Text at top (next game etc)

Next Game: Home Against Farsley Celtic On Saturday March 23rd Kick-Off 3.00pm

Thursday, November 30, 2017

Narrow Pitch At Fleetwood


Hereford manager Peter Beadle will be aware that the pitch at Fleetwood is narrow and this could affect his team selection for the FA Cup tie on Saturday.

Uwe Rosler made mention of the narrow pitch in a pre-match interview with BBC Lancs Sport. He also thought Hereford would be physical.

"We are fully aware of the ambitions and threat of Hereford," said Rosler

"We are not the biggest name in the competition, we mustn't underestimate anybody.

"They will bring a lot of people which will give it a good atmosphere.

"Hereford is a successful team this season, they haven't lost an away game, they know what they are doing, they know they can put the ball in the box.

"We need to find a way to keep them from our half, from our box.

"I know that Hereford will try to make the game physical, make the game scrappy.

"Our pitch is quite narrow so that means we need to be aware that they will be physical contact all over the pitch and we need to stand up to it."
 

Collection of Fleetwood Tickets


For fans who bought tickets for Saturday's game online but haven't collected them yet, the club have confirmed the following details:

FROM HEREFORD
Please collect your tickets from Addison's Bar Reception before 10am on Friday 1st December.

FROM FLEETWOOD
Any tickets not collected before 10am on Friday 1st December will be taken to Fleetwood and will be ready for collection from their ticket office from 1:30pm onwards on the day of the game.

The ticket collection booth is located outside the Main Ticket Office/Club Shop in The Parkside Stand (see attached map).



Meetings To Take Place About UITC Closure


Several meetings are set to take place about the closure of UITC which was made public last night.

The chairman of HUST is understood to be meeting the chairman of HFC at some stage today.

And the HUST board is to meet UITC trustees next week.

Last night BN approached HFC Chairman Ken Kinnersley for comment.

"We have issued a statement in reply and I will not be making any further comment at this time," said Kinnersley.

UITC Chair Ruth Walkden was also approached.

"I just think for now that by giving any further public comment will doubtless benefit anyone," she said.

Nevertheless for UITC it is business as normal with BN, amidst others, being asked to promote their Xmas Soccer Schools which take place on December 18 and 19.  



Fleetwood Won't Take Hereford Lightly


Fleetwood Town midfielder Aiden O'Neill says Hereford will be a tough test when the two sides meet at Highbury on Saturday.

The 19-year old Australian told Fleetwood's official site: "All of the lads are looking forward to it.

"We have been working hard this week; but know it's not going to be easy as we found out in the First Round against Chorley. It will be a similar test for us as Hereford will be physical.

"Last time the ball was bobbling as we tried to play our football, however this time we will be on a better pitch, which will definitely help us play exciting football."

O'Neill signed for the Cod Army in the summer on loan from Burnley. So far he's made 19 appearances.

"The players can’t and won’t take this game lightly.

"I've always watched the FA Cup back home as it was on television. It was on quite late which my mum and dad didn’t like, but it is massive and I am just excited to be involved in it.

"The players were talking this morning about Ronnie Radford who scored against Newcastle for Hereford, and one of the staff told us all that this is a very big game for them."


UITC Christmas Soccer Schools


It's business as usual at UITC with their Christmas Soccer Schools taking place on December 18 and 19.

This from UITC:

United in the Community’s Christmas Soccer Schools will still be going ahead, despite recent news. UITC will be delivering two camps simultaneously on Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th December 2017 at The Hereford Academy and thePoint4, as well as a Girls only camp on Wednesday at Gorsty Lane, thanks to Tupsley Girls FC.

The Soccer Schools will take place from 9am – 3pm (Girls 10am – 3pm, outdoor) and both camps will be held indoors so please bring suitable footwear and clothes.

Two days at either venue will cost £45.00, this includes a selection box, x1 child ticket and x1 adult ticket to a Hereford FC fixture.

Lots of participants have booked on so to secure a place, please fill out the online booking form at http://playtheherefordway.com OR email soccerschools@uitc.uk.com.


Stockbridge To Referee Cup Tie At Fleetwood


The match officials for Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup tie against Hereford have been announced by Fleetwood FC.

Sebastian Stockbridge has been named as the referee for Saturday’s Second Round FA Cup match against Hereford.

Stockbridge has officiated 19 matches this season, handing out 59 yellow cards and three red cards in a variety of competitions in England.

