Hereford United 2 Lincoln City 2 - Homework

Apologies for the late posting today, but the feeling has just returned to my fingers following frostbite suffered during Saturday’s game.

My clippings from this morning's copy of The Sun

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

Jamie Pitman sauntered out to the dugouts eventually to give his press briefing and said - with a grin - that as he’d been kept waiting by the media after the Shrewsbury game, it was now our turn. If a very important part of my anatomy had not just succumbed to frost bite it would have been funny Jamie. Then again, I hardly ever use it these days.

Enough of my moaning though.

Lincoln looked as though they were going to ease their way into the 3rd round hat after a first half performance that saw them leave for the cozy, warm dressing room having scored two goals and saved a penalty.

A superb dinked ball over the Hereford defence in the 19th minute from skipper Scott Kerr found Ashley Grimes - who had left the Bulls defenders flat-footed - and the striker lobbed the ball over stranded Adam Bartlett and into the net.

Grimes is on loan from Millwall and this was his second goal in two games for the Imps. Boss Steve Tilson said later:

“If that goal had been scored in the Premier League people would Have been drooling over it.” Well the away fans and the neutrals like myself were impressed Steve, believe me. A great finish.

Hereford struck back within four minutes though, desperate for a big money 3rd round draw. If they had known then that the prize was to be Wycombe at Adams Park they might not have bothered!

In a case of “anything you can do …” winger Rob Purdie – on loan from Oldham - ran on to a poor pass from Gavin Hoyte and, as keeper Joe Anyon was left stranded, placed the ball into the back of the net for his fourth goal in six games.

Just as Lincoln contributed their own downfall for the equaliser, Hereford managed to shoot themselves in the foot and let the away side restore their lead in the 27th minute.

Skipper Michael Townsend was shepherding the ball back towards Bartlett with Grimes at his back hassling him, but by the time Townsend released the ball for his keeper, Bartlett seemed to be caught in two minds and planted a scuffed clearance right at the feet of Mustapha Carayol. The Gambia-born winger was impressive all afternoon and deserved his goal, although was probably surprised at how easy the home side made it for him.

In the 43rd minute it looked as though the Bulls were once again back in the game. Midfielder Kenny Lunt sent a shot into the crowded box and it hot central defender Adam Watts on the arm.

Stuart Fleetwood stepped up to take the spot kick unaware that Anyon had done his homework studied the striker’s technique. The former Blackburn keeper threw himself to his right and didn’t just stop the ball, but claimed it mid air. It was at a nice height for him, but there was no photo-opportunity palming away from Anyon. The ball stuck in his hands and, as he said to me later, “Hey, if it’s there to be caught, you catch it.”

In the second half Hereford looked the better side, but it wasn’t until the 86th minute that they managed to force a replay.

Once again Watts gave away a penalty after tripping Fleetwood in the box and Frenchman Mathieu Manset - who had surprisingly started on the bench – blasted the ball in for his 7th goal in nine games. Frankly it didn’t matter whether Anyon had studied Manset, nothing was going to stop this fiercely hit spot kick.

Watts was honest enough to hold his hands up (again) after the game and said: “They were both down to me and I take full responsibility. I didn’t know too much about the first one, but it hit my arm and I dived in too early for the second one. There’s no point in looking back though and at least we’re still in the Cup.

The replay takes place on Tuesday 7th December at Sincil Bank and I think it’s too close to call. If Pitman starts with Manset it could make all the difference as the Lincoln defence looked scared witless of him on Saturday.

Then again, he started against Lincoln two weekends ago in the League and the Imps had no problems with him that day and won 3-1.

It should be an interesting encounter, but with a game against Wycombe on offer, I wonder if both teams will be as motivated as they might have been given their respective league positions.

Bulls-chat – A Pretty Good Guy

Jamie Pitman hit back at the poor attitude shown towards his team before the game by the Hythe camp, but also gave credit where he felt it was due and in doing so, showed a little more class than his part-time opponents. He said:

“It helped us in the respect that I don’t need to say to the players that they’re coming here and you’re supposed to e professional footballers and so you have to do what you’re good at and what you do day in day out. And that’s what they did to be fair.

I said to them that the first fifteen minutes was going to dictate what happens. If they score and you allow them into the game then it’s going to be very difficult. If you don’t then you’ll probably go on and win by five, seven or eight and in the end it could have been double figures.

In the end fair play to them, they worked very hard and they kept in the game all of the time and to be fair to them they weren’t bad, they weren’t bad.”

Pitman is also pleased with the atmosphere around the Bulls’ camp and said:

“The players seem to be enjoying themselves and so it’s just a continual progression for us at the moment.”

Two-goal hero Mathieu Manset allayed any fears the Edgar Road* faithful might have about Pitman’s managerial ability and revealed:

“He’s a real manager. He knows how to shout! He is a football man and once played and so he knows what to do.”

* Apologies to Bulls fans for calling Edgar Street 'Edgar Road'. A lazy error on my part, although it does explain why the Sat Nav took me to Hounslow first :-)

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.