Hereford United crashed to a humiliating 4-0 defeat against Swansea City in Nationwide Division 3 at the Vetch field on Tuesday night. The Swans, who came into the game on the back of a run of six consecutive defeats, over-ran a poor Hereford side who contributed to their own downfall by having two players sent off. Adrian Foster and Keith Downing both getting their early bath for two bookable offences.

Hereford have now gained four red cards in the space of eight days, more than they managed in the whole of last season, and Downing's record of four yellow and two red cards in a week is not one which he will cherish. In an attempt to pep up his shot-shy attack, United director of football, Graham Turner made three changes to the starting line-up with Gareth Stoker, Gavin Mahon and Chris Hargreaves giving way to Jamie Pitman, Ian Foster and Wayne Sutton who made his first start in Hereford colours.

However, rather than creating problems in the Swansea area, the new-look Hereford side instead found difficulties to be in their own, with the previously solid looking defence leaking three goals in the first half hour. The first came on the quarter-hour mark when David Thomas fed Jon Coates on te left and was waiting in the middle to head unchallenged past goalkeeper Andy Debont when the midfielder sent in his centre.

Four minutes later, the powerful Steve Torpey rose high above the Hereford defence to head home a cross from Steve Jones. After half-an-hour, another Jones cross was needlessly handled by Quentin Townsend and David Penney punished the misdemeanour with a successful penalty-kick.

Then, two minutes into injury time at the end of the half, a wild challenge by Adrian Foster saw him receive his second yellow card and his marching orders.

The large band of travelling supporters must have felt that things could hardly get worse in the second half. But on 58 minutes, debutant Lee Jenkins waltzed through the middle to blast home goal number four and then, two minutes later was on the receiving end of a late challenge by Downing, whose participation in the game was summarily ended by the appearance of referee John Brandwood's second red card of the evening.

Now as the side sits one place off the bottom of Division 3, it is hard to believe that only 10 competitive games ago the Bulls were in the play-offs challenging for a place in Division 2.

Hereford: Debont, Norton, Fishlock, Smith, Brough, Townsend (sub Stoker, 32 mins), Pitman (sub Hargreaves, 45 mins), Downing, A. Foster, I. Foster (sub Mahon, 71 mins), Sutton.

Attendance: 3,479.