Accrington Stanley 2 Hereford United 0

HEREFORD had not visited Accrington for 71 years before Tuesday night's Nationwide Conference defeat.

By the look on Graham Turner's face after, by far, United's worst performance of the season, he would shed few tears if another seven decades were to pass before the next.

"Over the last 14 days we've lost our way a bit," he said. "We've got to get back to some of the basics we were doing well at the start of the season.

"We've got to start defending properly and keeping clean sheets. There was more desire about Accrington tonight."

The Bulls, who went into the game sitting proudly at the top of the Conference and finished four places down, never for a moment looked like league leaders during a first half in which they managed just one serious goal effort, and that in injury time and well wide of the mark.

Accrington, while providing few direct threats to Matt Baker's goal, dominated territorially, giving Hereford no space to play. With their power and pace, they hardly looked like a side which had played a testing FA Cup just over 48 hours previously.

Baker fielded a Jonathan Smith header and held an Andy Gouck long-range effort but had no chance when Stanley opened the scoring six minutes before the break.

Phil Mullin won the ball on the left and slipped it inside to Rory Prendergast whose teasing low cross was touched in by Lutel James.

Nine minutes after the interval, Hereford should have been back on level terms when Rob Purdie raced on to a fine through ball by Paul Parry but allowed goalkeeper Jon Kennedy to block his shot.

Purdie just failed to reach a Danny Williams through pass and Parry volleyed over as United threatened to hit back but, against the balance of play, Stanley extended the lead.

The Hereford defence had opportunities to clear a bouncing ball but instead Mullin seized the opportunity to blast a shot past Baker.

Substitute David Brown side-footed over from the edge of the area after a good period of pressure and Jamie Pitman lashed a volley wide of the target in the closing stages, but this was not to be Hereford's night.

They will need to put this performance a long way behind them if they are to reclaim their spot at the top of the table.

Bookings - Hereford: Mkandawire (foul 20 min); Accrington: Armstrong (foul 68 min).

Hereford: Baker, Green, Mkandawire, James, Rose, Williams, King (Brown 68 min) Pitman, Parry, Purdie, Guinan. Subs not used: Scott, Teesdale, Craven, Carey-Bertram.

Accrington: Kennedy, Cavanagh, Hollis, Smith, Williams, Proctor, Gouck (Armstrong 64 min), Cook, James, Mullin, Prendergast. Subs not used: Speare, Durnin, Jackson, Calcutt.

Referee: G Turner (Derbyshire).

Attendance: 1,824.