“TOO many” Hereford players were “hiding in the first half” against Alvechurch, according to Bulls boss Pete Beadle.

And the former Newport County manager says players who don’t give their all will be axed from the starting line-up.

Beadle felt marksman John Mills struggled to make an impact in the opening 45 minutes of yesterday's FA Cup preliminary round clash, which Hereford eventually won 4-2.

The Bulls were awful in the first half and trailed 2-0 at the interval.

“We gave away two really poor goals and, on top of that, were not good enough on the ball in the first half,” conceded Beadle.

“I am not making excuses but the wind was very strong and I was really disappointed in the first half by our lack of character.”

Hereford hit back in the second period with a brace from Mills and one each from substitutes Jamie Cuss and Mike Symons.

Beadle said “Mike came on at half-time because we needed to keep the ball upfront.

"This is why when certain sections of our supporters bang on about Johnny Mills they have to realise this wasn’t John’s game out there, especially with the wind in the first half.

“He needs to have a partner alongside him like Symo (Symons).

“Games like that are when Mike comes into his own. He makes a big difference and that makes him a huge player for us.

“We have got some fantastic players and we’ve shown that with the substitutes we have brought on with the likes of Jamie (Cuss) and Mike (Symons), while Tristan Plummer wasn’t fit.”

He added: “Too many were hiding in the first half and in a game like that, in those conditions, John (Mills) wasn’t suited to it.

“But he (Mills) worked much harder in the second half and got his rewards.

“You don’t score goals by luck.

"Sometimes you earn it with your hard work and work-rate and sometimes you have a great team around you who supply you with goals.

"But John’s work-rate was much better in the second half but in games like that he needs a partner to be more of a target to help him."