosen Ceesay for another excellent game, he would have seen an O’Sullivan cross take a wicked deflection. It was looping for the far top corner. Pond arched backwards and tipped the ball away. Another impressive game from the big man. In the first half he was given a poor high back pass. He was being pressed and came out of the box. The crowd expected a header, yet Curtis calmly chest trapped and passed out to the wing. The crowd gasped at the audacity and execution. Curtis is an entertainer.

Livingstone made the goal and perpetually caused problems in his advanced role, often the furthest forward of the strikers. Howkins was one of the best passers on the park but for me Captain Cameron was the best player on the pitch, reading the game, organising and making lots of timely challenges. 

This was not a game for individuals. Brackley have better paid and better players. Hereford had a band of brothers who knew each others roles and were a team. It is one of the great joys of football that the less technically competent team can win if better organised and above all if it has a stronger combined will. That is the immense pleasure Hereford’s fans watched.

When the referee blew up the ball was with Brackley centre back and skipper Gareth Dean, a man who has beaten the Bulls too many times. Tonight he was defeated, he picked up the ball and drop volleyed it towards the goal but only whacked it over, frustrated.

In his post match interview Caddis came out with his catch phrase that he was “absolutely delighted” (an idea for a tee shirt with Paul’s face?). Too modest, this was absolutely fabulous. The much longed for band of brothers battled and batted Brackley away.