Hereford United 5 Hythe Town 1 - R.E.S.P.E.C.T

As a professional footballer you need no greater motivation than to read that the opposition manager thinks you’re “nothing special”.

Hythe Town were the smallest team left in the FA Cup on Saturday and were duly dumped out of it in emphatic style by the Bulls and it could have been a lot worse if it hadn’t been for some sloppy finishing and inspired goalkeeping from Kieron Mann.

My clipping from this morning's copy of The Sun

The Sun’s football website: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football

Hereford manager Jamie Pitman told me after the game:

“I didn’t need to say anything to the players before the game as they had done my job for me by showing a total lack of respect.”

Any chance of an upset died in the 8th minute when midfielder Richard Rose burst through the Hythe defence and planted a shot in the bottom left corner.

In the 21st minute Rob Purdie buried a shot from the edge of the box in the same place.

Hythe pulled one back in the 26th minute when Council Planning Officer Gary Mickelborough ran into the box and rifled another into the bottom left corner, but that proved to be the Kent side’s only high point.

Gallic flare then took over in the form of a Mathieu Manset brace before half time.

French striker Manset, 21, scored with an acrobatic overhead kick in the 39th minute before bundling home a header five minutes later.

Afterwards Manset said:

“As a child I dreamed of playing in English football and in the FA Cup, but last season I was sent off when we beat Sutton and so I was very unhappy. Today was better.

My hero back home in France was Jean-Pierre Papin who was known for his overhead goals and so I used to practice them and still do in training. To score one just like him was a great feeling.”

In the second half I fully expected Hereford to reach double figures such was their dominance, but they struggled to find a way past the vertically challenged, pink-shirted Mann who made several excellent stops – three in particular from winger Stuart Fleetwood.

But Fleetwood had the last laugh.

In the 93rd minute Fleetwood’s shot hit the post and rolled along and over the line and while substitute Sean Canham appeared to make sure by belting the ball into the back of the net, the winger wheeled away in delight at finally overcoming the amateur stopper.

More quotes from this game tomorrow.