Damaging defeat for Bulls

HEREFORD'S hopes of automatic promotion suffered a major blow when they went down at home to in-form Stockport County at Edgar Street.

The Hatters are now establishing themselves with an outside chance of a top-three spot after setting a new record of seven successive away wins.

Hereford made four changes from the side which lost at Dagenham & Redbridge the previous Tuesday.

Richard Rose, Clint Easton and Simon Johnson were all relegated to the substitutes' bench and so, with Dean Beckwith suspended, there were recalls for Karl Broadhurst, Robbie Threlfall, Kris Taylor and Theo Robinson.

Stockport attacked with the benefit of a strong wind behind then and a low drive by Liam Dickinson was saved by Wayne Brown in the first minute.

Anthony Pilkington then tested the Bulls keeper with a low drive.

Fluent football was hard to come by but Hereford threatened in the eighth minute when Gary Hooper powered through but failed to get much behind his shot, allowing John Ruddy an easy stop.

Robinson then made an excellent break from midfield only to waste the opening when he blazed over with Hooper bellowing for the pass in a much better position.

Stockport struck back with a couple of long-range Pilkington drives before Hereford missed the best chance of the half on 30 minutes.

Stephen Gleeson's free-kick broke to Ben Smith 15 yards out with a clear sight of goal but the midfielder sliced his effort horribly wide.

As half-time approached, County took their corner tally to six and from the last of these, Dominic Blizzard brought a diving save from Brown with a header from Shaleum Logan's flag-kick.

Although playing into the breeze after the break, it was County who had the better of the early action and their pressure paid dividends after 53 minutes in somewhat controversial fashion.

Dickinson and John McCombe ran towards the bye-line in pursuit of the ball and, much to the surprise of most in the ground, referee Andy Penn pointed to the penalty spot.

McCombe was yellow-carded, apparently for tugging the shirt of the County forward who got up to fire the spot-kick past Brown.

Shortly afterwards, it was almost two when Gareth Owen sidefooted wide from a Michael Rose free-kick.

Hereford struggled to gain any attacking impetus although they forced four corners in quick succession midway through the half.

These all came to nothing, however, as did a fifth awarded when Hooper, Hereford's most lively attacker, saw a shot deflected behind.

As the match entered added time, Johnson, one of three substitutes deployed by the Bulls, shot wide but there was to be no happy finish for the home side.

Hereford: Brown; McClenahan, Broadhurst, McCombe, Threlfall; Gleeson (Easton, 83 min), Smith, Taylor (Johnson, 63 min), MacDonald (Benjamin, 63 min); Robinson, Hooper. Subs not used: Ingham, Rose.

Stockport: Ruddy; S Logan (Smith, 90 min), Williams, Owen, Rose; Pilkington (McSweeny, 77 min), Taylor, Dicker, Blizzard, Rowe (Griffin, 74 min); Dickinson. Subs not used: Turnbull, C Logan.

Referee: Andy Penn (West Midlands) Attendance: 3,526 (590 from Stockport) Yellow cards: Hereford - McCombe, foul, 54 min; Stockport - Dickinson, persistent fouling, 58 min; Goals: Dickinson pen, 53 min, 0-1;