Hooper punishes Hereford

The Bulls slipped to their 5th League One defeat of the season as a result of this two-one defeat, that despite taking a first half lead courtesy of a Nick Chadwick penalty.

United remain rooted to the bottom of the division and it has become painfully clear that Hereford lack a cutting edge up front.

Skipper Karl Broadhurst was back in the action after a two month lay-off following a dislocated shoulder and a home debut was handed to striker Chadwick following Steve Guinan's groin strain.

Guinan could be sidelined for three or four weeks so much will be asked of the ex Everton and Plymouth front man, who appears to lack full match sharpness at the current time.

It had been a cagey opening until the spot-kick, although Gary Hooper showed his strikers instinct after 16 minutes when latching onto a poor Dean Beckwith back-pass, and only a sprawling save from Darren Randolph kept the scoresheet blank.

However, the Bulls went ahead on 25 minutes after the Iron's skipper Izzy Iriekpen fouled Matty Done with a high challenge. This was a clear penalty and debutant Nick Chadwick stepped up to confidently slam home the spot kick.

Despite being behind though the Scunthorpe strike force of Paul Hayes and Gary Hooper were always a threat in no small part thanks to their pace and intuitive passing.

The combination undid the Hereford defence with two second half goals inside a devastating five minute spell.

First, a Paul Hayes lay-off slid in Sam Togwell who burst into the box before finishing superbly, and then on the 58 minute mark another Hayes flick-on released Hooper on the counter-attack. The former Hereford loan star simply tore at the heart of the Bulls defence before rifling in a well-struck shot past Randolph.

Ben Smith almost equalised with a header that dipped over the crossbar, but at the other end the menacing Hooper went extremely close to bagging his second goal of the game with a fine solo run, however, he shot wide after a lovely squirming run.

The Bulls stepped up the tempo when substitute Simon Johnson came on and the ex-Leeds striker almost equalised with a speculative 25-yarder with 12 minutes to go, but somehow the ball came back into play after striking the angle of post and bar.

Diagouraga then had a headed goal disallowed for pushing in the box.

United continue to be punished at this level and there is likely to be little respite next week as the Bulls have the small matter of a trip to Elland Road to face the once mighty Leeds United.

Final Score: Hereford United 1 - 2 Scunthorpe United

Hereford United: Darren Randolph; Richard Jackson, Karl Broadhurst, Dean Beckwith, Kris Taylor; Bradley Hudson-Odoi, Stephen O`Leary (Simon Johnson, 75 min), Ben Smith, Toumani Diagouraga, Matty Done; Nick Chandwick. Substitutes not used: Craig Samson, Clint Easton, Richard Rose, Jack MacLeod.

Scunthorpe United: Murphy; Byrne, Iriekpen, Pearce, Williams; Sparrow, McCann (Morris, 81 min), Togwell, Woolford; Hooper, Hayes (Thompson, 65 min). Substitutes not used: Lillis, Mirfin, Hurst.

Referee: Gavin Ward (Kent)

Attendance: 3,004 (293 away).

GARY HOOPER



Showed exactly why Hereford wanted to sign him. Indeed, the difference between the sides was down to the contrasting potency of each teams strikeforce! Hooper and Hayes looked menacing especially on the counter, whereas the Bulls currently lack a genuine matchwinner.

Player Ratings

Darren Randolph

A competant display. Good in the air making several commanding catches - especially from corners.

Richard Jackson

Steady, but has not fully impressed yet? Time will tell if Jacko is a capable replacement for the departed Trent McClenahan.

Karl Broadhurst

Must have been a difficult game in which to return after a lengthy injury lay-off, but marshalled the back-four well. Should improve further with match fitness.

Dean Beckwith

Had to work hard trying to contain Hooper and Hayes, but stuck to his task admirably. More to come from Deano.

Kris Taylor

Passing not up to his usual standard for some unknown reason.

Stephen O'Leary

Somewhat withdrawn yesterday. Not the ambitious attack-minded player we saw on his debut against Crewe. Needs to race into the box and link up closer to the front two.

Ben Smith

A hard working display but is not as sharp and inventive as he can be. Has to regain his spark and lively inter-play is the way forward.

Toumani Diagouraga

Appeared to play very deep yesterday as a holding midfield player just in front of the back-four. Might be better to shown more adventure and ambition further up the pitch.

Matty Done

The one Hereford player who is prepared to attack defenders one-on-one. Won the Bulls the penalty and is getting into goalscoring positions. Could do with getting to the by-line more often. United need to start producing some quality crosses.

Nick Chadwick

A tough debut. Stuck to his task, and rammed home the penalty confidently enough but much work to be done on the training ground. Guinan's injury has thrust him into the limelight earlier than planned.

Bradley Hudson-Odoi

Bursts of pace down the right, but unfortunately to little effect as a wide player. Could be a much brighter prospect as an out-and-out box player, looking for knockdowns inside the penalty area.

Simon Johnson

A positive when coming on as a substitute giving the Iron defence something to think about with his direct running. Inches away from an equaliser. Should be 'up' for his return to Leeds next week.

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