Hereford United climbed off the bottom of the table after claiming victory in their first ever league meeting with Cheltenham Town.

The two sides haven't met in a competitive fixture for nine years, but there was nothing competitive about the goals which Cheltenham shipped in a first half to forget.

Former Robins striker Steve Guinan hadn't scored in front of his own fans for 418 days, but he had two inside 26 minutes in a game littered with individual errors in the Cheltenham defence.

Things went from bad to worse 10 minutes after the restart when another defensive shambles handed Sam Gwynne the easiest opportunity he'll ever get to claim his first league goal. Cheltenham rallied late on, but it was in vain. The damage had been done.

Cheltenham Town's last away success, at Leeds United back in March, is a fading memory and with trips to Oldham Athletic, in the cup replay, and Carlisle United coming up over the next seven days, boss Martin Allen will need to go back to the drawing board if he is to turn his side's fortunes around.

His side avoid dropping to the foot of League One by virtue of defeat for Crewe Alexandra tonight.

TEAM NEWS: David Bird returns to the Cheltenham Town team for his first game since the September match at Millwall, having suffered a broken toe in that game. New signing Elvis Hammond is named among the substitutes. Ashley Vincent is also on the bench having been cleared to play with a lightweight cast on his fractured wrist.

15th minute GOAL: Hereford United 1, Cheltenham Town 0
A scrappy but evenly contested game comes to life after Guinan makes the most of the first real chance of the game. Kris Taylor does well down the left to deliver a ball into the box, where the striker gets to the ball ahead of Drissa Diallo. It squirts loose, leaving Guinan all the time in the world to smash the ball beyond Shane Higgs to hand his side a lead with quarter of an hour played.

25: Hereford go close after creating the best move of the contest to this point, sweeping from one end of the pitch to the other culminating in an Andy Williams effort which flies a foot over the target.

26 GOAL: Hereford United 2, Cheltenham Town 0
Guinan bags his second of the afternoon. Alan Wright makes a mess trying to deal with goalkeeper Matthew Murray's long punt downfield which releases Sam Gwynne down the right. The midfielder slides a ball into the path of Guinan who lashes the ball between Higgs and his near post to double his account.

30: Goalkeeper Matt Murray, making his debut on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, denies his Cheltenham namesake with a superb fingertip save after the Bristol City loanee latches onto a Connor knockdown to volley from 18 yards.

36: Murray rises to a cross from the right with Karl Broadhurst, drawing a smart save from Murray but the players clash heads and the Hereford skipper requires treatment to a blood injury.

HALF TIME: Hereford United 2, Cheltenham Town 0

46 TRIPLE SUBSTITUTION: Robins boss Allen sends his team out for the second half complete with three replacements. Ashley Vincent (for Owusu), Damian Spencer (Payne) and new signing Elvis Hammond (Gallinagh) are pressed into action for the second period, Vincent moves to the role on the right of midfield, while Spencer and Hammond move to attack with Connor dropping back to left midfield. Murray deputises for Gallinagh at right back. The move has its desired effect and Cheltenham immediately appear more purposeful.

47: Guinan rolls the chance to claim his hatrick across the face of Higgs' goalmouth and a foot wide.

49: Vincent gets the chance to use his pace to accelerate down the right before squaring the ball into the path of Hammond. Broadhurst, however, makes a superb last-ditch tackle to deny the new man a goal four minutes into his debut.

54: Murray centres from the right but Spencer's header misses the target.

55 GOAL: Hereford United 3, Cheltenham Town 0
Another critical error of judgement in defence leaves Cheltenham Town with a mountain to climb. This time goalkeeper Murray launches a downfield kick which bounces a couple of feet outside Higgs' box. Wright leaves it, while the Cheltenham number one completely misjudges the ball's position and allows it travel over his head, leaving Gwynne the straight forward task of stabbing home for his first goal in the football league.

62: Cheltenham win a couple of corners, and Connor has the clearest sight of goal with an acrobatic overhead kick which is blocked by a defender on the line.

69: Bird tries a curler from 25 yards, but it travels a foot high and wide.

70: Connor's low drive cannons back off the base of the left upright.

71: Bird hammers a volley on target from 18 yards, but Murray is equal to the danger.

73: Hammond meets Vincent's cross with a clean enough strike, but the effort sails over.

76: Vincent ghosts into the penalty area after capitalising on a Guinan mistake and plays in Hammond, but Murray beats away his first time effort at the near post.

78: Higgs takes Easton's free-kick. The former Wycombe man attempts a curler a minute later which misses the angle of the goal by a matter of inches.

79 SUBSTITUTION: Matt Done replaces Williams for the final ten or so minutes.

83: Bird sends a 20-yard free-kick over the bar.

86 SUBSTITUTION: Man-of-the-match Guinan is withdrawn and replaced by Robins' summer target Nick Chadwick.

89: Murray saves his best save of the game for the penultimate minute, diving to his left to keep out Vincent's thunderous free-kick.

90: Hammond is denied by Murray to complete a miserable afternoon for Cheltenham Town.

FULL TIME: Hereford United 3, Cheltenham Town 0

HEREFORD UNITED (4-4-2): Murray; Diagouraga, Broadhurst (c), Beckwith, Taylor; Gwynne, O'Leary, Smith, Easton; Guinan (Chadwick 86), Williams (Done 79). Subs not used: Breen, Hudson-Odoi, Samson.

CHELTENHAM TOWN (4-4-2): Higgs; Gallinagh (Hammond 46), Diallo, Kenton, Wright (c); Payne (Spencer 46), Bird, Westlake, Murray; Owusu (Vincent 46), Connor. Subs not used: SP Brown, Ridley.

REFEREE: D Phillips (Sussex)

ATTENDANCE: 3,761 (868)