HEREFORD finally brought their nine-game winless streak to a close against a poor Boston United side at Edgar Street.

It was a happy day for on-loan striker Steve Guinan whose 56th-minute strike not only brought Hereford's unwanted club record of 630 minutes without a goal to a close but also completed his half-century of goals for the club.

The Cheltenham Town marksman, a key member of the first Bulls side to finish as Conference runners-up, has reached his 50 in 99 appearances, making his average an impressive ratio of better than a goal every other game.

A goal from Guinan, or anyone else for that matter, looked a forlorn hope in the first half which produced football of relentless mediocrity.

Andy Williams saw a 25-yard drive saved low by goalkeeper Andy Marriott but Phil Gulliver might have done better when he met Danny Thomas' corner only to direct his header wide of the target.

At the other end, Boston's centre-back Mark Greaves also squandered a great opening when he found himself in acres of space to meet Jamie Clarke's free-kick but failed to control the ball and the chance was gone.

Boston did manage to get the ball into the net before the interval but Drewe Broughton had already been pulled up for offside before he slotted the ball past Wayne Brown.

Playing down the slope after the break, Hereford came out revitalised for the second-half and broke the deadlock just 11 minutes in.

Thomas slipped a neat pass to Simon Travis whose cross picked out Ben Smith close to the penalty spot. Although the Hereford skipper's shot was blocked, the ball fell conveniently for Guinan who whacked it into the net.

After Thomas had seen a neat 20-yarder pushed away for a corner by Marriott, Hereford extended their lead on 71 minutes.

Steve Jennings, returning to the Hereford midfield in place of Luke Webb, slipped a pass to Williams who marked his return to the forward line by firing a shot home from an acute angle.

The best goal of the three, however, did not arrive until injury time when Guinan and Williams had been replaced by Alan Connell and Tim Sills.

Sills was brought down on the edge of the area and Connell stepped up to curl a perfect free-kick past the wall and into the top corner of Marriott's net - a truly unstoppable effort.

Hereford's win means they are now mathematically sure of playing League football next season but the same cannot be said of Boston who are now in serious trouble and must be favourites to go down with Torquay.

Hereford: Brown; McClenahan, Mkandawire, Gulliver, Purdie (Rose, 90 mins); Travis, Jennings, Smith, Thomas; Guinan (Connell, 82 mins), Williams (Sills, 82 mins). Subs not used: Thompson, Webb.

Attendance: 2,176.