Cup Run Over For Another Year

 

Harwood Bull reports from Edgar Street

Hereford FC’s cup run came to an end on Saturday, the Bulls falling to a 2-0 defeat at Edgar Street at the hands of League Two Gillingham, the goals being a first half deflected shot and a hotly disputed penalty ten minutes from the end. The penalty effectively killed off a strong surge from the home side who had been limp and uncompetitive in the first half but found something extra in the second. For the last half hour they put the visitors under sustained pressure , albeit without creating many clear cut chances.

The Bulls lined up in a fairly flexible formation. Pond in goal, with three central defenders in front of him: Southern, Howkins and Cameron. Skinner and Livingstone as the wing backs on right and left respectively, although they switched flanks with the game only twenty minutes old. Mendes and Teixeira held the midfield, Ceesay and Fremantle were the strikers with in-form Babos just behind them.

There were groans before the kick off when they switched round to attack the Meadow End in the first half. Was this a bad omen? As the game developed it was beginning to look that way. The Bulls looked off the pace and seemed happy to fall back conceding space in midfield, allowing the visitors to move the ball around freely. Ceesay out wide on the left seemed the best outlet but had little joy on the slippery surface. 

Aurio Teixiera

The ref wasn’t earning many popularity points with the very vocal home support. He seemed oblivious to a serious of nudges and pushes in the back by the Gills defenders and it was inevitable that the whites’ frustration would result in a yellow for someone. That someone was Livingstone whose patience wore out and he went flying in and ended up in the book. 

Gillingham kept pushing forward and on 25 minutes Jayden Clarke was given far too much time to shoot from 20 yards. The ball took a big deflection and looped up and over Pond for the opening goal. In the 33rd minute the Bulls gave Connor Machney time and space to shoot but his curling attempt hit the post and was cleared to safety. Somehow the Bulls made it to half time with the score remaining at 1-0, leaving us wondering what Caddis was going to say to shake things up a bit.

Whatever was said, the men in white shirts started the second half much more positively and energetically. Teixeira began to move the ball around well, spreading it out to the flanks where Livingstone and Ceesay were running at the defence and getting crosses in. Mendes, in a more central role than usual made some driving runs through the middle, and at the end of one slipped the ball through to Fremantle whose powerful angled shot made the net flap. The cheers were muffled when it was realised that the ball had hit the side netting.

Babos wasn’t as effective as he’d been in his last few games and was the second Bull to get a yellow for taking revenge on an opponent when the ref hadn’t awarded the free kick he expected. Captain Cameron joined him in the book for debating the decision. This lack of control seems stupid and pointless to me, but more of that later. Ceesay had already been booked for holding onto the ball believing he’d been fouled.

Roared on by the crowd the Bulls continued to push forward, but with ten minutes left the score was still the same. The visitors seemed happy to settle for 1-0 and their defence soaked up the pressure. The Bills were preparing a triple substitution as a final throw of the dice when a long ball was knocked over the top of the Hereford defence for Tom Nichols to run onto. Pond rushed out and dived at his feet. He got his hand firmly to the ball but Nichols went flying over his outstretched body. After a couple of seconds pause the ref pointed to the spot. Cue outrage from the players and crowd. I lost track of who was booked in the ensuing debate. Nichols stepped up to take the kick himself - Hereford tried everything to distract him including delaying the kick by making the three substitutions but it had no effect as he calmly slotted the penalty home with Pond going the wrong way.

At the time I didn’t think it was a penalty but having watched the highlights I can see why it was given, although the ref apparently apologised to Caddis for it afterwards. Pond clearly got a hand to the ball but took the player out at the same time. What do the laws of the game say about this?

There were 9 minutes of additional time due to this incident but no change to the score line. The Bulls gave it a good go in the second half but despite the nature of the two goals we have to admit we lost to a better side, who after all are a full-time professional side from two levels above us.

Final score: Hereford 0 Gillingham 2

Hereford: Pond, Skinner (Cranston 87), Livingstone (Tolley 87), Teixeira, Ceesay, Babos (Stanley 57), Mendes, Southern, Freemantle (Cowley 71), Cameron, Howkins (Rooney 87)

Subs: Sterry, Arthur

Gillingham: Turner, Alexander, Masterson, Ogie, Malone (c), Coleman, Jefferies, J Williams, Clarke, Mahoney, Bonne

Subs: Morris, Orji, Ehmer, Clark, S Williams, Dieng, Macarthur, Walker, Nichols

Thoughts:

Our lack of fit strikers continues to be major handicap. Fremantle worked hard but never looked like winning the battle with the Gillingham defence. Cowley hardly had a touch when he came on. Some of the build up play was very good, but when the final ball came into the box the Gillingham defence were able to clear without any real pressure on the ball by Hereford.

During my journey down the A49 on Friday evening the rain came down like a biblical deluge. Despite that the Edgar Street pitch played fairly well although the surface was slippery to start with. There was an amusing moment during half time when the groundsman moved the visitors’ subs and one of their coaching staff from an area he wanted to work on. There seemed to be a few strong words being said. Personally, I wouldn’t argue with a man armed with a very large sharp fork.

I couldn’t record all the yellow cards. In fact, I think the list of those who weren’t booked would be shorter. All the cards were for pointless fouls or mouthing off to the ref. The default position for most footballers seems to be that any decision against them is wrong and it’s part of the game to try and influence and abuse the referee. They try and pass it off as passion, I’d call it indiscipline and lack of control. Brian Clough wouldn’t have stood for it.