The Englishman was last in charge of a Town fixture back in August when Charlton visited Highbury stadium.

Stockbridge refereed Hereford twice in the 2012/13 season with both of those were away from Edgar Street. He saw them pick up the maximum six point on the road.

Alan Clayton and Duncan Street will assist on Saturday with the Fourth Official being named as Barry Lamb.

BT Sport Looking For Fan Reaction


BT Sport are looking for fans at Saturday's game to send in their reaction after the full time whistle.

It takes the form of a short video filmed by fans on their mobile phone and then sent to BT Sport using an app.

Fans that are interested should contact Alex Burd on Twitter (link) or email Bulls News who can put you in touch - bullsnewsblog@outlook.com.

Young Vlogger Expecting A Cup Upset


Ollie interviewing Ryan Green, with his mum Bev behind the camera.
One young Hereford fan has been overwhelmed with the support he's received since he started 'vlogging' at games.

Oliver Beach has over 58,000 on his YouTube channel to date which features videos of his day out as well as interviews and challenges with players.

BN caught up with him this week and asked him about why he started making videos.

"I guess it's my love for Hereford FC and the fact YouTube really interests me. I thought combining the two would be fun and help promote how amazing our family club is.

"The support is amazing. It started at just ten views a video and I kept going and now it's amazing. The supporters are brilliant and no one has such passionate supporters like we do."

Also known as 'the Beachster' he's often been allowed onto the pitch to talk to the players. What's that like?

"It's my favourite part. The club and players are always so good with me and I feel very lucky that they allow to continue to do this. I'm trying to come up with new ideas to keep it interesting."

Favourite player?

"Jimmy Oates!

"He's always given me full support, he's a class player and has helped me so much with arranging interviews and looking out for me."

Favourite moment so far?

"My finest moment was doing the mannequin challenge. Pete Beadle rang me at home to see if I'd like to come in and do it as I'd been asking all season. 

"It was fantastic and Beads and the boys were brilliant and it went over 2.5k views."


And finally, will you be at Fleetwood?

"Yes I can't wait for Saturday, it's the stuff dreams are made of and I will certainly be vlogging. 

"I think we will win and it will be 2-1."



Harris Quits Gloucester City


Tim Harris has quit as manager of Gloucester City. Currently the club is playing at Evesham and gates are falling. It's eleven years since the club last played in Gloucester.

"It’s with a heavy heart, that this morning I have resigned from Gloucester City Football Club," said Harris as reported by GloucestershireLive.

“For those that know, me it’s a decision I’ve not taken lightly, and it’s been something I have wrestled with for at least the last six months."

He feels that the club isn't going forward.

"It can't keep going.

“Gloucester City’s fans are totally disillusioned with the current club. Is a phoenix club the answer? I am not sure, but if it happens I’ll be right behind it.

“If that’s what it’s going to take, I’ll do what I can to support it.

“Look at Hereford, after the mess they got themselves into. There is so much enthusiasm there now and they are getting crowds bigger than many League Two clubs.

“Their fans have a passion, believe and want to get their club back in the Football League.”
 

News Round Up


Royston Town have been expelled from the Southern League cup after fielding an ineligible player in their second round victory over Kempston Rovers. The premier division side have been fined and their opponents reinstated in the competition.

Former Bull Jarrod Bowen's goal count reached double figures at the weekend against Bristol City. According to the Tigers' website, Bowen has averaged a goal every 167 minutes after scoring ten goals in 19 appearances.

Bristol City development player Mo Baghdadi has extended his loan spell with Dorchester Town for a further month. The 21-year old winger was Man of the Match in their 4-1 victory over Kettering Town two weeks ago.

Next Monday Slough Town host Rochdale in the FA Cup and the game is a sell out for home fans. The match at Arbour Park will be shown live on BT Sport.

Former Premier League goalkeeper Richard Lee came out of retirement to play for Dunstable Town on Tuesday. With loanee keeper Nick Hayes called up to a England youth training camp, the club couldn't afford to bring in a new keeper on an emergency loan and extend Hayes' stay, so Lee stepped up. Dunstable lost the game at Bishop's Stortford 4-1.


Bulls on Midlands Today Tomorrow Night

Dan Pallett covered the FA Vase final at Wembley in May 2016

Hereford will be featured on BBC Midlands Today tomorrow evening during their programme at 6.30pm.

Reporter Dan Pallett visited Lance Smith at work on Tuesday, and will attend the Bulls' training session later.

There, he will speak to Pete Beadle and hopefully another player.

