Hereford United 2, City 0

Adam Bolder’s eyes have been opened by his League Two experience.

For someone who has played at Old Trafford and Anfield, wet and windy afternoons in Hereford represent a different world.

But he is determined to get to grips with it – and he has urged City to do the same.

City’s frustrating habit of winning one game then losing the next reared its head again at unfashionable Edgar Street and that allowed Hereford to snap their own run of four successive home defeats.

Bolder made his fourth appearance in a City shirt but admitted he is still adjusting to the raw edge of the basement division.

He said: “There’s a massive difference (to League One). Throughout the whole second half, I’ve never seen their centre halves kick so many balls long into the channels or into touch.

“But that’s where I’m playing at the moment and I’ve got to get my head round that.

“You think you can come down here and start dictating the game but sometimes it’s not easy. You have to realise where you are.

“But I should have the experience and hopefully good enough ability to deal with that.”

The same could be said for a lot in the City dressing room.

Peter Taylor has stressed that there will be no easing off as the season heads towards the final straight. With just ten games left, the prospect of securing that next contract is looming larger.

Bolder, currently out of the picture at Millwall, is as unsure as the rest where he might end up and he agrees that the players must look to put down a marker over the closing weeks.

He said: “We’ve got to build now so that, come next season, whoever’s here has got that winning mentality. We know this is a big club and have to handle the pressure that comes with that.

“It’s down to the players and management to match the expectations of the fans and turn things round.”

City had the chances to have put this one away and could have been two up inside the first six minutes.

But as James Hanson and Gavin Grant – handed his first start in a three-pronged frontline – missed their lines, you sensed a sucker-punch was coming.

An early goal and Hereford would surely have crumbled. Instead Graham Turner’s side grew in strength and looked anything but a team with six losses in the last seven outings.

City played a big part in their own downfall. Chances continued to be snatched at while both Hereford goals threw up big question marks at the other end.

Half an hour’s deadlock was broken by the giant Frenchman affectionately known as ‘The Beast’.

But the danger from a Hereford corner should have been snuffed out before it reached Mathieu Manset to apply the decisive nudge from barely a yard out.

Marc Pugh, who ripped apart Jon Bateson in the same way he had done Darren Williams at Shrewsbury in Stuart McCall’s first year, was the instigator with an inswinging kick.

Luke Oliver got his head on it but only succeeded in clearing straight up in the air. Ryan Valentine nodded it back towards the near post and Manset did the rest; hardly a goal of beauty but the Beast did not mind.

The luck was turning for veteran Hereford supremo Turner, who sensed the first victory of his latest spell as manager/chairman.

Even the gods were on his side as City were greeted for the second half by driving rain in their faces. Bizarrely the weather had switched ends as well!

Defending in those conditions was not for the faint-hearted and Matt Clarke stood strong to deny Kenny Lunt a second. Then Robbie Threlfall did the same, sticking his head in the way of Manset’s goal-bound blast.

By now, Taylor had thrown on Omar Daley and Mark McCammon and switched back to 4-4-2.

City were seeing more of the ball but still lacked composure when they neared Adam Bartlett’s goal.

Gareth Evans was the biggest culprit when he lashed over from close range after Oliver’s initial shot was blocked by the sliding Ryan Green.

The centre half could not be blamed for taking too long to fire the trigger but Evans should have kept his head to at least hit the target.

Bartlett saved well from Hanson on the turn before Evans popped another volley over after Hanson had completely missed McCammon’s flick-on.

It just wasn’t happening for City – a feeling confirmed when McCammon’s header from a Threlfall corner bounced against the near post before the defender curled the rebound wide.

And they were shown just how it should be done by Hereford substitute Jake Jervis.

The on-loan Birmingham youngster had only been on the pitch ten minutes when he produced the game’s stand-out moment of quality.

It came from an error as Bartlett’s wind-assisted free-kick clipped over Oliver on the way through. But the finish was clinical – one touch to control then another to touch past Matt Glennon.

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