IT has been a long time in coming but Hereford United have finally clawed themselves off the bottom of League One.

In four days, the Bulls drew 0-0 at Brighton and defeated Carlisle 1-0 at Edgar Street to end an eight-match winless run and increase their points tally to nine points, leaving Crewe propping up the table.

Hereford are now just two points from safety as Stockport County visit tomorrow (3pm).

Victory would make it three games unbeaten for United and complete a remarkable week for Graham Turner’s side, considering they managed only five points from their first 10 games.

Beating Jim Gannon’s Stockport would also stretch their unbeaten League One run on home soil to three games, following the Andy Williams-inspired Carlisle success and a 0-0 draw with Walsall.

Turner is pleased his team have kept two clean sheets in a row but has been in the game long enough to know there is still plenty of hard work to do.

He said: “I thought we deserved the win. We had a very good second-half and a disciplined first-half. You could see the confidence resurging when we went a goal up and we have got to be pleased and use that as a base to build on.

“After the Oldham game, it was key that we didn’t concede goals too readily.”

Turner is in a position to name an unchanged team from the Carlisle victory and will be looking for Williams, on loan from Bristol Rovers, to build on Tuesday’s strike.

He added: “Strikers thrive on goals and I would have thought that would have done his confidence a bit of good.”

Midfielder Stephen O’Leary, banned against Brighton, could return to the 16 for tomorrow’s match after not featuring in mid-week.

Turner added: “We have got a fairly decent squad to pick from.”