Hereford 2 Spennymoor Town 2.

Spennymoor manager Jason Ainsley said that he was satisfied with a point from a difficult opening day trip to Edgar Street.

Hereford have been one of the most active clubs during the summer, bringing in several new players, and the trip to a packed ground was always going to be challenging.

“I would have settled for a point before the game,” said Ainsley, who gave a starting place to five summer signings. “This was always going to be a tricky game, considering how much they’ve invested during the summer, it was a hot day and there was a big crowd.

“It was a really positive performance. I thought we were comfortable in the first half and we had some good inter-plays around their box, but Jordan Nicholson was causing us a few problems. There was nothing in it until they scored. We thought before half time that they could have had a man sent off when Glen was brought down, but the referee had his eye on another incident that was ongoing.

“In the second half, AJ and Glen both scored great goals, but the only disappointment was that we couldn’t hold on to a 2-1 lead for long. They scored just four minutes afterwards, but if we had held on longer, I think we would have pinched one at the other end.

“I thought our back four were brilliant. Shane Henry did very well at left back because James Brogan was unavailable, while Carl Magnay and Nathan Buddle were brilliant.

“Overall, I thought the workrate throughout the team was very good.

“I know that Hereford fancy themselves for promotion this season and they’ve improved on last season, but based on that showing, so have we. A draw was probably a fair result.”

There wasn’t much at all in the game in the opening stages in front of a crowd of 2,707.

Former Darlington striker Jordan Nicholson, who joined Hereford during the summer, almost gave his side the lead with a low shot that Moors keeper Mattie Gould just managed to push around the post, but he wasn’t to be denied on 26 minutes.

Rowan Liburd won possession of the ball from a poor clearance, and he set up Nicholson who ran on and fired past Gould.

Moors nearly levelled with a header by danger man Glen Taylor, but Herford nearly made it 2-0 on the stroke of half time when Nicholson again found space to hit a 30 yarder that Gould saved well.

Hereford continued to look for a second after the interval. Raheem Hanley and Liburd both went close before Moors got themselves on level terms.

Former Hereford player xx Roberts dispossessed a defender, ran forward and set up Andrew Johnson, who fired past Brandon Hall in the Hereford goal.

The strike lifted Moors, and after Taylor had an effort blocked, the predator equalised on 75 minutes. He dispossessed a defender, steadied himself, and fired into the top corner.

But Moors couldn’t hold on to their lead and the Bulls were level four minutes later, when Hanley crossed for sub Tom Owen-Evans to head in from close range.

Moors: Gould, Magnay, Henry, Chandler, Buddle, Curtis, McKenna, Ward, Taylor, Roberts, Johnson (sub Hall 61).

Subs not used: Williams, Atkinson, Anderson, Boyes Moors’ next game is scheduled to be at home to Boston next Saturday, as their midweek game against Blyth has been postponed because of the pitch improvements currently taking place at the Brewery Field.