HEREFORD United hadn't visited Accrington Stanley for 71 years before last night's 2-0 Nationwide Conference defeat.

By the look on Graham Turner's face after by far United's worst performance of the season at the Crown Ground, he would shed few tears if another seven decades were to pass before the next.

United slipped to fourth place with the defeat, and Turner said: "Over the last 14 days we've lost our way a bit.

"We've got to get back to some of the basics we were doing well at the start of the season.

"We've got to start defending properly and keeping clean sheets. There was more desire about Accrington tonight."

Hereford, who went into the game sitting proudly at the top of the Conference, never looked like league leaders during a first half in which they managed just one serious goal effort, and that in injury time and well wide of the mark.

Accrington, while providing few direct threats to Matt Baker's goal, dominated territorially, giving the Bulls no space to play. With their power and pace, they hardly looked like a side which had played a testing FA Cup tie just over 48 hours previously.

Baker fielded a Jonathan Smith header and held an Andy Gouck long-range effort but had no chance six minutes before the break when Paul Mullin won the ball on the left and slipped the ball inside to Rory Prendergast whose low cross was touched in by Lutel James.

Nine minutes after the interval, Hereford should have levelled when Rob Purdie raced on to a fine through ball by Paul Parry but allowed 'keeper Jon Kennedy to block his shot.

Purdie just failed to reach a Danny Williams pass and Parry volleyed over but, against the run of play, Stanley extended their lead.

The Hereford defence had opportunities to clear a bouncing ball but instead Mullin seized the opportunity to blast a shot past Baker.

Substitute David Brown sidefooted over from the edge of the area after a good period of pressure and Jamie Pitman lashed a volley wide in the closing stages but this was not to be Hereford's night.

Hereford: Baker 7, Green 6, Mkandawire 6, JAMES 8, Rose 6, Williams 7, King 6 (Brown, 68 min, 6) Pitman 6, Parry 6, Purdie 7, Guinan 6. Subs not used: Scott, Teesdale, Craven, Carey-Bertram.

Attendance: 1,824.

NATIONWIDE CONFERENCE (top eight)

P W D L F A Pt

Chester 17 10 6 1 25 9 36

Aldershot 17 11 3 3 41 26 36

Barnet 17 11 3 3 29 19 36

Hereford 17 10 4 3 38 20 34

Exeter 17 9 4 4 29 22 31

Shrewsbury 15 8 4 3 23 13 28

Accrington 17 7 6 4 28 20 27

Stevenage 17 7 5 5 26 19 26