Kamp 14/2: Cheltenham v Hereford
Cheltenham - Hereford 2-3 (1-1)
C: Lloyd Owusu 45, 56
HU: Febian Brandy 13, Sam Hewson 67, 80
Cheltenham Town 2 Hereford United 3Hereford United triumphed in this local derby basement battle to keep their hopes of avoiding relegation alive while consigning Cheltenham Town to another miserable afternoon.
It was a chaotic game played at a frenetic pace with mistakes aplenty from both sides but plenty to keep the crowd excited nevertheless.
Hereford stuck to their task manfully despite being under heavy pressure for long periods and losing three central defenders to injury.
Cheltenham, meanwhile, will wonder how they failed to take any points having created and missed a host of chances.
Hereford were gifted a goal after only 13 minutes when Cheltenham goalkeeper Scott Brown went for a high ball but got into a tangle with defender Lee Ridley. The ball ran free for former Cheltenham striker Steve Guinan, who played it goalwards and on-loan striker Febian Brandy was left with an open goal.
Guinan flashed a shot across the face of goal shortly afterwards but Cheltenham controlled the rest of the first half, helped in part by injuries to both Hereford central defenders Josh Gowling and Dean Beckwith.
Damian Spencer shot wide from a Nicholas Bignall cross, defender Chris Westwood lifted a shot over the bar and Lloyd Owusu shot wide when he should have hit the target having been played through with only the goalkeeper to beat from a Spencer flick-on.
Owusu made amends two minutes into first-half stoppage time when an Alex Russell corner was flicked on by Westwood, the Hereford defence were unable to deal with the high ball as it dropped and Owusu was on hand to hook it over the line from close range.
Cheltenham were given a scare moments before the half-time whistle when Ridley was robbed by Brandy on the edge of the box but Brown dashed off his line to make a sharp block.
Cheltenham 's Ashley Vincent saw a shot blocked at the start of the second-half but the goal that should have put the home side in control arrived in the 56th minute when Owusu headed in an
Ian Westlake corner for his eighth goal of the season.
Westlake then hit a post with a low driven free-kick but Hereford hauled themselves level on 66 minutes when Richard Rose touched a free-kick to Sam Hewson on the edge of the box and his rasping shot flew into the roof of the net.
Hereford pressed forward in search of the winner and almost got it through first a Jennison Myrie-Williams deflected shot and then a Guinan header that Brown parried.
The deciding goal finally arrived nine minutes from time from another free-kick on the edge of the box. Once again Rose touched it to Hewson and his hammered shot took a heavy deflection on its way past Brown.
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