Tuesday, November 26, 2003

IF a week is a long time in politics -- then four days might as well be an eternity in football.

Hereford United turned on a superb display at Edgar Street last night which was entirely unrecognisable from Saturday's shambles at Gay Meadow.

The Bulls, so poor in their 4-1 defeat against Shrewsbury, suddenly recaptured all the verve and style of their early season performances to brush aside Halifax in a 7-1 victory.

Hereford's biggest win in the Nationwide Conference was also their first seven-goal display in league action since December 1969 when John Charles hit four in the hammering of Hillingdon.

If current top marksman Steve Guinan's lacks Charles' international pedigree, he is still a fine performer at Conference level and his hat-trick took his tally for the season to 18.

Well as Guinan played, though, there was little doubt about the man-of-the-match award as Ben Smith, who put away the first two vital goals, set up two more for Guinan and seemed to be at the heart of all the action.

It all looked different, however, after 75 seconds when Ryan Mallon found acres of space to deliver a cross for Lewis Killeen to give Halifax the lead.

If Killeen had succeeded with a similar chance minutes later then the outcome might well have been different.

But a neat move between Smith and Paul Parry allowed the midfielder to level on nine minutes and Smith took his season's total to 11 on 33 minutes when he smashed the rebound from Jamie Pitman's blocked shot high into the net.

Six minutes after the break, a sublime move found Smith tricking his way to the bye-line and pulling the ball back for Guinan to hammer in his first Conference goal since October 7.

Three minutes later, Smith's flick to Michael Rose's pass opened up the way for Guinan's second and the top marksman's hat-trick came on 71 minutes thanks to a Danny Williams cross.

Rob Purdie raced on to Guinan's through pass to blast in number six two minutes afterwards, but the best of the seven goals was still to come.

Nine minutes from time, substitute David Brown spotted goalkeeper Mark Cartwright marginally off his line and produced a chip from 25 yards that was perfection.

HEREFORD: Baker 7, Green 7, James 8, Mkandawire 8 (Teesdale 81 min), Rose 7, Williams 8 (Brown 77 min), *SMITH 9, Pitman 8, Parry 8 (Craven 77 min), Guinan 8, Purdie 8. Subs (not used): Scott, Carey-Bertram. ATTENDANCE: 1,875