ROK BOTTOM BULLS

There was plenty of effort on show from the home side at an unseasonably warm Edgar Street this afternoon, but their inability to convert a number of chances, and the all too familiar arrival of a late goal for the visitors saw the Bulls slip to the foot of the League Two table. Jimmy McQuilkin started in a packed midfield, and Richard Peniket replaced Nicky Featherstone. Tom Barkhuizen was joined on the bench by new boy James Chambers, though his Doncaster colleague did not make the team-sheet.

Joe Colbeck made some promising breaks in the early stages, but his final delivery lacked precision. Sam Clucas had a shot blocked before a minor misunderstanding between David Cornell and Ben Purkiss at the back had the unintended side-effect of wrong-footing Crewe’s new signing Billy Bodin. Play flowed from end to end with a McQuilkin corner for the Bulls followed by a flag kick for Alexandra which was headed over by Bodin. Ajay Leitch-Smith made a lively run but shot wide when others were in a better position. A 30 second demonstration of the art of ball-winning by the rejuvenated Kenny Lunt created an opening. Three times in succession he gained possession despite looking second favourite, and the beneficiaries were Nathan Elder and Sam Clucas, both of whose shots were blocked.

McQuilkin’s swinging crossfield pass to Colbeck saw the winger cut inside and hit a defender with his shot. Barkhuizen, on for the injured Clucas, almost found Peniket after a flowing move involving Lunt and Elder, but a despairing Crewe boot intervened. Purkiss arrived at pace in the box, and had an attempt cleared before Colbeck swapped flanks, cut inside and once more found a Crewe body in the path of his shot. As David Artell tried to shepherd the ball back to Steve Phillips in the visitors’ goal, Elder did well to intervene, though the resulting corner came to nothing. Despite the energy shown, and having the ball for long periods, Hereford could not make the final thrust, and they reached the interval with nothing to show for their endeavours. Indeed, Phillips had rarely been called into action.

HT: HUFC 0 CREWE ALEXANDRA 0

Barkhuizen trys a shot which goes wide - pictures taken by Andy Compton of the Hereford Journal/Shropshire News

He's disappointed

The second period began in similar fashion, with some promising approach play involving the perceptive Lunt, having his best game for some while, Colbeck, Peniket and Elder, though the closest they came to troubling the scorer was when Peniket lashed a chance into the side netting from an acute angle. Worryingly for Bulls fans, the Railwaymen started to threaten on the break. Leitch-Smith latched on to a through ball, and then Byron Moore’s tricky run saw him cut inside Michael Townsend to set up Nick Powell for a shot that was well held by Cornell.

Delroy Facey, pictured, replaced Elder and soon combined with Peniket to play Barkhuizen in. He delayed his shot slightly, yet again allowing Crewe to fashion a blocking tackle, but this time it fell kindly to Ryan Green who lashed a long range blockbuster frustratingly wide of the target. Further attempts from Facey and Purkiss lacked power, and were comfortably absorbed by the efficient Crewe rearguard; the feeling grew that it was just not going to be the Bulls’day. Only eleven minutes remained when things got worse. There seemed little danger as a routine cross was cleared, but fortuitously, it fell perfectly for Luke Murphy on the edge of the box. Although he stumbled untidily onto the loose ball, it was given sufficient power to find the back of Cornell’s net, despite the stopper’s desperate attempt to keep it out.

Hereford scarcely deserved such a scoreline, and some despondency took over in the remaining minutes. Danny Shelley burst through the middle and Byron Moore had a fierce shot saved. Moore and Shelley then set up Ashley Westwood whose clever chip was saved at full stretch by Cornell.

Plenty of chances for the Bulls - Richard Peniket knows he should have done better

Peniket headed straight at the keeper from a cross by Jimmy. An excellent advantage played by referee James Adcock, who had a fine game, allowed Barkhuizen to continue his weaving run after a clear foul, but a corner was the only reward. Another late goal, another home defeat and the home crowd, in shirtsleeve order, departed to the news that, as a result of events elsewhere, their heroes now occupy 24th place in the table. All is not lost, to be sure, but these are worrying times.

FT: HUFC 0 CREWE ALEXANDRA 1

Attendance: 2326, including 419 Railwaymen

HUFC: Cornell, Purkiss, Townsend, Stam (Evans 81), Green, Colbeck, Lunt, McQuilkin, Peniket, Clucas (Barkhuizen 27), Elder (Facey 60).

CREWE ALEX.: Phillips, Davis (Mellor 9),Artell, Dugdale, Brown, Westwood, Murphy, Bodin (Shelley 71), Leitch-Smith (Clayton 65), Moore, Powell.