FA Cup: Hereford 1 AFC Telford 0 - Report and pictures
AFC Telford United are out of the FA Cup after John Mills's strike saw them lose 1-0 against Hereford at a sold-out Edgar Street.
A tense affair in front of 4,712 supporters turned in the favour of the hosts once Bucks midfielder Jon Royle was shown a straight red card in the second half.
Rob Edwards's side conceded within eight minutes of the dismissal and the Bulls are in the hat for the second round proper, with the draw taking place on Monday night.
Analysis
In an attempt to bamboozle the hosts, Telford announced the signing of 30-year-old left-back Bob Harris an hour before kick-off and included him in their starting line-up.
He has played for the likes of Blackpool and Sheffield United and was released by Bristol Rovers at the end of last season.
Youth team winger Reece Taylor was on a seven-man bench while former Bucks defender Jack Deaman started for Hereford, who also had ex-Telford man Dan Preston among their substitutes.
A nice touch from the players was that they wore t-shirts, for their warm-up, bearing the hashtag #Win4Win, in memory of vice-chairman Win Pryce who passed away on Thursday morning.
There were more than 700 fans of a Bucks persuasion - and this clash was largely about mental strength, who could handle the occasion better.
Telford's pre-match huddle received some stick from the home supporters, who were making plenty of noise in the first few minutes of the game.
The Bucks faithful, of course, were making their presence felt too. They were no doubt wondering how debutant Harris would fare - and the early signs from the Scot were very good.
His delightful cross seven minutes in found Jordan Murphy, whose close-range effort was saved. The former Walsall striker then headed wide after the resulting corner.
Being a tier above, Telford were expected to enjoy the lion's share of possession - and they did for large spells of the first half.
Bulls striker Mike Symons - a traditional target man - was being watched closely, as was Bucks top goalscorer Marcus Dinanga.
He had three decent chances to put the visitors ahead before the interval but two were saved by Hereford goalkeeper Martin Horsell, with the other going just wide.
Garyn Preen's long-range strike forced Telford glovesman Jas Singh into action just prior to the break.
The voices of the travelling fans were louder than those backing the hosts as the second period got under way.
Edwards' charges needed to carry on how they performed in the first half, just with a cutting edge in front of goal.
A huge spanner was thrown in the works though as Royle was shown a straight red card on the hour mark.
The defensive midfielder, after a poor touch, slid in and caught Bulls substitute Pablo Haysham high - no malice, but clumsy.
Soon after Royle's dismissal, Hereford took the lead. Fan favourite Mills poked home after Haysham's powerful effort was stopped by Singh.
The Bucks well and truly had the stuffing knocked out of them - and a response appeared unlikely as the home side looked to be in cruise control.
They tried to force an equaliser, bringing on centre forward Matthew Barnes-Homer for right-back Aaron Simpson, but it was not to be.
Key Moments
7 - Telford should be 1-0 up. Bob Harris' delightful cross is met by Jordan Murphy, whose attempt is saved at point-blank range by Hereford shot-stopper Martin Horsell.
22 - Elliot Newby releases Marcus Dinanga with a clever reverse pass and the 11-goal striker is denied by Horsell.
26 - Dinanga manages to drift in behind the Bulls backline and his outside-of-the-foot shot shaves the side netting, out for a goal-kick.
38 - Dinanga goes through again and once more Horsell makes the save, with his feet this time around.
44 - Big spell of pressure from the hosts, with Garyn Preen's effort stinging the palms of Bucks goalkeeper Jas Singh.
60 - RED CARD! Jon Royle off for Telford! He slid for the ball, missed it, and caught Pablo Haysham high. Singh has also been booked for voicing his anger about the decision.
68 - Goal! Hereford take the lead through John Mills. A sweet strike from Preen forces Singh into a save, with Mills snapping up the rebound from a few yards out.
Teams
Hereford (4-4-2): Horsell; Oates (c), Green, Deaman, O'Shea; Preen (Page, 78), Purdie, Dinsley (Haysham, 16), Reffell; Mills (Smith, 84), Symons
Subs not used: Preston, Bird, Franklin, Harris (gk)
Telford (4-2-3-1): Singh; Simpson (Barnes-Homer, 83), Johnson, Sutton, Harris; Royle, Cowans; Murphy, Dwyer (Lussey, 62), Newby; Dinanga
Subs not used: Hayden, McGrory, Marsh, Taylor, Martinez (gk)
