Hereford United 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 2.

HEREFORD are all but relegated from League 1 after going down to home to fellow-strugglers Brighton.

Hereford looked a forlorn outfit, a yard off the pace all over the field in front of the lowest League 1 gate of the season.

The Bulls welcomed back Liverpool’s on-loan Hungarian under-19 international keeper Peter Gulacsi.

Gulacsi took the place of Jose Veiga in the only change following Saturday’s defeat at Hartlepool.

There was, however, a return on the substitutes’ bench for Matt Done who has missed the last two games with a knee injury.

Brighton’s early danger came from Dean Cox who let fly from 20 yards with a shot which went wide on five minutes.

A speculative 35-yard effort from the midfielder cleared Gulacsi’s bar a couple of minutes later.

The visitors had dominated the early exchanges and made it pay in the ninth minute.

Lloyd Owusu headed across goal and Tom Fraser produced an overhead kick to beat Gulacsi. It was his first League goal since December 2006 and Brighton’s first strike in six hours, 19 minutes.

The visitors came close to scoring again eight minutes later when Cox’s free-kick from 20 yards beat the defensive wall but drew a fine diving save from Gulacsi.

Hereford struggled to gain any sort of foothold as they were harried off the ball at every occasion.

But Steve Guinan did get in a header from Ben Smith’s free-kick, although the ball flew a long way wide of the target.

Brighton continued to pose the greater threat of two ordinary sides, however.

On 38 minutes, Cox’s corner was flicked on by Adam Virgo and Tommy Elphick and Owusu both got in efforts which were cleared by Richard Rose, making his 100th Football League appearance for the Bulls.

At the other end, a free-kick from Marc Pugh flashed through the Brighton defence before being grasped by goalkeeper Michael Kuipers.

But Brighton were soon back on the attack when Richard Jackson presented the ball to Cox whose pass picked out Craig Davies.

The tall striker fired in a shot which was blocked to safety by Gulacsi’s feet.

Hereford introduced Stephen O’Leary for Jennison Myrie-Williams at half-time but the change failed to introduce much new vigour.

Smith cracked a shot just wide after Febian Brandy broke into the area and then Guinan had a shot blocked but there was little else to warm the sparse crowd.

Hereford indeed had a let off on 62 minutes when Davies let fly from 35 yards and the ball crashed against the bar before going out of play.

But the Bulls should have done better when a fine pass from Smith found Brandy who miscued his shot poorly wide from a good position.

O’Leary volleyed wide for the Bulls but Brighton, who had been little in evidence in attack for much of the second period, added a second in the 75th minute.

Gary Hart laid the ball off to Owusu who advanced before driving past Gulacsi from 15 yards. Hart almost added a third two minutes later when his header was brilliantly parried by Gulacsi.

In injury time, Brandy was felled in the area and a penalty awarded.

Guinan’s penalty was saved but, in the scramble afterwards, Taylor fired home from 25 yards.

It was too little, too late for Hereford’s hopes and relegation can now only be days away.

Hereford: Gulacsi; Jackson, Rose, Broadhurst, Taylor; Myrie-Williams (O’Leary, 46 min), Smith (Johnson, 78 min), Diagouraga, Pugh (Done, 78 min); Guinan, Brandy. Subs not used: Veiga, Gwynne.

Brighton: Kuipers; Whing, Virgo, Elphick, Borrowdale; Birchall (El-Abd, 73 min), Dicker, Cox, Fraser; Davies (Hart, 71 min), Owusu. Subs not used: Sullivan, El-Abd, McLeod, Loft.

Referee: Jon Moss (West Yorkshire).

Attendance: 2,033 (279 from Brighton).

Goals: Fraser, 9 min, 0-1; Owusu, 75 min, 0-2.

Yellow cards: Brighton – Davies, 66 min, dissent; Whing, foul, 83 min.