THE 52 Accrington fans who travelled to Hereford will still be shell-shocked at not seeing a goal in a Stanley game.
More than 100 league games have passed since the Reds last had a goalless encounter – ironically their last blank was at Hereford in April 2005.
Then it was a dour end-of-season encounter as the Bulls were already in the play-offs and Stanley had nothing to play for, but that was unusual as Stanley games at Edgar Street are often full of fire, passion and incident.
In the past, Hereford has not been a happy hunting ground for the Reds in their long rivalry which stretches back to the Conference days.
There have been sendings off aplenty for the visitors – Steve Halford, Mike Flynn and Danny Ventre have all seen red – or there has been controversy with late penalties or mistakes for goals.
And usually a John Coleman post-match press conference is one the Hereford press enjoy as the Reds boss doesn't hold back.
But this time it was all smiles as, although Stanley have still never won on the Bulls' home territory, they have extended their unbeaten away run to five league games.
And a point was a good one against Graham Turner’s high-flying side, despite it not being the best game to watch for the fans.
“I thought we passed the ball really well and defended really well and that is part and parcel of football," said the Reds boss.
“Chances were at a premium at both ends as both teams had around two or three but they weren't particularly clear cut.
“On the second half performance, I think we deserved to win but Hereford are a very good side. It is always good to come here as there is banter with the fans and it is a good spirit.
“And I don't think many teams will come here and keep a clean sheet.
“We defended really well, especially in the second half, to a man and we had some big performances out there.”
Coleman has been highly critical of his defence this season but wasn't able to add a new man before the loan deadline passed last Thursday and so needed to rely on his current backline to stand firm for this one.
But away from home, they seem able to do it - conceding just three goals in the last five away trips including two successive clean sheets on their travels.
The Reds chief stuck with the 3-5-2 formation which hasn't bee n as successful at home but seems to work on their travels - an oddly familiar quirk throughout a division which has so far produced almost as many victories for away teams as home wins.
Leam Richardson, Sean Webb and Graham Branch were brought back into the fold and the Reds had the added boost that Bulls' top scorer Lionel Ainsworth had sealed a switch to Watford on deadline day to ease the pressure on the defence.
It still didn't make it easy as Hereford have two Watford loanees in midfielder Toumani Diagouraga and striker Theo Robinson with the latter offering a major threat.
And they also included John McCombe and Liverpool's Robbie Threlfall in their line-up - defenders Coleman has chased in the past but Graham Turner managed to secure.
It was all set up for an open, end-to-end encounter but didn't quite work out like that with just four shots on target throughout the game - three for the Bulls and one for Stanley.
It might have been different if Hereford's veteran hitman Trevor Benjamin had opened the scoring as early as the fourth minute. Tricky debutant winger Sam Gwynne took the ball off Branch and played in a superb cross with Benjamin hitting the side netting - although some home fans thought it was in.
Then, as the Reds were still settling, Bulls' right back Richard Rose carved open the Stanley backline all too easily, only to end with a weak shot which didn't trouble keeper Ian Dunbavin.
The visitors didn't really have an attack until the 14th minute and then it was Hereford defender Dean Beckwith who almost gifted them a goal - heading Richardson's cross just over the bar.
Hereford's dangerman, though, was Robinson - a tall, pacey striker who got into good positions but left his shooting boots in the dressing room.
He had a number of chances, bursting through and having just Dunbavin to beat, but never got a strike on target to test the Stanley keeper.
Meanwhile, Jay Harris was a midfield powerhouse while Hereford’s Ben Smith excelled too as the sides cancelled each other out in the first half.
Roscoe Dsane had a goalbound effort deflected for a corner while the Reds made 10 passes, sweeping the ball from side to side, but when the ball finally came to Richardson in the area, he miskicked in front of goal to end a less-than-thrilling first half.
In terms of goalmouth action, the second half did get better but both defences continued to boss the show.
Robinson had another early chance but again didn't control the ball in a good position and blasted over.
Coleman tried to liven things up, introducing Leighton McGivern up front and Rommy Boco in the left wing back slot and they did create more.
Harris got himself into a good position on the edge of the area but fired well over the goal, and then the midfielder broke and set up McGivern around 20 yards out but the striker belted the ball well over the bar.
"Leighton is possibly the best striker of the ball we have got at the club or certainly the best with an eye for a goal and he will be disappointed as he had a couple of chances but did not find the target and wasted them," said Coleman.
Both sides were passing the ball around well but being cut off with the final ball, although the hosts could have snatched it at the end with Robinson having two superb late chances - but missed the target both times as it turned into a blank day.
Bulls' boss Turner was left bemoaning his side's FA Cup giant killing midweek against Leeds which, he felt, drained his players.
"I have seen it many times after a performance like Leeds that you come and fall flat on your face at home," he said. We did not play well and it did not have the flow. We had to grind out a result and we take a point and move on."
Coleman, meanwhile, was full of praise for his team who hold their mid-table position ahead of a Saturday off.
He said: "It is just disappointing our shooting boots were left at home as we never really got the ball on target and never really troubled their keeper.
"But I thought Paul Mullin was outstanding - his link-up play and touch was second to none and we opened them up a couple of times in the second half as they did to us in the first.
"I said to the lads we have got a bit of a run going away from home and got a bit of belief in ourselves and now we have got to transfer it to our home form."
