York City 1, Hereford 3

Saturday's 3-1 victory at York City ensured that the Bulls completed a hat-trick of successive runners-up finishes in the highest echelon of non-League football but Graham Turner's men will be hoping it's a case of third time lucky after being knocked out at the semi-final stage in each of their last two stabs at play-off glory.

For the Minstermen, meanwhile, the result represented their fourth loss in four meetings with Hereford since the KitKat Crescent club's relegation to the Conference in 2004.

This season's losses were less comprehensive than those handed out during the previous term but, although they might be on the cusp, City manager Billy McEwan knows his side and the club still fall short of the requirements to be a top-five side.

A further look at Hereford's Conference history also supports McEwan's assertion that a return to the Football League cannot be achieved overnight.

The Edgar Street outfit might be regular pre-season title favourites these days but, having been relegated in 1997, the Bulls only charged to their first top-five finish in their seventh season of Conference football just two years after coming 17th and continuity would appear to be the key to the side's recent consistency.

Five of Hereford's starting line up in Saturday's match had played in the club's last three impressive campaigns while their hosts began the afternoon with seven players completing their first season for the club.

City players will return from the summer stronger for their experiences but it is to be hoped that it is their current club that reaps the benefit after nurturing their raw talents this season.

Strikers Andy Bishop and Clayton Donaldson will no doubt have attracted several admirers during a season in which they have plundered 43 of the team's 68 goals - a ratio bordering on 70 per cent.

The deadly duo have, in fact, been the only players on City's scoresheet during the last eight matches.

Their absence, therefore, would clearly be felt if both players departed before next season and also leave McEwan with a sizeable task to recruit replacements equally as prolific.

Bishop scored his 25th goal of the season - and probably his easiest - to haul City back into a game they had trailed 2-0 at the interval.

Donaldson also had two decent shouts for a penalty rejected, proving that his pace and trickery are troublesome to any defence at this level.

The Minstermen started Saturday's game brightly and Neal Bishop tested Wayne Brown after five minutes with a well-struck effort which the Hereford 'keeper gathered at his second attempt.

But the Bulls forged ahead on 13 minutes when Chris Porter could only parry their first shot on target - a low, driven free-kick from Alex Jeannin - and Andy Williams gratefully accepted the invite to shoot into the bottom corner from the rebound.

Hereford doubled their advantage after 35 minutes when Porter collided with team-mate Stephen Thomas and dropped a Simon Travis cross, leaving Rob Purdie with the formality of finding an empty net.

For Porter, the mistake marked a disappointing end to a season which has seen him make other crucial errors against Canvey Island and Halifax.

Nathan Peat who, along with skipper Emmanuel Panther has also been out of sorts during the run in, was replaced to widespread approval by crowd favourite David Merris for the second half before City striker Joe O'Neill had an excellent opportunity to improve a sorry run of just one goal in his last 32 outings on 55 minutes but shot weakly at Brown after good work from Donaldson.

The former Preston foward did, however, win his side the free-kick that led to Andy Bishop's goal two minutes later.

Substitute Mark Convery swung the ball into the six-yard box from the left and, when Williams misdirected his clearance, Bishop headed nonchalantly past Brown from close range.

Following chances for Adam Stansfield, Andy Ferrell and Tamika Mkandawire, Bishop then went closest to an equaliser during an 85th-minute scramble that also saw namesake Neal force Brown into a decent save.

But it was Hereford who found the net again, substitute Guy Ipoua sweeping the ball in off the bar from eight yards in stoppage time after Purdie had given Nathan Kamara the slip although the teenage substitute had acquitted himself well until that moment.

match facts

York City 1 (A Bishop 57)

Hereford 3 (Williams 13, Purdie 35, Ipoua 90)

City ratings: Key: 10 - Faultless; 9 - Outstanding; 8 - Excellent; 7 - Good; 6 - Average; 5 - Below par; 4 - Poor; 3 - Dud; 2 - Hopeless; 1 - Retire

Porter 5

Thomas 7 (Kamara 81)

Dudgeon 7

McGurk 7

Peat 5 (Merris 46, 7)

Panther 5

N Bishop 7

Dunning 6 (Convery 46, 7)

A Bishop 7

O'Neill 5

Donaldson 7

Subs (not used): Reid.

Star man: Dudgeon - another solid display from the centre-back

Hereford: Wayne Brown, Ryan Green, Tamika Mkandawire, Dean Beckwith, Alex Jeannin, SImon Travis, Andy Ferrell, Craig Stanley, Rob Purdie, Adam Stansfield (Stuart Fleetwood 82), Andy Williams (Guy Ipoua 82). Subs not used: Craig Mawson, Jamie Pitman, Nicky Nicolau.

Yellow cards: Jeannin 68.

Red cards: None.

Referee: Martin Harris (Bourne). Rating: Not the best witnessed at KitKat Crescent this season but not the worst either.

Attendance: 2,755.

Weather watch: Cool but dry.

Game breaker: Chris Porter's 35th-minute mistake left City needing to score three goals to win the match.

Match rating: Mistakes blighted first half for City before a more even second period. Competitive, though, for a meaningless end-of-season affair.

McEwan's verdict: "We made two defesive clangers for their first two goals and contributed to our own downfall which has been the story of our season. Like a lot of games, we were on top and then we shot ourselves in the foot."

Player watch: Stephen Thomas

Shots on target: 0

Shots off target: 0

Blocked shots: 0

Passes to own player: 19

Passes to opposition: 8

Crosses to own player: 0

Crosses to opposition: 4

Pass success rate: 61.3 per cent

Dribbles ball retained: 1

Dribbles ball lost: 1

Dribble success rate: 50 per cent

Headers: 7 Tackles: 7

Clearances, blocks and interceptions: 6

Fouls won: 0 Fouls conceded: 2. Offsides: 0 Yellow cards: 0

Final summary: Despite being a midfielder by profession, Stephen Thomas has rarely looked out of place filling in at right-back. Gave another strong and assured performance, making a decent number of tackles and getting forward to deliver four crosses into the box. Passing could have been better but was dependable overall.

Updated: 10:21 Monday, May 01, 2006