Injury double blow as Buxton fall to Hereford

First-half substitutions were needed as defensive kingpin Shaun Brisley and then striker Scott Boden succumbed to leg and rib injuries respectively, just at the time when the left-sided duo of Max Conway and Warren Clarke are making progress in their recovery.

With seven of the next nine NLN fixtures away from home, Buxton, winless in 2023, were desperately in need of full points, but struggled to make clear openings and failed to score for a third consecutive match.

There was little, however, to choose between the teams and home goalkeeper Theo Richardson was rarely troubled as the Bulls were less than penetrative in attack.

In fact it was the Bucks, attacking the Railway End, who opened the more brightly, setting up shots for Sam Osborne, Harry Bunn and Declan Poole but none of them extended ex-Crewe keeper Visser.

Yet he was beaten in the ninth minute when Brisley, from a Tommy Elliott cross, looped a header against the bar.

The fluency of the game's second quarter was hindered by the injuries, with Hereford forward Storey similarly afflicted, but it continued to be the Bucks who looked more likely to create a goal. Thrice Richardson delivered superbly accurate long passes to Osborne on the left and, from the third, his low cut-back from the by-line fed Bunn but the experienced midfielder, still looking for his first Buxton goal, fired over the bar.

Early in the second half both teams consecutively had their best chances yet to score. A defender's misplaced pass gifted penalty-area possession to Diego de Girolamo but on his 150th Buxton appearance he couldn't profit, then a minute later Hereford defender Evans shot across the face of goal.

However, in the 55th minute the visitors netted the only goal as Thompson-Sommers converted confidently from the penalty spot after Richardson had made his only mistake, by fouling Jarvis close to the target.

The Bucks showed ample determination to respond, but clearly lacked both creativity and a cutting edge.