ALDERSHOT (away) 12/04/04

Danny Carey-Bertram has not had a long football career by any stretch of the imagination, yet the goal he scored against Aldershot Town could well prove to be one of the most important that he will ever score.

His goal, ten minutes from time, came when Hereford United were being thoroughly outplayed by the home side in a must-win game for both sides. Aldershot still haven't confirmed a place in the play-offs yet, and the Bulls needed all the points to keep up the pressure on Chester City.

Hereford started brightly, and opened the scoring after just three minutes. Ryan Green released Rob Betts - making his first start in place of Scott Willis - who crossed the ball low from the right flank. David Brown received the pass, and laid the ball back into the path of Rob Purdie, who smashed the ball into the roof of the net for his eighth goal of the season. United laid siege to the Aldershot goal in the first fifteen minutes, but couldn't find a way through. Steve Guinan found the side netting, and goalkeeper Nikki Bull comfortably gathered a tame effort from Purdie.

Aldershot gradually started to take control, with Adam Miller sending a free-kick onto the roof of the net. The chance came about after Andy Tretton fouled the lively Roscoe D'Sane, leading to a booking for the Hereford defender. D'Sane was the first to force Matt Baker into a save, as he made a smart block at his near post.

Minutes later, Baker made a great save to tip away a fiercely-struck volley from Jamie Gosling. The rest of the half saw the action swing from end to end, with both sides creating good chances. Steve Guinan missed the best opportunity, somehow sending the ball wide from three yards after Purdie's hard work down the right had opened up the home defence. For Aldershot, Lee Charles flashed a header wide from a corner, and D'Sane put two more chances wide.

The second half was a different story however. The Shots were level within a minute, as Tim Sills' header from a corner was adjudged to have crossed the line by the linesman. The home side went on to seemingly dominate the rest of the match, missing an absolute hatful of chances.

Minutes after the equaliser, Miller took the ball past the hesitant Simon Travis and played it low across the six-yard box. D'Sane missed it, and John Nutter managed to send the ball high and wide from four yards when completely unmarked.

That let-off should have been enough to wake the Hereford defence up - clearly, it wasn't. Tom Smith hesitated with the ball at his feet, unsure whether to play it back to Baker or not. D'Sane nipped in but had his shot blocked by the goalkeeper. The ball ran loose to Sills, but his effort was stopped by the outstretched leg of Tretton. Hesitancy was starting to creep into Hereford's game, with Baker almost being caught out when taking an age to clear the ball from a backpass.

Hereford's attacks were only sporadic. Mostly, the attackers were unwilling to have a shot at goal; any they did manage went straight to goalkeeper Nikki Bull, or were blocked by a defender. Purdie had the best chance, but his tame effort was easily saved. At the other end meanwhile, Baker had to tip over another shot by Sills, and D'Sane put a shot into the side netting. Aldershot were to rue having missed so many chances, when Carey-Bertram entered the fray with fifteen minutes to go. Within minutes of his arrival, Simon Travis got past his marker for the first time all game, and sent in a low cross. The young striker controlled the ball, and then placed it into the far bottom corner of the net, sparking wild celebrations among the away fans.

Next came ten of the longest minutes of Hereford's season, as Aldershot continued to pour forward in search of a goal. Baker did well to punch the ball clear of substitute Aaron McLean, and D'Sane again shot wide from a good position.

Aldershot Town will wonder how on earth they managed to lose this game. They dominated the second half throughout, and only fine performances from Baker and Tony James kept them at bay. The pick of Hereford's outfield players however was Rob Purdie. He chased lost causes, caused defenders to panic whenever he got the ball, and was generally a nuisance. He has to be the most underrated player in the Conference, and also looks a completely different player to the one seen last season.

Team and ratings: Baker (8), Green (7), Travis (5), Tretton (7), James (8), T. Smith (7), Pitman (5) (sub Beesley (5)), Betts (7), Purdie (8) (sub Cozic (2)), Guinan (6), Brown (6) (sub Carey-Bertram (6)).