 |
| White scoring for Hereford |
Hereford should've done more - and had more from the referee - to bag three points against Chester in front of a bumper crowd at Edgar Street.
Saturday's 2-2 defeat against fellow play-off hopefuls Chester marked Paul Caddis's 100th game in charge of the Bulls in front of 3,592 home supporters.
A dramatic late equaliser from Jason Cowley, who has been under pressure to find the back of the net having only scored one goal this season, secured a point after Chester went ahead twice with Jaiden White bagging the first equaliser. The result does mean Hereford retain their play-off place, and with King's Lynn and Buxton both drawing, losing virtually no ground in their hunt for a play-off place.
Ahead of kick-off, Kyle Howkins was notably missing from the team sheet as he was replaced with Aaron Skinner and Yusifu Ceesay returned in place of Alex Babos.
With the sun beaming down at Edgar Street, the game got off to an uninspiring start as both sides looked to settle into it, knowing how important three points would be for their respective ambitions. The first look at goal either side got was in the 10th minute when Remaye Campbell couldn't get enough on Omari Sterling-James's cross as Kevin Roberts quickly cleared.
There was the drama six minutes later as Chester nearly had the ball in the back of the net, only to be cleared off the line by Kieran Coates's outstretched left. The right-back was called into action as Tom Peers volleyed Nathan Woodthorpe's cross goalward with keeper Theo Richardson caught off-guard.
Caddis was forced into making a change after 33 minutes as Lawson D'Ath was replaced by Alex Babos as the former looked almost certain not to make it through the afternoon without a yellow card.
With the central midfield already booked for his first foul of the afternoon, a late challenge on Kurt Willoughby, referee Darius Bradley then appeared to reach for his pocket after a similar challenge on Connor Woods but then thought better of it. This did show the Bulls' Achilles' heel though, with midfield lacking bite - leading to a lack of service for the attackers and putting the defence under pressure.
Towards the end of the first half, Chester proved the more threatening of the two sides. First, a lofted cross into the box was met by Peers, only two be claimed by Richardson, before Declan Weeks brought down a corner, laying off to Willoughby who was denied by Richardson's feet. Despite the two warnings, the Bulls soon fell a goal behind as Peers took advantage of poor defending. Netting his 18th league goal of the season, a Woodthorpe corner from the left was floated in towards the back post for the unmarked striker to head home.
The Bulls were unable to find a way back before the break, with a questionable two minutes of stoppage time - despite a record number of throw-ins and apparent time-wasting tactics from the Seals.
Half time: Hereford 0 - Chester 1
The Bulls were able to quickly bring themselves back level after the break though as within four minutes Jaiden White had taken the lead. His goal came after a sterling run towards the Meadow End from Tate Campbell, but he couldn't get a shot away. For White's goal, a Hereford corner was only cleared by Chester as far as the winger on the edge of the area and he made no mistake in rifling home past a hapless James Storer.
As more frustrating decisions from the officials came, as if throw-ins going the wrong way and wild inconsistency in fouls being given - or rather not given - weren't enough, Hereford were denied penalties after fouls on Remaye Campbell and Yusifu Ceesay before Chester regained the lead.
The visitor's second goal came as Weeks found yards of space in the box to tee up Connor Woods at the far post to redirect home. Poor defending was again to blame for the Bulls as £12,500 Woods bagged his first goal for Chester after signing from now-relegated Warrington Town in January.
With the defence still under the cosh, with the assured Howkins obviously being missed, Peers could've grabbed his second but he failed to control a quickly-taken shot from 18-yards.
After the bright five-minute spell at the beginning of the half, Hereford soon had a bit more life about them as Ceesay headed wide at the back post from a quick White free kick before the latter was also denied a penalty for being shoved over on the edge of the box. Matt Preston also tried to get his name on the scoresheet as he found himself on a break forward, forcing his way past three Blue shirts, only for his cross-cum-shot to be cleared.
Substitutes then combined as Babos sent a long ball up to Andy Williams, on in place of Ceesay, but his looping effort was cleared by the flapping keeper ahead of the onrushing Remaye Campbell.
After a Preston shot flew wide, Jason Cowley - on for White - was then involved in a fourth penalty shout when it appeared his marker handled the ball as he tried to hold it up on the byline. But the striker, who hadn't found the net since November's 4-0 win over Marine, could finally put his demons to bed as he equalised in the 93rd minute. It was an error from Storer as he dropped the ball and after falling to Cowley, he made no mistake in drilling it home, sending the home side into raptures.
In all, it was a case of two points dropped by Hereford. While they found it hard to break down Chester at times, especially after the 80th minute when they sat deep and just punted long balls forward, and this wasn't helped by Chester being slightly Alfreton-istic in their play - time-wasting from the first minute and working the ball up the pitch via throw-ins. Although the transfer window has now closed, Hereford are lacking a tenacious, dogged midfielder who can confidently win possession and pull the strings and today's somewhat makeshift defence, with Skinner at left-back and captain Lewis Hudson alongside Matt Preston, didn't look the most confident. Though with so many penalties denied, and a number of chances just lacking that cutting edge, the Bulls could've been as high as fifth come 5pm.
Full time: Hereford 2 - Chester 2
Attendance: 4,017 (425 away)
Sponsors' man of the match: Jaiden White
Hereford: Richardson, Coates, Preston, Hudson, Skinner, T Campbell, D'Ath (Babos 33'), White (Cowley 84'), Sterling-James, Ceesay (Williams 71'), R Campbell
Subs not used: Derricott, Mitchell.
Chester: Storer, Roberts, Burke, Leak, Woodthorpe, O’Kane, Weeks, Murray, Turner, Woods (Mottley-Henry 78′), Willoughby (Mooney 87′), Peers.
Subs not used: Lambert, Rosenblatt, Burgess.