Topic was also discussed here. (and there are some other threads)
http://www.fiestastforum.com/forum/threads/15374-Is-this-an-issue-Or-driver-error?styleid=10
Manual shifters intuitively learn to rev-match as we push the clutch pedal and move the shift lever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnXLZg_O1rk
My motorcycle, (a sequential shifter, not direct,) is really really bad about not being able to hit first at a stop and you have to roll it back or forward for a relatively long distance to manually align the trans. I'll apply light but firm pressure on the shifter while rolling and it engages the instant it aligns.
Anyway, the way I avoid the problem is to shift into first as I come to a complete stop, just before reaching 0 MPH. The less audible the shift, the better the execution. (note, rev matched at shift, but without actually releasing the clutch pedal/lever) The motorcycle trans will SLAM (very loud) into second or first if your RPMs are way off for the given travel speed.
For the car, no resistance, noise, means good timing and execution. But you move the shifter into first only at *THE* lowest possible speed (but still moving) while your engine is at idle.
Foot off the accelerator, clutch pushed in, engine at 800RPM, it is bad if you move your shifter into a given gear at too high a MPH. Absolutely avoid this, more especially for first. For the Fiesta ST and under those circumstances, you'll want to move the shifter into first, just as it comes to a complete stop.
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My prior car, also with some hydraulics in the clutch, had an adjustable length rod between the clutch pedal and the firewall. When engagement became borderline, no longer smooth, making very small adjustments, lengthening, smoothed out engagement. Just a couple of turns of the 10mm nut at a time, was all it needed. There were specifications for clutch pedal free-play and engage-height in the manual, depicting where the clutch pedal was in relation to the floor, when the clutch was engaged. Do not adjust so far out that you end up riding the clutch. Also, clutch master cylinders are capable of leaking internally (never loosing fluid) as well as externally.
http://www.feoa.net/threads/soft-clu...3/#post-691070 IIRC never had to replace that clutch master cylinder until well over 200k.
I've never had a manual trans go bad and therefore have never had to do it. But I've read that folks who have failed synchronizers, are able to compensate by "double clutching". (push clutch pedal, shift into neutral, release clutch, match RPM to MPH, push clutch, shift into gear, release clutch)
The graphic here may be helpful for understanding...
https://auto.howstuffworks.com/transmission2.htm
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