Downes hails Bulls' response as they romp to victory in homecoming

Aaron Downes praised Hereford’s response after a shaky start as the Bulls powered to a 5-1 victory over Leamington at Edgar Street.

In their first home game for two months because of pitch problems, Hereford fell behind in just the fourth minute when Frank Tattum capitalised on a loose pass across the back to put the visitors ahead.

But the Bulls responded strongly, with George Munday scoring twice before half-time to turn the game around before further goals from Harrison Sohna, Munday and substitute Andy Williams sealed an emphatic win.

Downes admitted his side were below their standards early on but was pleased with how they recovered.

“Well, you hope for that [five goals], don’t you?” he said, entering his fourth week as boss.

“You’re coaching for that, training for that, playing for that, but you can never really tell.

“It’s a great result and a great win. I’m really happy with the majority of the play tonight.

“There’s never a perfect performance, but ultimately at this stage of the season it’s about making sure we’re doing the right things and getting results."

Hereford struggled in the opening stages and were punished by Leamington’s early goal, but Downes said the players reacted well once they settled.

“The first 15 or 20 minutes we weren’t at the levels that we know we have to be at,” he said.

“But credit to the boys because they flipped that.

"At the end of the first half, we were actually on top and we got through our spell that we weren't sticking to our principles that we set and agreed on.

"They shook themselves up. I wouldn't say there was a nervousness, but I think there was a situation where we got caught in not doing what we know we need to do in order to win football matches."

The victory means Hereford have now recorded back-to-back wins for the first time since early September, but Downes warned there is still plenty of work to do in the fight to climb away from trouble.

"I still have to make sure that I keep a lid on and remind everybody that we're still not out of trouble," the boss told the media after the win.

"It's a great performance. We've got to take confidence and belief from what we're doing. The players are happy in there and rightly so."