Saturday, September 3, 2005

DESPITE dominating virtually all of Saturday's Nationwide Conference encounter at Edgar Street, Hereford United had to settle for a point against in-form Altrincham.

The visitors had won their last three games but, with just one attacker, were content to let Hereford come at them and stage the odd, very occasional, raid themselves.

With Tamika Mkandawire and Guy Ipoua still not 100 per cent fit, the Bulls made just one change from the side which won at Tamworth last Monday.

Rob Purdie was given the chance to stand in for the suspended Ryan Green at right wing-back and showed up competently in a hard-working display.

But Hereford missed the power that the outstanding Green has brought to their attacking play this season and also the guile of Ipoua which might have found a way through the tight Altrincham defence.

Ironically, considering what was to come, it was the Cheshire side who created the first real opening.

Colin Potts cut in from the left and let fly with a curling right-foot shot which Wayne Brown did well to turn around a post.

That was virtually the last action of the game for Brown who was able to watch as United struggled in vain to break down the Altrincham rearguard.

Adam Stansfield's barren run without a goal this season has now extended to six games but last season's leading scorer did just about everything but score in his usual hard-working display.

On eight minutes he lifted a shot over from a good position and was thwarted shortly afterwards by a good save from man-of-the-match, goalkeeper Stuart Coburn, after Danny Carey-Bertram had put him through.

Coburn kept out a Stansfield header at point-blank range from an Alex Jeannin free-kick before the former Yeovil striker eventually got the ball in the net on 25 minutes.

He neatly turned in a cross from Craig Stanley but the assistant referee's flag signalled that he had strayed into an offside position.

Coburn produced another good save before the break, tipping over a Jon Brady free-kick after Stansfield had been brought down on the edge of the area.

Things continued in a similar vein after the break with striker Carey-Bertram volleying wide and then failing by inches to touch home a Stansfield cross.

Hereford's best chance of the half came on 67 minutes, however, when Carey-Bertram raced on to a Purdie pass but saw his shot deflected on to the woodwork by defender Peter Band. Hereford continued to battle away but their cause was not helped by the loss of Jeannin (ankle injury) and Brady (rib and hamstring problems).

Both now face a battle to be fit for next week's important clash at Stevenage.

HEREFORD: Brown, Beckwith, James, Blewitt, Brady (Evans 70), Ferrell, Stanley, Purdie, Jeannin (Coldicott 76), Stansfield, Carey-Bertram. Subs not used: Mawson, Mkandawire, Pitman.

ATTENDANCE: 2,318.