BULLS MAKING QUITE A DIN!
HEREFORD boss Peter Beadle was proud of the character that his Southern League outfit showed as they secured themselves a place in the FA Cup third round draw by frustrating Fleetwood. Midfielder Calvin Dinsley elegantly curled the seventh-tier visitors into the lead midway through the first-half, but it was short-lived as Devante Cole levelled for Fleetwood minutes later. After the break, Hereford, who were backed by a strong and vocal support that had made the long journey to the north west, stifled Fleetwood throughout and earned a place in the hat alongside the Premier League’s big boys. Beadle said: “I have a huge amount of pride for the players as they put in fantastic shift and effort. They showed great character and I thought they have earned the chance to be in the third round draw. “I thought the goal was great and we scored it at the perfect time, it settled us down and it is a shame that we couldn’t hold on until half-time. “Calvin Dinsley wasn’t even supposed to be in the starting line-up, so it was a nice finish from him, but we showed great character. “I’ll watch the third round draw quietly at home with the family and we will see who we draw. If we draw a Premier League team away from home, then great, but it can’t distract us. If we can perform with the same character, we can make Edgar Street an uncomfortable place for any team.” Following a bright start to the second-round tie, Hereford sent their 977 travelling supporters into delirium after 23 minutes when the ball dropped to Dinsley on the edge of the area, who proceeded to bend his shot into the bottom left corner beyond Chris Neal’s dive. However, Fleetwood restored parity on the half-hour mark as Lewie Coyle’s cross from the right was met by Cole, who coolly diverted past goalkeeper Martin Horsell. In the second half, phoenix club Hereford continued to frustrate Fleetwood to limited openings. Fleetwood chucked everything they had at Hereford in an attempt to find a winner, with Ashley Hunter hitting the post, but Beadle’s men remained resilient to secure a well-earned replay, which will be played at Edgar Street. Fleetwood boss Uwe Rosler said: “In the first 20 minutes, we controlled the game, which was our aim. In the second half, the game was really open, which suited them – we had four or five chances but we didn’t use them correctly. “We caused ourselves problems by letting them score the first goal and we should have done better to deal with the game.”