MARK Yeates is targeting 15 goals for the season, after he proved to be a class above the rest at bottom club Hereford on Saturday.

Carl Marston

MARK Yeates is targeting 15 goals for the season, after he proved to be a class above the rest at bottom club Hereford on Saturday.

Man-of-the-match Yeates was at his inspirational best to mastermind this comfortable win, scoring the first goal and then claiming the second goal as well, although that will probably go down as an own goal.

Front-runner Yeates broke the deadlock with another of his stunning free-kicks, to chalk up his 12th goal of the season, and five minutes later his teasing cross was headed into his own net by Hereford defender Dean Beckwith.

There are just two games remaining for the Dubliner to reach his target.

Yeates insisted: “I've set myself a target of 15 goals for the season, and I reckon I can still make it.

“It was nice to score from another free-kick. There was a possibility that Simon Hackney was going to float it into the box, but the gaffer has encouraged me to take them if I fancy them, and I'm not shy in having a shot!

“I'll be wanting them to give me the second goal as well, because the ball only skimmed off the lad's (Beckwith's) head. I'll be ringing him up wanting to get that one!

“I'm disappointed not to have scored a couple more goals as well. In fact, we could have won by four or five goals,” added Yeates.

Ex-Tottenham winger Yeates paid tribute to the performance of lone striker Sunday Akanni-Wasiu, who was handed a rare start in the absence of target man Clive Platt (family reasons), Steven Gillespie (injured) and Karl Hawley (returned to his parent club Preston due to injury).

Yeates operated just behind Wasiu in a free role, and Hereford found it difficult to pick him up. He has spent most of his career as an out-and-out winger.

“I enjoy playing in that position, just behind the front man,” confirmed Yeates.

“I thought Sunday (Wasiu) did really well. It's difficult to do that, when you're the only one up front, but he should be pleased with his contribution.

“It's just a pity that he did not score a goal, because he deserved one. In fact, we should have scored a couple more as a team in the second half.

“But it was a job comfortably well done. It was a good performance after the Brighton game (1-0 home defeat on Easter Monday). We owed it to ourselves and our fans to get this result.

“We were disappointed in ourselves after the Brighton game. People deserved better than that.

“There are still two games to go and we want to finish on a high. There are also players playing for contracts, and wanting to impress the gaffer (Paul Lambert). We want to finish in the top half of the table,” concluded Yeates.