Hereford notched up their third straight Nationwide Conference win and kept up their unbeaten home league record at Edgar Street on Saturday.

Rovers have never beaten United at Edgar Street in the Conference and the struggling Gloucestershire side failed to break their duck as Graham Turner's men eventually overcame them.

The visitors were no pushovers, however, and almost made an immediate impression when Stuart Slater ran at the Hereford back line straight from the kick-off, but Bulls keeper Scott Cooksey got down well and gathered the shot.

Former Newcastle United man Jason Drysdale continued Rovers' good start two minutes later when he forced Cooksey to turn a curled 25-yard free-kick around his right-hand post with a good diving stop.

It took a swift end-to-end movement to breach the visitors' defences after right-back Chris Lane provided a superlative 35-yard cross-field pass to Gavin Williams on the half hour.

United's top scorer gratefully received the ball out wide on the left and raced past former Hereford defender David Norton before drilling his eighth league goal of the season past Rovers keeper Steve Perrin from 15 yards.

Forest Green skipper Chris Burns came close to pulling his side level 12 minutes after the interval when he tested Cooksey with a rasping 25-yard drive, but the United stopper clung on at the second attempt.

Hereford captain Ian Wright came even nearer with an immediate response when he soared above the visiting defence to head Michael McIndoe's corner millimetres over the bar.

Strike pair Dennis Bailey and Steve Campbell were both hauled off by Rovers manager Frank Gregan on the hour but before their replacements, Frankie Bennett and Nathan Lightbody, had chance to make an impression, the Bulls punished their visitors for a major defensive lapse.

Left-back Paul Sturgess, playing his first Conference match of the season, crossed from deep on the left and Rob Elmes appeared unmarked at the back post to head in his fourth goal in three games.

Gritty central midfielder John Snape could have made it three after 71 minutes with a fierce shot that was finger-tipped away by Perrin, before Bennett had a golden opportunity to pull one back.

He headed a pinpoint far post cross from Drysdale straight downwards and the ball bounced over the bar, although the Rovers substitute quickly made amends.

Bennett took advantage when he found himself with just Cooksey to beat and capitalised on the Hereford keeper's indecision with a lob from 10 yards. It was Forest Green's first Conference strike in four games.

But the Bulls wrapped up victory in the dying seconds of the match when Ian Hedges could only turn the ball into his own net after Perrin parried away a shot from Williams.

Hereford: Cooksey, Lane, Sturgess, Robinson, Wright, James, Rodgerson, Snape, Elmes, Williams, McIndoe. Subs not used: Giddings, Baker, Piearce, Gardiner, Wall.

Forest Green: Perrin, Cousins, Hedges, Norton, Kilgour, Burns (Thomas 75 mins), Daley, Drysdale, Bailey (Bennett 60 mins), Campbell (Lightbody 60 mins), Slater. Sub not used: Smith, Spink.

Referee: G Brittain (Doncaster).

Attendance: 2,168.