Then on Saturday, sports editor Nick Clitheroe will be at Fleetwood with a crew for the match itself.

Bookies Don't Fancy Hereford To Progress In Cup


On Saturday Hereford will play Fleetwood in the second round of the FA Cup. In itself that's some achievement for the reformed club in just its third season.

However the bookies don't give the Southern League club much hope of progressing in the competition.

Fleetwood 3/10 Draw 49/10 Hereford 21/2 

The 21/2 price for a Hereford win is currently available with BetVictor and MarathonBet.

The 49/10 price for a draw is available with MarathonBet.

Prices from oddschecker.com and are subject to change.

Throwback Thursday - Hereford United 1-1 Arsenal - 5th January 1985

With Hereford FC playing Fleetwood shortly in the FA Cup. Lets head back to a very cold Saturday afternoon at Edgar Street, a crowd of 15,777 witnessed Hereford draw 1-1 with Division One Arsenal in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. The Meadow End erupts when Chris Price equalises.
Hereford Lined Up

1 Kevin Rose
2 Chris Price
3 Ian Bray
4 Keith Hicks
5 Mel Pejic
6 Steve Emery
7 Jimmy Harvey
8 Ian Dalziel
9 Stewart Phillips
10 Ollie Kearns
11 Mike Carter

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Hereford Board Respond to UITC Statement


This from the official site:

We have read this evening’s UITC press release with interest and first of all would like to express disappointment that the Trustees of UITC have decided to make a public announcement while discussions with Hereford FC, the Herefordshire Football Association and the Football Association were ongoing.

It has always been the ambition of the Hereford FC Board to move towards running junior age-group teams under the Hereford FC banner, but discussions with UITC have not progressed as quickly as both parties would have liked.

In light of UITC’s announcement earlier today, we would like to reassure current UITC players and their families that we will be contacting them in the near future to discuss the plans going forward and would like to make it known that Hereford FC is fully committed to maintaining the running of junior teams for the remainder of the 2017/18 season, and beyond.

The board of Directors confirm a more detailed announcement will be made in the near future regarding our plans for the continuation of the age-group teams, and for the further development of a Hereford FC Player Pathway.

FSF Want Changes To Rules About Ownership Of Clubs


Given the problems of Hereford United when 'unsuitable' owners took over from David Keyte a couple of years ago, the efforts of the FSF to update the rules about ownership of clubs is welcome.

The Football Supporters' Federation and Supporters Direct have set up a joint working party to look in detail at the changes we would like to see introduced into the rules of the FA, and/or other football bodies and/or Company law to prevent the problems we have seen caused by owners at a number of our historic clubs.
Many of these problems have been outlined in the paper produced by Supporters Direct which was discussed in a workshop at the Supporters Summit in July 2017 and elsewhere. We recognise that each club is different and these problems have had different causes but are keen to identify regulatory changes which would eliminate them in future. 

We have been promised access to the FA Board to present our detailed proposals when this work is complete. It is important that we produce detailed, robust, achievable and relevant proposals which we can defend and which would have a real effect.  

We would be very grateful if you could let us know what rule or legal changes you think would have prevented, or at least reduced, the problems at your club. Please be as specific as you can and outline the reasons why you think the changes you have proposed would have prevented or mitigated those problems. 

It would be very helpful if you could let us know your ideas, proposals and views by 15th December to info@fsf.org.uk subject heading 'FA Regulatory Changes'. 

Thank you very much for your help. 

Malcolm Clarke
Chair of the Football Supporters' Federation

UITC TO Cease Operations


This from UITC:


With regret the Board of Trustees announce that plans are in place to cease operations due to a relationship breakdown with Hereford Football Club.

It is intended that the Academy will no longer be run by UITC after 31st December 2017. Hereford FC have stated they want to take on the Academy in the New Year and UITC commits to parents to use its best endeavours to make any transition as seamless as possible.

All other services currently offered by UITC will cease at the end of 2017 / 18 season.

It will be for Hereford Football Club to decide which elements they will continue that UITC currently provide.

The Trustees would like to express their sincere thanks to everyone who has supported us in the past 3 years.

