MUD wrestling is defined as a physical confrontation that occurs in mud or a pit.

More commonly associated with scantily clad women, this particular bout involved 22 grown men in football strips, shorts, socks and boots.

And, instead of the usual venue of bars, nightclubs or strip clubs, this spectacle took place at the Fraser Eagle Stadium, in front of over 1200 people.

Unfortunately though, entertainment was at a minimum. And while these days mud wrestling isn't about the winning or the losing, but having fun, try telling that to Hereford manager Graham Turner, who watched his side's promotion push get back on track.

Or Reds boss John Coleman, whose two-game run of clean sheets came to an abrupt halt in the rain and the mire.

To be fair, there was nothing or nobody clean by the end of the 90 minutes. And at one point during the first half you almost feared that on-loan defender Aswad Thomas could, in fact, drown in the sludge, as he slid into a challenge on the left-hand side of the pitch, spraying water and mud onto the sponsor boards.

It was conditions of monsoon proportions that set the scene for the quagmire and the rain refused to relent until well into the second half.

But, while the sun eventually came up over Accrington, by that time, the sun had already gone down on the home side's chances of finding any way back into a match they never looked like winning.

The incessant rain may have been to blame for Mark Roberts' bizarre own goal at the start of the second half. With a heavy coating of water from the centre of the park right down into Kenny Arthur's goal, the defender over-hit a pass-back assuming it may get caught up in the sludge.

It didn't. Instead, it flew to the side of the big Scottish stopper, and despite a valiant attempt to haul it clear of the line, the goal was awarded by referee Steve Bratt on the advice of his assistant who was a fully 20 yards away at an angle.

The decision made an awful afternoon even more miserable for the Reds faithful, who had watched their side grapple hopelessly with the visitors. Hereford had the skill and ability to pin them down when they needed to, then stand off and defend when the serious work ad been done.

Not even the mercurial Ian Craney could repeat his Millmoor magic from the previous week. The subdued Scouser found it tough going and could only muster weak efforts from length that seemed to be drawn constantly into the midriff of Bulls keeper Wayne Brown.

That was a pattern that remained consistent throughout the match and whenever the Reds managed any kind of effort towards the visitors' net, the ball appeared to sail harmlessly into the arms of Brown.

David Mannix, Leam Richardson and Aswad Thomas were all further evidence of that.

Both teams came into the fixture in contrasting fortunes - two wins for Stanley, two defeats for Hereford.

Stanley, in particular, were boosted by their first home win of the year in their last outing at the Fraser Eagle.

But they never looked like notching their second on this soaking wet afternoon and, instead, suffered their eleventh home defeat of the season - the worst record in the country.

The skills, power and trickery of on-loan West Brom star striker Sherjill MacDonald, Southend loan-star Gary Hooper and Simon Johnson, made sure of that.

All three had chances inside the opening minutes, with Arthur called into action and standing up to the test well to keep the scores intact.

Phil Edwards was also a hero for the Reds when he hacked a MacDonald effort away from danger, with strike partner Hooper lurking.

As the rain lashed down, chances for the home side were few and far between. The two teams, to their credit, were attempting to play football. However, although the Reds had their fair share of possession, a lack of ideas in the final third meant promising moves ended as poorly as the weather.

But, just as it looked like they had weathered the first-half storm, Hooper pounced. Danger man Johnson found Trent McClenahan down the right and his low cross was guided into the back of the net.

As the referee changed his outfit at the break, Coleman changed personnel, bringing on Andy Todd in place of the ineffective Andy Mangan.

And the change looked to have inspired the Reds, who appeared more direct and forceful.

But Roberts' comedy own-goal pulled the plug on any thoughts of a quick comeback and any dreams of a third successive win quickly drained away.

Hereford were content to sit back as Stanley flooded forward, but their attacks continued to be toothless.

The game threatened to boil over when Richardson and Johnson became embroiled in a skirmish on the half-way line. But after three or four sharp bursts of his whistle, both players were sent away with a stern warning.

Johnson's yellow card did come, however, minutes later thanks to a bone-crunching tackle on Thomas on the left-hand touchline, that left the stopper grounded in the mud.

Paul Mullin had an optimistic shout for a penalty waved away when he claimed the ball had struck a stray arm, before Arthur was called into action to deny Toumani Dingouraga.

Reds substitute Shaun Whalley had the final chance when his cross-cum-shot almost caught out Brown, who tipped it over the bar at full stretch.

It was hardly surprising that, in the quagmire, the Bulls emerged victorious.