Hereford United 1 Barnet 1

Last updated : 06 November 2004 By Footymad Previewer

There was plenty of entertainment at Edgar Street as Conference leaders Barnet maintained their 12-point lead over the Bulls, who are in danger of slipping back into mid-table.

With five Conference games passed since Hereford last won, the last thing they needed was to concede an early goal.

But, on five minutes, Nicky Bailey's pass sent the division's leading scorer Giuliano Grazioli streaking away from the home defence and he held off the challenge of Bulls' skipper Tony James to drive a shot past Craig Mawson.

The home side were back on terms within three minutes, however, when David Brown received a neat pass from Graham Hyde and slipped the ball past goalkeeper Scott Tynan before driving his shot into the net.

As Hereford continued to have the better of play, Adam Stansfield should have put the Bulls ahead on 26 minutes when he only needed a touch to Brown's flick to score but failed to make any connection.

After the break, Barnet, who had been much under the cosh for most of the first period, twice went close to regaining the lead in the first six minutes.

Grazioli's header was acrobatically hooked off the line by man-of-the-match Hyde and then Mawson produced a brilliant save to keep out a point-blank effort from Bailey.

But Hereford had chances of their own and the two best fell to substitute Danny Carey-Bertram.

The youngster should have done better when he lobbed into Tynan's arms when clear of the home defence on 56 minutes, but was then unlucky two minutes from the end when his goalbound effort was hammered away from the goal-line by Ismail Yakubu.