SCARBOROUGH'S share-all tendency has cost their Conference campaign too much claimed player-manager Neil Thompson as he surveyed the 1-1 draw at Hereford United.

Ventured Thompson: "We have drawn far too many games this season which we should have won and this was another one of those, because we should have made more of our superiority in the first half."

On a dog-eared surface in which Thompson said "if you took more than two touches in this game it was too many", Scarborough played their best football in the first half.

But by the end of the game the bone hard and bumpy pitch had the upper hand and this affair rather petered out into a typical end of season run-out.

Thompson reorganised his side within five minutes of the start reverting to a flat back four to counteract the three central strikers that Hereford employed.

One-time York City defender Martin Reed was moved to right-back.

The tactic worked to such an extent that Andy Woods in the visitors' goal had little to do.

Paul Ellender scored his sixth goal of the season when he crashed in a David Pounder corner after Gareth Williams and Jamie Burt had both tested Scott Cooksey in the home goal.

The pace of Burt clearly troubled the home defenders, but close control on the Edgar Street pitch was not easy and too often, promising moves broke down on the edge of the penalty area.

There had been a hint of danger when Paul Parry raced away, only to be denied by the block of Woods and a momentary lapse of concentration in defence allowed Ian Rodgerson to head the equaliser before half time.

In all honesty, there was little to excite the crowd after this.

Scarborough were caught offside so many times that any flowing football became almost an impossibility, while Thompson and his fellow defenders dealt comfortably on most occasions with the home threat.

Rodgerson scuffed a shot through a crowded penalty area to hit a post, and at the other end Ellender had a chance to increase his goal tally but headed straight at Cooksey.

Ellender, who is already banned for the last three games after picking up 15 cautions this season, received another yellow card five minutes from time.

In the last minute, Thompson set his sights with a trademark fiercely-struck free-kick, but Cooksey was equal to it denying the prospect of a winner.

Scarborough: Woods, Reed, Ellender, Thompson, Brunton; Atkinson (Jordan 72), Stoker, Blunt, Pounder; Williams, Burt (Diallo 80)

Hereford: Cooksey, Shirley, James, Wright, Sturgess; Robinson, Snape, Rodgerson; Quiggin, (Giddings 62), Williams, Parry (Piearce 81).

Referee: K.Stroud (Bournemouth)

Attendance: 1,304

Updated: 12:43 Monday, April 23, 2001