When a club the size of Hereford FC enter a Step Five league it is always an away trip that is met with excitement and apprehension, in equal measures.
This trip proved to turn out to be the heaviest defeat the club has suffered in modern history, it also turned out the crowd spectating is the largest to watch Heanor Town FC possibly since the home record was set when Carlisle came to town, with 5611 in The Town Ground.
The slightly more modest 4612 crowd were expecting big things. Hereford knew that if they won they would be within a single point of the title, Heanor knew that a result was a possibility but it would be an uphill task.
The game started in an even manner, the first ten minutes gave no indication of the final outcome with Heanor breaking through twice with swift passing movements. Willets and Green of Hereford tidying things up at the back for The Bulls.
Pablo Haysham provided the first goal for The Bulls on twelve minutes. His sublime free kick curled round the wall and perfectly in to the bottom right corner of the goal.
Just four minutes later and the shout went up from the Heanor players and supporters for a handball offence in the Hereford penalty area. Referee Paul Wainman didn’t agree, interestingly the offence was caught on camera from a camera in line with the Heanor goal.
Jordan Simpson delivered a free kick in to the penalty area on the half hour, Hereford goalkeeper Martin Horsell came to collect but could only flap as Joe Naylor beat him to the ball, his back header fell less than a yard wide.
In Mike Symons, Hereford have a vastly experienced forward who has spent the majority of his career above step five. He used his experience to retrieve the ball Ash Lynch was shepherding out of play, his pass to Joe Tumelty just gave the youngster enough time to take a touch before curling the ball in to the top corner. Tumelty doubling Hereford’s lead in the thirty third minute.
Heanor Town had produced a resilient performance so far, however, individual errors were evident from senior players kept producing opportunities for Hereford to extend their lead. When Matt Harris was brushed aside by Rob Purdie on forty two minutes it gave Aaron Birch the time to drive Purdie’s assist in to the net.

The half time break couldn’t come quick enough. When the teams returned from the break Heanor had made a double substitution, Matt Harris and Oliver Naylor retreated to the bench to be replaced by Chris Bettney and Nathan Benger.

When Hereford visited The Town Ground it was four goals in little over ten minutes that did the damage and yet again, Heanor conceded four goals in twelve minutes.
The first, and Hereford’s fourth, came in the fiftieth minute. Haysham darted past the challenge of Jordan Simpson to the right side of the penalty area and rifled a strike across goal in to the far corner beating McCormack.
The fifth of the day came on fifty seven minutes, a Jamie Willets header from a corner. Towering above Heanor’s teen left back Ryan Seale to nod the ball down in to the ground before it bounced over the line.
Haysham wrapped his hat-trick up on the hour, lifting a the ball out of reach of McCormack from fifteen yards. An excellent cross gave the Heanor defence little chance of clearing as the onrushing Haysham nudged home.
Goal seven came three minutes later through Joe Tumelty, collecting a pass on twenty yards out his first time finish curled in to the top corner, deceiving McCormack and showing his undoubted class.
This prompted the final substitution for The Lions, Moran replacing Abdollahi.
Rob Purdie, who played for Hereford in their former life as a professional football club, sliced an effort wide on sixty five minutes when well placed.
The same can be said for Chris Bettney who had joined the front line briefly ten minutes later. His left foot strike was a fraction too high for the target, it was The Lions’ only strike on goal in the half.
John Mills came on for Hereford, although usually a starter, he had been rested in order to save him for The Bulls’ hectic fixture schedule.
Mills wrapped up the scoring for Hereford on eighty one minutes, with the Heanor legs now tired to the point of aching, he turned Lynch backwards and forwards before placing the ball last McCormack from six yards.
It could have been a 9-0 final result if it hadn’t been for a fantastic penalty save from McCormack in the second minute of added time. Diving left he managed to get two strong hands on a Tumelty penalty to tip the ball wide.

Heanor: McCormack, Marriott, Seale, Hall ©, Simpson, Lynch, O Naylor (Benger HT), J Naylor, Oshoboke, Harris (Bettney HT), Abdollahi (Moran 63).
Unused: Warner, Barrett.

Attendance: 4612.