Self-funded, reliant on goodwill, donations and many hours of volunteer time, we are proud of our record in maintaining community provision on behalf of Hereford FC and the wider Herefordshire community:
· Untangling the historic mess left to us in 2014 and ensuring a stable basis for the organisation to prosper over 3 football seasons
· Doubling the number of registered academy players since 2014
· Creation of new U18s girls team
· Record numbers of Soccer Schools and extension of our primary schools’ provision
· Investment/upgrading in the Central Park facility
· Early years daytime sessions
· Extending our coaching provision to even more primary schools throughout the County
· In partnership with local charities, sport provision for young people with learning disabilities and young re-offenders as part of their rehabilitation programme
· Numerous first team appearances of UITC players
We hope that Hereford Football Club will step up and maintain community activity for the benefit of all people in Hereford City and the wider county, and wish it the best in this endeavour.

Modest Profit For Hereford FC


Hereford FC have reported a modest profit of £5,708 in the year to May 31st 2017.

This compares with a profit of £21,127 in the previous year.

Turnover has dropped from £1,014,515 to £711,686. In essence this was because of less income from matchday and season tickets and a big drop in merchandise sales.

Prize money was also down substantially.

On the expenditure side, whilst as expected the money spent on the team and management wages increased, the main decrease was on refurbishment and general repairs.

The AGM of the club will be held on December 11th at Edgar Street.

Former Bull Purkiss New PFA Chairman


Ben Purkiss says he's not daunted by the role as the new chair of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA).

Purkiss made 15 appearances for Hereford in 2012, but left the club following their relegation from the Football League.

Speaking to the PFA website, the 33-year year old explained what it was like to be the new chair.

"It's difficult to describe. I'm proud, honoured. You look back through the list of chairs and there haven't been that many. 

"I'm really looking forward to doing my best for players up and down the country. I've been part of the management committee for five years and supported Ritchie [Humphreys, former PFA chairman], so I'm not coming in blind. I understand the scale of the role and I'm not daunted by it."

The defender, currently with Swindon Town, went on to say what his main priorities are for the future.

"To make sure the PFA evolves as the needs of the footballer evolve. Representing a diverse group – from those in the Premier League to those in League Two – is a real challenge. 

'We need to be a union that supports anyone with any issues arising out of their employment. That's issue number one.

We need to work towards helping players deal with concerns such as their working conditions. We're launching a study alongside the FA around dementia, for example."

The full article can be read here (link).


Tuesday's Southern Prem Review


As ever, Steve Whitney rounds up last night's games:

It's almost 'as you were' in the Evo-Stik League South Premier following Tuesday night's almost full fixture programme.

The biggest gainers were Tiverton Town, who moved into third place after winning 3-1 at Ladysmead against troubled Merthyr Town.

The youthful Martyrs produced another battling performance after it looked ominous when top scorer Levin Landricombe gave Tivvy an early 5th minute lead.

It wasn't until the 55th minute that Tivvy doubled their advantage through Jamie Price and then Nick Hurst added a third with 8 minutes to go, although one of the biggest cheers of the night came when Ben Mammola put through his own goal in stoppage time to give Merthyr a consolation goal.

Leaders King's Lynn Town remain four points clear but were only able to share a 2-2 draw at the Carlsberg Stadium with lower mid-table Biggleswade Town.

The Waders got off to a great start when George Bailey put them in front after just 4 minutes.

Skipper Michael Clunan equalised from the penalty spot with 20 minutes gone after Ryan Fryatt had been brought down, only for Liam Brooks to restore the home side's lead just 2 minutes later.

Ten minutes into the second half the Linnets where reduced to ten-men when Clunan received his marching orders for a reckless tackle on Waders' Morgan Penfold.

The ten-men equalised though 16 minutes from time when a Simon Lappin free-kick was scrambled in by Craig Parker.

Weymouth remain in second after they too had to share the points in a 3-3 draw at the Camrose against Basingstoke Town.

Sam Argent gave the home side the lead on the half-hour mark.

Sam Smart added a second 10 minutes later, but crucially, the Terras pulled one back a minute before the break.

Ben Wright made it 3-1 within 11 minutes of the second half having elapsed, only for Josh Carmichael to respond within a minute.

However, it looked as though Terry Brown's young side were going to hold on for the points, until Brandon Goodship pounced to equalise 3 minutes into stoppage time.

Another promotion contender to draw on Tuesday night were Kettering Town, who shared a 1-1 outcome with old rivals Banbury United at the Banbury Plant Hire Community Stadium.

It was rather against the run of play when the Poppies took a 21st minute lead when Lindon Meikle got on the end of a long free-kick from keeper Paul White.

Banbury kept plugging away though and were finally rewarded in the 71st minute when after Darren Pond had been fouled by Michael Richens in the box and veteran striker Jefferson Louis stepped up to convert the resulting spot-kick.

