Quakers have thrown away points this season when they’ve been on top and failed to find the opposition net, especially against Spennymoor in midweek, but they kept calm to win at Edgar Street for only the second time since the play-off semi-final in 1996.
“I thought the win was fully deserved and we played really well,” said assistant manager Terry Mitchell. “The lads were outstanding. Hereford are a really good team, who are going well in the league.
“Our decision-making in the second half was better than the first half. They needed the calmness to pick out the right pass, which is what Steve (Watson) told them at half-time. They got into some wide areas and didn’t do it in the first half, but they showed more composure in the second.
“The people who were there on Tuesday night at Spennymoor saw how well we played and didn’t get a result. In the game before that against Brackley we played really well but got done on set-plays. The lads kept their belief, that’s what we keep drumming into them.”
Quakers kept their first clean sheet since they beat King’s Lynn four games ago, and Mitchell said: “They defended really well as a team, the back lads put a full shift in.
MORE SPORT:
“We were our own worst enemies in the first half by giving away stupid free-kicks which we told them about at half-time. We restricted a very good team to few chances.”
Quakers had the better opportunities in the first half. Cedric Main set up Will Hatfield to fire straight at Hereford keeper Theo Richardson, then Sam Hetherington, in for the injured Caden Kelly, put a left-foot shot just over the top.
Scott Barrow and Toby Lees also put efforts off target, but there were also two instances when Main got into a great position after a run down the left, only for ball into the box to go wastefully straight to a defender.
Hereford didn’t really threaten Pete Jameson in the Darlington goal, apart from a header by tall centre-back Matt Preston, and then when they did threaten inside the area, Cornish and Lees both produced great tackles.
The composure in dangerous positions that Quakers had been seeking was produced by Main on 50 minutes. Hatfield won the ball inside his own half, found Hetherington ahead of him, and he sent Main away up the left. Instead of trying to beat a defender and the keeper at the near post, he crossed perfectly for Cornish to come in and nod home.
Hatfield had a second effort from a Main assist ruled out for handball, and after Hereford nearly equalised with a curling effort by Jaiden White as Barrow lay injured, they had the points in the bag on 73 minutes when Jack Maskell broke down the left on the counter-attack and put a goal on a plate as Cornish volleyed home his second.
Hereford put all their subs on in the closing stages, but the only threat they posed was a shot on the turn from Preston which Jameson saved comfortably.
Quakers nearly made it three when sub Jarrett Rivers set up Hazeem Bakre, who volleyed just wide.
