Exeter City 3
McNichol, Viney, Kellow (pen)
Hereford 2
Maddy, Harvey

Attendance 1989.

Match Report by Robert Bowden 

TONY Kellow, the striker who refuses to think about hanging up his boots, proved his value to battling Exeter City yet again at St James Park yesterday. The 33-year-old marksman crowned an effervescent performance by tempting Hereford defender, Wayne Cegielski, into a rash 75th minute challenge. Referee, Roger Hamer, had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and Kellow picked himself off the floor to score his first goal of 1986. 'I haven't been getting too many full games recently, and I began to feel it in the last 10 minutes,' he revealed afterwards. "There was a bit of pressure with the score at 2-2 but it was nice to get back on the scoresheet again, especially as it was the first time since our baby was born two years ago that my wife could be here to see me play.' It was a victory for character and determination with Colin Appleton's men twice having to battle their way back from a goal down. A gusting gale force wind didn't make things any easier but City could have been two goals up inside the first five minutes. First, Garry Jackson squandered a gilt edged chance after catching Chris Price in possession, and then Martin Ling cracked a shot against the outside of the woodwork. Those missed chances looked like proving costly, when Paul Maddy off a Jim McNichol challenge and drilled Hereford into the lead from virtually their first serious attack after eight minutes. Reprieve But whatever else is lacking in this Exeter side, there can be no question mark about their attitude and application. They shrugged off that disappointment and gradually set about breaking Hereford's strangle hold on the match. Steve Harrower, as lively as ever despite playing with his left leg heavily strapped, jinked past a succession of challenges only to push the ball just too far ahead of himself at the crucial moment and Kevin Rose fell on it gratefully. But with Jackson and Danny Keough, gradually getting to grips with things in midfield, it turned out to be only a temporary reprieve. Ling who had threatened to embarrass Ian Dalziel on a number of earlier occasions, whipped over a precision cross, which Jackson nodded down to McNichol. And the City skipper, who has developed the happy nack of scoring crucial goals, atoned for his earlier error by threading it home through a maze of legs. A driving hail storm made life distinctly uncomfortable for the players, but the irrespressible Jackson shrugged off the conditions and flashed a stinging drive just past the post. But the initiative swung the other way after the break and Harvey and Maddy both gave Exeter some heart stopping moments before Hereford regained the lead. McNichol was entitled to feel hard done by when the referee penalised him for a foul on the edge of the Exeter penalty area. And the City defender must have felt that it simply wasn't going to be his day, when Harvey curled a stunning 20 yard free kick round the defensive wall and into the top corner. McNichol made his feelings plain and was promptly booked for his trouble, but City stubbornly refused to lay down and die. Harrower was only a whis- ker away with cross-shot which was eventually scrambled behind and from the resultant corner former Exeter skipper, John Delve, came to the rescue, heading McNichol's goal bound effort off the line. But City's persistence paid off in the 64th minute, when Jackson threaded a short corner to Keith Viney, who got his angles exactly rightBwith a 25 yard curler which gave Rose no chance. That set the scene for Kellow's late heroics and left manager, Colin Appleton, beaming. There was a lot of character out there today, the conditions made it difficult but we tried to play football and it was a very good result for us in the end.'

Exeter City 
Shaw, Harrower, Viney, McNichol, McCaffery, Johnson?, Ling, Jackson, Ward, Keough, Kellow

Hereford
Rose, Price, Dalzeil, Cegielski, Pejic, Delve, Maddy, Harvey, Phillips, Beacock?, ?.