Larks lasso Bulls

Hereford's first ever visit to Plain Ham ended in disappointment for the visitors but jubilation for the home side, who were very good value for the point gained in front of a record crowd of 625.

The Larks made a bright start and won the first corner of the game, but it was Hereford who then forced a save from Ben John, who punched clear at point blank range. The Bulls took the lead shortly afterwards thanks to league top scorer John Mills who pounced on a rebound, and for a while the Larks looked daunted.

However, an equaliser came hot on the heels of a chance for Joe Tumelty: the initial shot trickled towards goal but was cleared for a throw, which Josh Egan directed neatly goalwards where Tumelty was on hand to fire home from close range. 1-1 at HT.

The Bulls took the lead again with a hotly disputed penalty, again scored by Mills. Ben John pulled off another fine save under pressure before the Larks showed great spirit to level again. Sub James Stinson was gifted an open goal when Bulls' keeper Alex Harris was left fatally exposed by his defence, and kept his nerve to lob the ball over the keeper's head make it 2-2 with nearly 20 minutes to go.

Thereafter, apart from a lovely strike from Joe Raynes that went narrowly wide, the Larks had to defend in numbers but managed to keep the Bulls at bay. Full back Stuart Tovey put in a man of the match performance in the later stages of the game, but it is testament to the team spirit and work-rate of the whole squad that the points were shared.

Photo of the Larks attacking the Hereford goal by Andy Meaden.