On This Day In 2009

A look back to March 14th 2009 and a disputed penalty at Edgar Street.

Hooper and Theo defeat Hereford

Hereford were defeated 1-0 at Edgar Street this afternoon courtesy of a goal from one of their former loan strikers. Theo Robinson, who spend all of last season at Edgar Street, stepped up to convert a controversial 87th minute penalty awarded by referee Simon Hooper. The majority of the 2633 present were shocked at the decision although the away following of 432 were delighted.

After the poor display against Bristol Rovers in mid-week, there were a number of changes to the starting line-up. Darren Dennehy, signed from Cardiff on loan yesterday, partnered Dean Beckwith at the back whilst Richard Rose replaced Kris Taylor at left-back. Sam Hewson started in central midfield; out of the four players ousted from the starting eleven, just Karl Broadhurst made the bench. Godwin Antwi, Kris Taylor and Ben Smith failed to make the sixteen. The visitors handed Robinson a place up front alongside Lee Barnard whilst Kevin Betsy started on right-wing; the former Bristol City winger has been linked with Hereford in the past.

The message to the players in the first half seemed to be to have a 'shoot on site' policy in front of goal, with the in-experience Ian Joyce starting in place of the injured Steve Mildenhall. The 'keeper had to be alert early on with Toumani Diagouraga playing a one-two with Steve Guinan before firing a half-volley just past the far post whilst a Hewson free-kick was held by Joyce after Rose had touched the ball to the midfield man. At the other end, Betsy cut inside Rose on the right before dragging a left-foot shot wide. A forward pass from Rose found Guinan, whose control opened up a shooting opportunity but he couldn't hit the target from 20 yards. Southend went close to taking the lead in spectacular fashion when Adam Barrett hit an excellently weighted diagonol pass to Barnard, who had peeled away from Rose at the back-post and the former Spurs youngster hit a volley just past the near post.

Franck Moussa set up Peter Clarke for a header which Peter Gulacsi held on to with ease whilst Robinson found space 25 yards out after being found by Betsy but his shot rose over Gulacsi's bar. Febian Brandy, who for long periods of the game was ineffective, showed one or two moments of class; he skipped past two players in the inside left position before seeing a shot be deflected just past Joyce's near-post. From the corner that followed, Dennehy shrugged off his marker to meet a Hewson corner but he couldn't direct his header on target. Guinan hit a 35 yard shot after Diagouraga had won a header in the middle of the park but Joyce was well positioned to deal with the effort whilst a direct burst from Brandy created an opportunity to shoot but his shot lacked power and rolled into the arms of Joyce. In stoppage-time, Southend had perhaps their best chance of the half when a cross from the left was only cleared as far as Betsy inside the box but he screwed his left-foot shot wide from 10 yards out.

The second period started with the visitors threatening from the off; a back-post header from Clarke after a corner went over whilst a high pass from Barnard found his strike partner Robinson and the Watford loanee forced Gulacsi into a save after getting away from Richard Jackson and hitting a right-foot shot towards the far corner. Gulacsi had to be on hand to make another save moments later when Betsy shrugged off the challenge from Matty Done before hitting a powerful left-foot shot towards goal which Gulacsi palmed before Dennehy cleared. Jean Francois Christophe showed superb feet to turn on the edge of the box to fire goalwards but again Gulacsi denied Southend with a strong hand whilst the follow up effort by Robinson from an acute angle went out for a throw-in.

The Bulls came to life after the early pressure with Brandy setting up Guinan for a 25 yard shot but it was harmless. Soon after, Jackson's precise pass was touched off by Guinan for Hewson to hit but he got under his shot and it went into the Meadow End. Graham Turner was distraught when the referee failed to produce a red-card for Dorian Dervitte after he fouled Brandy. The Man Utd loanee came alive after turning away from two defenders just inside the Southend half before skinning three on his way to the box before being knocked over; Brandy ended up a couple of yards in front of their defence and look as though he'd have gone all the way yet the referee failed to produce a red-card for the foul and a free-kick was given. From this, Hewson curled around the wall but couldn't bend it on target and it fell wide. Gulacsi held on with ease to a half-volley from Moussa whilst a crisp drive from Done after a Hewson corner wasn't cleared went a yard wide of the post.

