THAT long-awaited win still eluded Hereford as their run of games without a victory stretched to 14 after an 80th-minute goal by Johnny Walker saw Mansfield complete their first double of the campaign in the Third Division.

Twelve of those matches have been in the Third Division and it was United's seventh league defeat of the season at Edgar Street. Johnny Walker was certainly not Hereford's tipple of the day. It was his second goal of the season for Mansfield and his previous one was during the Stags' 3-1 victory over United in September.

The match followed an all too familiar pattern as far as Hereford were concerned. They had the edge of matters territorially and created more chances than the Stags before, as usual, conceding a soft goal late in the game. United's debut-making goalkeeper Trevor Wood, signed on a free transfer from Walsall the previous Tuesday, had no chance of stopping Walker's winner.

Wood's counterpart, Ian Bowling, cleared his lines after a period of home team pressure and the ball was played on to Walker. Nicky Law slipped as he tried to challenge the Scottish midfielder who swept past him and beat Wood with a 10-yard shot.

Previously Hereford had made an impressive start, almost taking the lead in the fifth minute. A right-wing centre from David Norton found Mika Kottila whose flighted header defeated Bowling and hit the bar. Adrian Foster was first to the rebound but, rather than trying to guide the ball to Dean Smith, he attempted another header from an acute angle. It dropped straight into the arms of Bowling who was still spreadeagled on the ground.

Mansfield, the division's draw specialists with 11 this term, were by no means defensively minded but they did not seriously trouble Wood before half-time. At the other end Bowling parried away Gareth Stoker's vicious 25-drive and just before the break Adrian Foster whipped a shot against an upright.

Early in the second period Bowling turned another shot from Adrian Foster away for a corner before Wood made a fine save, diving backwards to grab Glynn Hurst's header. It was then United's turn to have an escape when Walker's shot rattled the bar but the Scotsman was able to forget that near miss when he grabbed the winner.

Adrian Foster and Mansfield skipper Brian Kilcline, who was lucky not to receive a red card, were booked following an off-the-ball scuffle, while Stoker was shown a yellow card for dissent.

United director of football Graham Turner said: ''It is very disappointing to see a team work so hard without reward. At crucial stages of the first half Mika Kottila and Adrian Foster had good strikes hit the woodwork but, at present, the breaks are just not going our way.''

Hereford: Wood, Norton, Brough, Law (Preedy 82 mins), Matthewson, Fishlock, Hargreaves, Stoker, Smith, Adrian Foster (Ian Foster 78 mins), Kottila. Sub not used: Warner.

Attendance: 1,872.