At the other end of the table, the bottom three all lost again.

Bottom-markers Gosport Borough went down 2-1 at Privett Park to fourth-bottom Kings Langley, whose Steve Ward gave them a 19th minute lead.

The visitors extended their lead on 70 minutes after a free-kick rebounded to Josh Coldicott-Stevens, who steered his effort home.

Gosport were given a lifeline 9 minutes from time when the visitors conceded a soft penalty which Ed Sanders made no mistake from the spot to set up a tense finale.

However, the game was marred by ugly scenes at the end after an incident in the home penalty area quickly escalated.

Second-bottom Dunstable Town were also beaten again – 4-1 at the ProKit UK Stadium by Bishop's Stortford.

And that, despite taking a 14th minute lead through Charlie Black.

On-loan Leyton Orient man Freddy Moncur equalised on the half-hour mark and then 3 minutes after the break, Dean Ager put the Blues in front.

Jason Williams added a third on 58 minutes and the win was rounded-off by Joe Robinson 6 minutes from time.

Third-bottom St Ives Town also lost on Tuesday, 3-1 at Westwood Road to a Hitchin Town outfit who are now eighth.

James Hall gave the Saints the lead from the spot on the half-hour mark – a lead they held until the 54th minute when they conceded a penalty which Lucas Kirkpatrick duly converted.

Josh Bickerstaff eventually gave the Canaries the lead a minute from time, with Eliot Bailey adding a third goal 2 minutes into stoppage time.

Kings Langley's win has opened up a six-point gap now between them and St Ives, who are six and eight points respectively in front of Dunstable and Gosport.

The other game saw Chesham United go down to their first defeat in thirteen matches in all competitions at The Meadow against Stratford Town.

Charlie Evans gave Town an early 6th minute lead that Ben Crilley cancelled out 8 minutes before half-time.

Will Grocott restored the visitors; lead just past the hour-mark and a Darren Locke own goal a minute from time confirmed Stratford's excellent win.

Club Receive International Clearance for Richards

This morning the club confirmed they have received international clearance for Eliot Richards.

Richards signed from Merthyr Town two weeks ago, but won't be in contention for a place until Hereford return to league action on Saturday 9th December as he's cup tied.

The 26-year old midfielder was described as one of the best players in the league by Martyrs boss Gavin Williams, with Pete Beadle previously trying to sign Richards in the summer.

After last Tuesday's match, Beadle questioned why the process was taking so long.

"It seems to be a continual problem for us with the clearance," he said during his post-match interview.

"I don't know what they're doing but they're taking their time about it and obviously the transfer windows are closed everywhere else."

Hereford Will Travel Up To Fleetwood on Friday


Hereford will make the 170 mile trip up to Fleetwood on Friday, training on the way up.

The Bulls have had chance to rest this week after postponing their game against Frome.

The team trained yesterday as normal, and will do so tomorrow and Friday as well.

"We'll train Thursday, make our way up Friday and train then as well.

"We'll prepare as best we can, but if the players give me what they've given me today then we can only be proud of what they've done and achieved.

"If we play like that [like Oxford on Saturday], then who knows what might happen?"

Calvin Dinsley and Pablo Haysham might be back from injury, but Tyrone Duffus and Mike McGrath won't.

Cameron Pring and Eliot Richards are both unavailable as they're cup tied.


Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Evo-Stik South Premier Results


Tuesday evening's results in the Evo-Stik South Premier:

Banbury United 1-1 Kettering Town [301]
Basingstoke Town 3-3 Weymouth [308]
Biggleswade Town 2-2 King's Lynn Town [155]
Bishop's Stortford 4-1 Dunstable Town [205]
Chesham United 1-3 Stratford Town [151]
Gosport Borough 1-2 Kings Langley [151]
St Ives Town 1-3 Hitchin Town [175]
Tiverton Town 3-1 Merthyr Town [230]

Despite not having a game this evening, it wasn't a bad night for Hereford as Kettering, Weymouth and King's Lynn were all held to draws.

The Bulls are down to 5th, but have games in hand over all four sides above them.

