5:20pm Sunday 7th February 2010
GAVIN McCallum was Hereford’s goal hero once again as the Bulls notched up their second win of the week.
McCallum’s fifth goal of the season moved the Bulls further away from the relegation zone in Coca-Cola League Two.
Hereford boss John Trewick named an unchanged team for the visit of fellow strugglers Torquay.
The Bulls were looking to build on their mid-week win over Lincoln while Torquay were deprived of all three points at Crewe by an injury-time equaliser.
Referee Russell Booth was quickly in the action, showing a yellow card to Torquay’s Tyrone Thompson for a foul on Craig King inside the first 60 seconds.
But Torquay piled on the pressure in the early stages and a shot from Jake Thomson flashed inches wide.
Hereford, however, forced the first corner on eight minutes and Darren Jones prodded Marc Pugh’s flag-kick wide of Michael Poke’s goal.
Torquay full-back Adam Smith showed plenty of skill with a jinking run which ended with a shot bringing a diving save from Bartlett on 17 minutes.
But, from Hereford’s third corner of the game in the 22nd minute, they took the lead.
Pugh’s cross was flicked on by Jones to McCallum, who netted his third goal in two games.
Four minutes later, McCallum was desperately unlucky not to add a second with a 16-yard shot which hit the inside of a post and rebounded to safety.
With Hereford playing well, Sam Gwynne and Kenny Lunt engineered an opening for former Gull Leon Constantine whose volley was blocked at the near post by Poke.
King then latched on to a long ball from Jones and tricked his way past Sam Cox but fired weakly straight at Poke.
But two minutes before the break, Torquay had a lucky let-off when, from a McCallum corner, Pugh had a shot kicked off the line by Smith.
Hereford continued to play promisingly at the start of the second period and a cross from King just evaded both Constantine and McCallum.
The Hereford goal-scorer then sent a cross fizzing across the Torquay six-yard box with no-one able to get a touch.
Torquay sought to benefit from a readjustment in the Hereford defence when Tyler Weir went off injured midway through the period.
Substitute Elliott Benyon came close with a header against the bar from a Thomson cross.
But Hereford were not finished and substitute Mathieu Manset warmed Poke’s hands with a powerful drive on 85 minutes.
Referee Booth added five minutes of extra-time but Torquay’s efforts to find an equaliser came to nothing.
Hereford: Bartlett; Gwynne, Downing, D Jones, Weir (Lowe 65); Pugh, McQuilkin, Lunt, McCallum; King, Constantine (Manset 71). Subs not used: Adamson, C Jones, Sonko, Done, Elford-Alliyu.
Referee: Russell Booth (Nottinghamshire).
Attendance: 2,123.
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