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| Andy Williams celebrates his opener |
A stellar crowd, not a stellar performance to match, but it's still seven points from a possible nine over the festive fixtures, and Paul Caddis's side are in the play-off mix - both things fans would've happily taken at the start of the season.
Throughout swathes of the first half, it was a case of the Bulls trying too many hopeless long balls forward with Alex Babos' presence in the middle of the park missed as he played wide on the right in Lassana Mendes' absence - he was suspended after being sent off in the 2-0 win over Spennymoor on December 23. That improved after the break and looked to be working, but Gloucester fought themselves back level and earned a share of the spoils.
Despite winning the toss and attacking the Blackfriars End in the first half, Hereford soon had to deal with pressure they put themselves under. An early free kick to the hosts was easily intercepted, with Lewis McGrory unleashing a rasping shot from outside the area. With keeper Curtis Pond only parrying the chance, right-back Ollie Southern then started on the mission of redeeming himself by hacking away the loose ball.
Andy Williams, starting his first game since rejoining the Edgar Street club, then could’ve found the opener but couldn’t quite reach a cross from left-back Aaron Skinner before it flashed past him and across the face of goal.
Skinner was involved again seconds later, helping out a pesky Yusifu Ceesay to get the better of the Tigers’ defence but his cross was straight into the arms of Birmingham City loanee keeper Zach Jeacock.
With 18 minutes on the clock, the 4,272 home fans were left ruing as somehow the Bulls failed to take the lead after some good movement down the right. A great run by Tom Pugh saw him cut into the box, but after teeing up Jason Cowley, the forward somehow couldn’t force the ball past Jeacock despite being at point-blank range.
While slightly hair-raising at times, Paul Caddis’s side largely soaked up the pressure from Gloucester throughout the first half, with Jason Cowley stuck to the near post for corners and more than dealing with the task at hand.
A Joe Hanks half-volley from outside the area in the 29th minute was comfortably saved by Pond, before five minutes of relatively intense pressure from the visitors. One of the best chances for Gloucester to take the lead came from an inch-perfect ball through to Danny Wright, who’d slipped his man, but it was badly mishit and the scuffed shot gathered by Pond.
With the Bulls missing Babos's link-up play in the middle of the park, the Lilywhites should've done better late in the first half to break the deadlock. Ceesay, who'd had to contend with three defenders on him at times as he still proved a handful for the Tigers' defence, put Max Ram and the keeper under pressure but Willo was unable to get a shot away from the back pass.
But with one minute added on, there were more stoppage time heroics from Hereford as they did find the opener before the half time whistle. Willo brought a lofted ball under control, played a neat one-two with Babos before and bent the ball past Jeacock.
Half time: Hereford 1 - Gloucester 0
After Willo's 45-minute stint, his longest since returning from injury, he was replaced by Adam Livingstone who instantly proved problematic for Gloucester left-back Jamie Reckord. After drifting in from the right, Livingstone fired a low slot just wide at the near post.
Moments later it was Tom Pugh, who's been a solid performer since joining the Bulls on loan from Scunthorpe, brought down by Harry Pinchard as he tried to burst into the area.
The resulting free kick from Jason Cowley was smashed towards the goal and somehow kept out by Jeacock. Hereford worked to quickly recycle it though, with Cowley cutting in and forcing the 22-year-old into a second save.
The Bulls then had more chances to double their lead, the first saw Babos take a quick throw into the path of Ceesay whose effort was wide of the upright before a similar effort saw the tenacious Cowley, seemingly tripped inside the box, failing to give up but seeing the ball claimed by Jeacock.
The bright start to the half should've seen Hereford push on and make the most of the chances, but some complacency and inability at times to find white shirts with passes soon saw the Bulls pegged back.
There were warning shots from Gloucester, not only did substitute Ben Beresford in the 63rd minute, breaking through the Bulls' defence and hitting the woodwork with an effort, but Danny Wright then headed just over the bar from a Harry Leeson cross.
Then the equaliser came. Paul Downing, a solid pair of hands in the heart of defence, was off the field having received treatment after being clattered by Pond, and the Bulls failed to deal with a corner in his absence. With captain Nathan Cameron heading the ball partially clear, it was quickly recycled. Substitute Harry Emmett headed the ball on to Beresford under pressure, who then headed down past Pond.
While the equaliser might have proved the catalyst for a late resurgence and a third game in a row with an injury time winner, ultimately it wasn't to be.
There was a flurry of corners and attacking throws to put Gloucester's back line under some late pressure and, seven minutes from time, Cowley fired wide.
Three minutes after that, Ceesay's free kick from a tight angle was kept out by Jeacock. He was called into action again seconds later to deny Tom Pugh, before Cowley agonisingly struck the woodwork with an effort from outside the area in the 90th minute.
It was a deflating result for the Bulls, especially in front of their largest crowd of the season so far. They should have capitalised on their bright start to the second half after a frustrating first 45 minutes, but failed to do so.
There must also be a mention of referee Oliver Noonan - some of his decisions were, at best, questionable. Anyway, we're fourth!
Full time: Hereford 1 - Gloucester City 1
Sponsors' man of the match: Aurio Teixeira
Attendance: 4,516 (244 away)
Hereford: Pond, Skinner, Teixeira, Downing, Ceesay, Babos (Rooney 87), Cowley, Williams (Livingstone 45), Pugh, Southern, Cameron
Subs not used: Tolley, Arthur, Hall
Gloucester City: Jeacock, Leeson (Durrall), Ram, Richards-Everton, Reckord, McGrory, Hanks, Pinchard, Santos (Emmett 70), Smalley (Beresford 60), Wright
Sub not used: Richards