A mini-game of head tennis on 18 yard line of the Hereford box finally dropped to Clarke who screwed a left-foot shot past the far post before Steve Tilson made two subs; Francis Laurent and Damian Scannell replaced Barnard and Betsy. Scannell looked tricky and caused Rose problems down the right with some good footwork and his cut-back was put wide by Laurent from close-range. Simon Johnson came on for Sam Gwynne late on whilst former Chelsea youngster Anthony Grant was given far too much time in the middle of the park to shoot goalwards with his powerful right-foot shot narrowly missing the top corner. With just a few minutes to go, Southend won it thanks to an awful refereeing decision from Hooper. A ball into the box was controlled by Laurent who turned away from Dennehy but the Irish defender got back to get a firm foot on the ball with a perfectly time tackle yet to the shock of everyone in the ground, the referee pointed to the spot. Robinson stepped up in front of the Blackfriars End and placed his shot beyond the reach of Gulacsi to nick the points for Southend.

Hereford probably did enough for a point in an equal game yet they lost out courtesy of a refereeing shocker. Debutant Dennehy can count himself desperately unlucky, after making a solid debut whilst Diagouraga looked on form in the middle of the park but there was little threat up top. The defeat is a nail in the coffin of The Bulls' chances of staying up and who knows, another Hooper could well have a say in the relegation battle when Hereford visit Glanford Park on Tuesday, with striker Gary on top form for Scunthorpe this season.

Hereford: Gulacsi, Jackson, Beckwith, Dennehy, Rose, Gwynne, Diagouraga, Hewson, Done, Guinan, Brandy.

Subs: Veiga, Broadhurst, Macleod, O'Leary, Johnson.

Southend: Joyce, Sankofa, Dervite, Clarke, Barrett, Betsy, Christophe, Grant, Moussa, Barnard, Robinson.

Subs: Masters, Francis, Scannell, Herd, Laurent. 

Turner blasts Officials

Hereford United manager Graham Turner has blasted the officials at this afternoon's League One game at Edgar Street after the Bulls were defeated by the only goal of the game, a disputed penalty.

It looked as though new loan signing, Darren Dennehy, had made a perfectly good tackle inside the box on Francis Laurent but the linesman signed a penalty and the referee, Simon Hooper, gave it. What rubbed even more salt into the wound was that former Bulls' striker Theo Robinson converted for Southend.

After the final whistle several Hereford players surrounded the referee, amidst them Dean Beckwith who was given a yellow card.

Coach John Trewick ran onto the pitch to confront the referee. Eventually he was ushered away by one of the stewards.

Turner gave his thoughts, mainly about the referee's decisions, to BBC Hereford and Worcester.

"I thought there were two (decisions). When Febian got through and was deemed to have been fouled. He was clean through, obvious goal scoring chance, and the player should have been sent straight off. It's got to be a red card when he is threw like that. We also felt part of the contact was inside the penalty area.

"Then young Dennehy making his debut. He let the lad get the wrong side of him but I thought it was a superb tackle. He stretched out a long leg, took the ball as cleanly as anything and I think everybody on the ground was amazed to hear the whistle go and see the referee give a penalty.

"We do feel hard done by. It's not been a great game. We've not played particularily well. You hope you get a break.

"The Febian incident, we felt, could have been the break we required. He wriggled himself free and into the box. We were ever so disappointed that there wasn't a better outcome for us. When you're down there decisions tend to kick you in the teeth. I thought that referee's decision certainly did.

"He was clearly running in the box with the ball, goalkeeper to beat when he was knocked down. For me it was a straight forward red card. It part and parcel of the laws of the game - why wasn't it applied?

"I don't moan too much about referees but when you get a referee who can't even kick off on time then you realise there is a degree of a problem there. His decision making was very poor."