HEREFORD United may have regained their Football League status following a long spell in the soccer wilderness, but at least the confusion off the field is not spreading to the team on the pitch.

On a day which saw the administration staff initially refusing permission for four members of the media to enter the stadium, the playing squad proved they are beginning to adapt well to the rigours of football in Coca-Cola League Two.

Two goals in a 90 second spell midway through the second period, earned Hereford the victory against previously unbeaten Chester City and given a little more accuracy in front of goal towards the end of the game, they could easily have won by a greater margin.

Both goals were similar, City losing the ball in midfield and with pacey forwards showing a clean pair of heels, the visiting central defenders twice failed to deal with situations that should have been meat and drink to them.

The first goals came after 71 minutes. City got into a mess in midfield, Beckwith found Stuart Fleetwood with a through ball, the 20-year-old striker raced goalwards as the Chester defenders stood idly by, and when he got within striking distance of goal he clinically fired past Danby.

Less than two minutes later Hereford doubled their advantage. Again the ball was lost in midfield, Fleetwood turned provider setting Richard Rose free, despite an attempted clearance from Westwood the ball found the net, but again the City defenders failed to cut out what should have been a regulation defensive situation.

Up until the goals the game looked as though it would end up as a goalless stalemate. Neither side particularly impressed and neither really seriously tested the opposing goalkeepers. An added irritant was the referee, who with monotonous regularity blew up for trivial infringements, thus stifling any type of fluid football.

The only real Chester chances came from Drewe Broughton who headed over from close range in the first half and a cross-cum-shot from Lawrence Wilson which grazed the top of the Hereford bar early in the second period.

To compound Chester's bad day at the office, they suffered a couple of injuries with Broughton sustaining a head wound and Dean Bennett suffering a back injury.

After the game an annoyed City manager Mark Wright was less than happy with his team's slipshod defending: "I don't think we turned up all afternoon. Both goals should not have happened in a million years. They should have been stamped out. It was bad defending.

"Hereford played football as we know they could and they deserved to win. However, I don't think they troubled us in the first half and it did look as though it was going to end up as a goalless draw."

Wright added: "We played well in our first two games against Accrington Stanley and Bury, but this performance was nowhere near the standard that we achieved in the previous two."

Hereford United: Tynan, Travis, Gulliver, Beckwith, Giles, Williams, Rose, Ferrell, Purdie, Sills, Fleetwood. Subs not used: Lewis, Wallis, Connell, McClenahan, Osborn.

Chester City: Danby, Vaughan (Marples 74), Linwood, Westwood, Artell, Wilson, Bennett (Ravenhill 47), Martinez, Hand, Broughton (Blundell 62), Walters. Subs not used: Allen, McSporran.

Referee: Tony Bates (Staffordshire).

Attendance: 3,834.