Plenty of positives

A hard-working performance saw City's players emerge with tremendous credit from a battling display at Hereford United.

Despite the 1-3 defeat, the visitors can take a great deal of encouragement from their showing and might have even returned home with a share of the spoils if not more if they had taken the chances that came their way.

After being comprehensively beaten by their opponents earlier in the season, they certainly made United work very hard for their narrow victory despite travelling with a squad of just 12.

With two players dropping out overnight with injury and illness, City reshuffled their starting line-up and began the game brightly.

Following the fairly even opening exchanges, the hosts took advantage of some sloppy defending as their player skipped through several limp challenges to advance into the box and score.

Almost immediately, City had a fantastic chance to equalise when Guy Collett was sent clear but skewed his shot wide.

The scores were levelled in the second quarter when a long-range effort from Jamie Hill was parried and Ed Bowers was on hand to tuck home the rebound.

Unfortunately Hereford regained the lead shortly afterwards with an unstoppable shot that flew in off the underside of the bar and gave Christian Carter in the City goal no chance. Within a few minutes, the keeper did well to tip over another Hereford effort.

Collett hit a dipping half volley into the side netting at the start of Q3 before City looked certain to restore parity but the ball just didn't drop kindly in a goalmouth scramble and Hereford managed to clear before they forced Carter into an excellent double save at the other end.

City were disappointed to concede a third goal in Q4 when they failed to deal with a left-wing cross but continued to battle with great spirit to the final whistle and almost scored again at the death when a marauding run by Ben Taylor saw his cross narrowly evade his onrushing team-mate.

Nevertheless lots of positives to take into the next fixture.