Late penalty is
COUNTY had to rely on a late Frank Mulhern penalty, to salvage a frustrating 1-1 draw with struggling Hereford in the National League North on Saturday.
In front of an expectant Edgeley Park crowd of over 3,000 – the biggest home attendance since the opening day 5-1 win over FC Utd of Manchester – The Hatters dominated possession but failed to take a number of first half chances, before falling behind to Calvin Dinsley’s second-half header.
Despite what boss Jim Gannon described as ‘huffing and puffing’ from his inconsistent side, it was only an 80th minute penalty by Mulhern, awarded for a remarkable deliberate handball by goalscorer Dinsley, which rescued the hosts.
County took to the field on a blustery afternoon in a 4-2-3-1 formation, showing two changes from the FA Cup starting line-up which swept aside Corby Town a week previously. Mulhern and Matty Warburton, both of the goalscorers in last week’s 3-0 victory, were handed starts, replacing the unavailable Jordan Keane, and young forward Nyal Bell.
As is becoming habit at Edgeley Park, County produced a lively start, with captain Ash Palmer heading an early corner just wide of the right post, before Darren Stephenson went even closer with a header from an Adam Thomas cross that goalkeeper Matt Yates, making his debut on loan from Derby, parried behind.
Yates also stooped to smother a low free-kick by Sam Walker from 25 yards out as County pressed without the crucial final product, whilst the visitors, deploying five in defence, offered relatively little in attack.
Ten minutes before the interval, Warburton weaved his way into the box, jinking past a number of challenges from the Hereford defence before prodding straight at Yates from a wide angle.
But the lowly away side made it to the break all square, which seemed to provide the Bulls with fresh impetus after the break – and, somewhat predictably given County’s ineffective final third showing, the visitors would soon take the lead.
Just six minutes later,
There was a muted response at the full-time whistle, with a handful of boos from disgruntled supporters
the visitors – without an attempt on goal to their name – made a similarlypositioned set-piece count, when Dinsley leapt to powerfully head home Eliot Richards’ delivery from the left to give Hereford the lead.
The visitors proceeded to defend in even greater numbers, as much of the remainder of play was concentrated in their half. But, for all County’s possession, a cuttingedge was still needed in the final third, with several corners and freekicks coming and going without a decisive final touch.
With 80 minutes played, the Hatters were thrown a lifeline courtesy of another dead-ball situation, and after an afternoon which saw the