By Gregg Davies @ the Darlington Arena

A dogged victory at rock-bottom Darlington ensured Hereford United recorded a fourth consecutive league win for the first time in more than two years to all but secure their Football League status.

Marc Pugh expertly fired his 10th goal of the campaign into the bottom corner after 74 minutes to settle an uninspiring contest, with the win moving the Bulls onto 50 points, 16 clear of the drop-zone.

Graham Turner named the same starting XI for the third successive match, with Craig King the only new face on the substitutes' bench following a hamstring injury to fellow Leicester loanee Astrit Ajdarevic.

Hereford made all the early running in the North East. Lewis Young was sent galloping down the right flank inside the first minute but could only cross into the side-netting.

Mathieu Manset then flashed the ball across the goal-face from the opposite flank, while Kenny Lunt's cute curler from 18-yards drifted the wrong side of the far post.

The Quakers eventually settled, with Josh Gray fizzing a left-footed drive wide of the near upright from 20-yards, before right-back Paul Arnison's crisp half-volley from a similar distance narrowly evaded the top-corner.

However, it was Hereford who came closest to edging ahead before the break.

Jake Jervis' low drive was denied by a smart stop by on-loan Nottingham Forest glove-man Shane Redmond, before Manset smashed a shot into the side-netting from close range.

The Bulls should have broken the deadlock almost immediately after the restart.

Manset drove inside from the left-flank and cut the ball back for Jervis on the penalty spot. But the Birmingham loanee mis-hit his shot and saw Redmond deflect the ball over the bar with an outstretched leg.

Seconds later, a vicious 25-yard volley from Manset tested Redmond down to his right.

But at the opposite end, Darlington thought they had opened their account courtesy of Gray's low effort, only to see Hereford captain Adam Bartlett divert the ball onto the outside of the post at full stretch.

Simon Davey's side began to boss proceedings, forcing a succession of corners - one of which defender Alan White headed narrowly wide - before Irish striker Tadgh Purcell nodded over and Chris Moore half-volleyed an inch too high from long-range.

Matt Done and Sam Gwynne replaced James McQuilken and Young in an attempt to unravel the hosts' grip on the game.

And it soon began to pay dividends, as Manset threatened to score one of the greatest goals in Hereford history.

Jervis surged down the left and stood the ball up for the Frenchman, who - with his back to goal - acrobatically bicycle-kicked it a whisker wide of the target from six yards.

The Bulls did nose in front less than three minutes later. Bartlett's long kick up-field found Pugh via the heads of first Manset and then Jervis, who beat White for pace before firing beyond Redmond.

White made some amends in the dying embers to deny substitute Leon Constantine a clear sight of goal having latched onto one of a plethora of poor kicks by the Quakers' custodian.

But despite a flurry of late pressure from the the soon-to-be-relegated hosts, the Bulls held on to bag their second double of the season, and third away success in four outings on the road.

Darlington: Redmond, Arnison, White, Miller (c), Milne, Moore (M. Smith 77), Dempsey (Convery 89), G. Smith (Groves 89), Gray, Main, Purcell.

Subs Not Used: Liversedge, Madden, Deane, Byrne.

Hereford United: Bartlett (c), Green, Rose, D. Jones, Valentine, Young (Gwynne 67), Lunt, McQuilken (Done 67), Pugh, Manset (Constantine 87), Jervis.

Subs Not Used: Adamson, Preston, King, McCallum.

Attendance: 2,131.