​Downes suffered his first defeat as Bulls boss after Rio Allen netted direct from a corner and Stephen Walker doubled Scarbrough’s advantage five minutes before the break. Lewis Hudson did pull a goal back for Hereford in second half stoppage time, but it came too late for a dramatic fightback. “I definitely got the shape wrong in that first 20 minutes,” said Downes. “That’s on me. I stuck with what we did on Tuesday night (against Darlington) and got a result from it. “But then that first 20 minutes, just got a bit disjointed. The boys were willing, but we just couldn’t quite get to grips with it. “So the change (in shape) definitely helped us. It give us a foothold in the game. I thought we were much better from sort of 20 odd minutes on towards the back end of the game. “I think if we got the goal a little bit earlier, then we would have given ourselves more of a chance to put them under pressure. “But I think from a second half point of view, I thought we were in control. We limited them to nothing. At the same time we were 2-0 down. “We were the team who wanted to go and try to put them under pressure and get something, we just couldn’t quite find the right past, the right, skill, whatever it was, just that final product.” The Seadogs came into the game chasing the play-off positions and sitting in sixth position in the National League North. The visitors had the game’s first chance as Dom Tear fired into the side-netting from a narrow angle. Hereford goalkeeper Theo Richardson was forced into action on 20 minutes, producing a fine save to deny Alex Brown before Bulls’ loanee defender Freddy Wilcox forced the resulting loose ball behind for a corner. However, Richardson failed to prevent Scarbrough’s 21st minute opener when Allen sent his corner directly over the keeper’s head. The Bulls almost had a response seven minutes later, but Keenan Quansah sent his header across goal and wide. A minute later Hereford should have been level when young loanee George Munday picked out the run of strike partner Andy Williams who fired over from eight yards out. However, it was Scarborough who doubled their lead five minutes before the break when Harry Green crossed for Walker who stabbed home his 13th goal of the season. The Bulls regrouped at half-time and Harley Hamilton went close minutes into the second half, but sent his headed effort off-target. Scarbrough could have sealed the points with a third goal after 68 minutes, but Tear fizzed his effort just over the Hereford crossbar. Hereford left it until the third minute of injury time to pull a goal back courtesy of skipper Hudson who forced the ball over the goal-line from Quansah’s cross. Hereford: Richardson, Hudson, Wilcox, Preston (Howkins 87), Quansah, Skinner, Hamilton (Martin 55), Tustin, Daly, Williams (Donawa 70), Munday (Rooney 70). Unused subs: D’Ath, Lewis