E i e i e i o up the Football League we go
Brentford 0-3 Hereford
Hereford United will be playing League 1 football next season after victory at Brentford, coupled with Stockport County’s 2-1 defeat at Barnet. Gregg Davies reports....
By Gregg Davies
Hereford United will be playing League 1 football next season after victory at Brentford, coupled with Stockport County’s 2-1 defeat at Barnet.
Gary Hooper and Theo Robinson had given United a two-goal half-time lead – with the latter also missing a retaken penalty – before Simon Johnson came off the bench late on to rubber-stamp the victory and promotion.
The Bulls remained unchanged following Tuesday night’s 2-0 success over Wrexham, although there was one alteration on the substitutes’ bench with Steve Guinan replacing Trevor Benjamin.
Brentford began aggressively with the the Bees’ very own Wayne Brown screwing horribly wide from 18-yards inside the opening minute, before – central defender – Alan Bennett volleyed over from an acute angle after a free-kick had been flicked on into his path.
United soon settled and, after 10-minutes, Gary Hooper’s tenacity down the right-flank won the visitors a corner, from which Clint Easton’s delivery was eventually hoisted up out of the ground and onto the M4 by Wayne Brown.
Former Bull Alan Connell was looking lively against his former employers, flicking on a long throw although Hereford’s custodian quickly intercepted it.
But within seconds United had the lead. Gary Hooper – in his last appearance in a Bulls shirt before returning to parent club Southend – latched onto Theo Robinson’s flick with a inspired first-touch before firing low past, Bees’ stopper, Ben Hamer who got his fingertips to the ball.
Ben Smith then fired tamely at the goalkeeper from 20-yards after the ball had fallen kindly for the Bulls midfielder, before Glenn Poole’s thunderous free-kick cannoned straight into the Hereford defensive wall.
Clint Easton’s 20-yard rocket came agonisingly close to giving United a two-goal lead after 25-minutes, only for a full-stretch Hamer to tip the ball behind. Poole then tried his luck from a similar distance but his drive fizzed comfortably wide of the target.
The hosts squandered a glorious opportunity to level after half-an-hour as Gary Smith charged down the centre of the field only to blaze over from the edge of the danger-zone.
And he was made to pay for that miss after a bizarre passage of play for Graham Turner’s side. Hereford were awarded a penalty-kick after 33-minutes after Dean Beckwith was adjudged to have been hauled down whilst challenging for a corner-kick.
Theo Robinson stepped up and sent Hamer the wrong way, only for the referee to order to retake. Robinson opted to shoot the in the same direction as his previous effort but Hamer saved it, palming the ball away.
But not to be deterred, Robinson then burst clear of the Brentford defence seconds later, rounded the goalkeeper, and placed the ball into the far corner of the net to double United’s lead.
Connell came close to reducing the home side’s arrears shortly before the break, poking wide of the near post from close range after a corner-kick had been diverted into his path.
But his new side could have been dead and buried three-minutes after the restart as Hooper charged into the box but saw his cross diverted to safety by the sprawling Hamer.
United’s momentum was momentarily disrupted by the whooping away supporters, celebrating Barnet edging ahead against Stockport, and it could have proved costly as an unmarked Connell headed a free-kick straight at Hereford’s net-minder.
However, Hooper came close to netting one of the goals of the season seconds later, superbly bringing down Robinson’s chipped pass, touching the ball inside his marker but toe-poking the ball inches past the far post.
Brentford ensured the Bulls had no easy ride at Griffin Park with Ricky Shakes testing Brown with a low 20-yarder, before Connell’s acrobatic overhead kick from the edge of the danger-zone landed on the roof of the net.
Robinson could and should have put the result beyond doubt with 20-minutes remaining, racing on to Hooper’s through-ball, drawing the goalkeeper but side-footing an inch the wrong side of the post.
And Shakes almost instantly made the Watford man pay, linking up with Connell 18-yards from goal before slicing his fierce effort wide of the target.
Connell was proving a nuisance again shortly after, chesting a long ball down for Poole to screw high and wide of goal, before Shakes blazed wildly over the top after a corner-kick had dropped to the diminutive front-man six-yards out.
Steve Guinan entered the fray in place of Hooper with 11-minutes remaining, with the Southend man receiving a standing ovation from the 1418 travelling supporters.
And the Bulls army were soon in ecstacy again as news filtered through that Barnet had retaken the lead against promotion rivals Stockport.
Brentford’s Wayne Brown saw his fizzing 18-yarder tipped over the by his namesake in the United goal. And after Poole’s curling free-kick had hit the crossbar, the Bulls broke away with Guinan, who squared the ball for – substitute – Simon Johnson to score with virtually his first and last touches of the match.
