Saturday, August 26, 2000

UNBEATEN Hereford climbed to second place, their highest ever position in the Nationwide Conference, after their second away win in five days.

The Bulls romped to a 2-0 victory at Hayes and the success was built on a sound defensive display in which youngster Tony James was outstanding.

The former West Bromwich Albion centre back has finished both of his two seasons with United in outstanding form but had sometimes looked vulnerable in the early stages of the campaigns.

But at Church Road on Saturday he used his positional sense and pace to good advantage to keep a tight check on the home side's dangerous frontrunner Rocky Baptiste.

James was well supported by defensive colleagues Ian Wright, Chris Lane and Matt Clarke who also all found the time to get forward to bolster an attack in which Gavin Willaims once again worked tirelessly.

Williams has benefited more than most from the fitness sessions of trainer Tony Ford and his extra strength helped him to withstand his usual buffeting from some over-vigorous defensive opponents.

The Merthyr Tydfil-born prospect certainly deserved his first goal of the season, nipping in to head home after Wright had nodded home a long throw from Lane.

Goalkeeper Scott Cooksey who is well on his way to achieving boss Graham Turner's target of seven clean sheets from the first 14 games after his third successive shut-out on Saturday, turned into a goal provider, too, at Church Road.

The keeper's long free-kick eluded the entire home defence and left Robin Elmes in yards of space. The school-teacher advanced confidently and drilled a shot under Paul Gothard to open his season's account.

Gothard watched helplessly as Elmes headed a Williams cross against an upright shortly afterwards but couldn't be faulted for his display in the last quarter of the game to deny Hereford further goals.

He soared through the air to turn aside a 45-yard effort from Snape and then foiled Ian Rodgerson's attempt to get on the score sheet, diving acrobatically to tip over a 25-yrd pile driver.

With the final whistle fast approaching, substitute Kerry Giddings looked as if he was going to add a third with a curling shot from the edge of the area, but Gothard dived far to his right to guide the ball splendidly around the post.