Match Report: Hereford United 2 Chester FC 2

A fine goalkeeping display earned Chester a point against 19^th placed Hereford at Edgar Street. 

[caption id="attachment_106" align="alignright" width="500"] Gareth Seddon, seen here in action against Braintree, scored Chester's second. Photo:Flickr/leaderlivesport[/caption]

Blues keeper’ Joe Danby was the hero as he denied the home side time and time again to win his side a vital point away from home.

Both sides started the game nervously, and though the away side looked the more comfortable in the early exchanges it would be the home side who would take the lead.

After an excellent break down the right by Hereford, Ross Dyer, currently on loan from Mansfield Town, found himself at the end of a cross to head home for the hosts.

That goal sparked a crazy four minutes that saw the Blues rapidly equalise and then take the lead when Bull’s goalkeeper Daniel Lloyd-Weston dropped a seemingly harmless cross in his six yard box, allowing Craig Lindfield to poke home.

A minute later and Chester were in the lead. Lloyd-Weston rushed out to clear the ball only for his clearance to find Gareth Seddon, who duly fired in to an empty net from 30 yards. That second gave Chester confidence, though the hosts were not lying down without a fight as Damon Lathorpe saw an effort fizz past the post from 25 yards and Captain O’Keefe saw his effort saved.

The equaliser would come in the 36^th minute when Frankie Artus curled a free kick towards Dyer and he headed the ball into the far corner to draw both sides level at the break.

The hosts started the second half the better, and would dominate the following 45 minutes. A Danny Leadbitter cross found Dyer, who fired it towards goal but goalkeeper Danby was equal to the effort as Hereford began to dominate using target man Michael Rankine as a focal point for attacks.

Danby was called upon again on 65minutes as he denied Walker from a free kick before denying Rankine twice and then Captain O’Keefe. Hereford would have the ball in the back of the net once more before the end, though referee Brett Huxtable ruled out the goal for a foul on Danby and the Blues held on for a point.

Chester Intelligencer reporter, Sean Lunt