The updated league table can be found here - http://bullsnews.blogspot.co.uk/p/league-table.html


Resurrected Hereford FC Hoping For More Magic In The Cup


Spencer Preece has written this piece on Hereford's FA Cup journey:

Hereford United – a club that became synonymous with ‘the magic of the FA Cup’, when in 1972, following a draw at St James’ Park, non-league Hereford pulled off the unthinkable at Edgar Street and beat the mighty Newcastle United after extra time, with Ricky George finding the net for the winner. Not that anyone remembers George’s goal. It was the late equaliser from Ronnie Radford and John Motson’s debut on commentary that lives on in the memory and it has been shown every year since, as minnows hope to dethrone the giants. A pitch invasion from thousands of young parka-wearing Herefordians following Radford’s rocket is an image that will live on in FA Cup folklore and perhaps it is this moment which led to the FA Cup and Hereford having a very special relationship.

John Motson (left) with Ronnie Radford
Fast forward forty-five years and here we are. Following the winding-up of the club in December 2014, the phoenix club, Hereford FC, were formed and following two promotions and an FA Vase final, Hereford are back in the proper rounds of the cup that made us famous. Whilst Fleetwood are hardly Newcastle, Hereford are just one win away from the third round of the FA Cup and a potential tie against a Premier League side. What we have already accomplished this season in the cup has been excellent. Sure, with the utmost respect to Godalming, Kempston Rovers, Hornchurch, Eastleigh and Telford, none of these are renowned footballing powerhouses, but the journey has been remarkable for a side which still is merely a Southern Premier League team made up of part time players.

The journey began at home in August, against Godalming in an 8-0 canter, as this year we entered the competition at the first qualifying round. We then secured victory on a wet afternoon in Bedfordshire as we put Kempston Rovers to the sword in a 4-0 win. We had now reached the round where we succumbed to Tonbridge Angels last season, in our first opportunity to compete in the FA Cup since reforming. This time, we were drawn more favourably against Hornchurch at home. A two-nil victory for Hereford and we were just one round away from the first round proper. Premier League clubs and even a lot of Herefordians would argue that reaching the first round proper isn’t a big deal, but for a club like ours, who built our reputation on punching above our weight in the cup and even in defeat, we always gave the big boys a stern test. Hope was high of a lowly ranked team and the opportunity for a first round berth and a decent payday. Then, we drew Eastleigh of the Conference, or National League as it is now called. When the draw was made, this was possibly one of the worst draws we could have got. A long trip down to Hampshire, in a game we were expected to lose, with Hereford being 4/1 to win with the bookmakers and our FA Cup hopes would be over.

What came next was absolutely incredible. Over eight-hundred Hereford fans made the trip, including me and some friends, who travelled on buses, trains, taxi and foot for about five hours each way and for most of the game, it looked like we were the higher ranked side. To a man, the performance was magnificent as we ground out a 2-1 win after surviving fourteen minutes of added time due to an injury to our excellent winger Garyn Preen. The atmosphere inside our away end at the Silverlake Stadium was phenomenal all game and the players repaid the superb support and the players, fans and management really felt, well, United. After the euphoria of the Eastleigh game, which will always live in the mind of any Hereford supporter who was there that day or following the game back in Hereford and around the globe.

Celebrations at Eastleigh
So, Monday night and the cup draw, live on the BBC. AFC Telford United at home. A Conference North side at home didn’t really get many people enthused at first, but come match day, Edgar Street was full. An amazing atmosphere at home is a rarity at Edgar Street these days, the lack of any away fans being a large contributor to this but Telford packed out their away end and whilst they were very quiet, it made a good change and everyone was really up for it. The pubs before the game were rammed and even at 2:40pm, the Meadow End was bouncing. Said bouncing never stopped as in the second half, our goalscoring maestro John Mills knocked in a rebound following a long range effort from Pablo Haysham. Cue absolute bedlam. Once again, we’d come up against a side from a higher division and Telford, who were in good form, had been seen off. Hereford were in the second round and at full time, not one person left the stadium as we stayed to applaud the efforts of the Whites. It felt very proper and it was a special day and as at Eastleigh, the pride in our team was evident.

Hereford's squad in front of the Meadow End after the Telford game
So, another Monday evening and another cup draw. We were one of the last three balls to be drawn and we ended up with Fleetwood Town away. A side four divisions above us and going well, having had a very successful season last year and reaching the second round after seeing off Chorley. A game that wasn’t chosen for television coverage and a game that even the most optimistic Hereford fan would say it is likely we will lose, along with the fact of it being December and a long, long way from Hereford had me convinced that we wouldn’t be taking large hordes of fans up there.

Well, I was wrong, and now on December 2nd we face the long trek up north to see if the new dog can pull off old tricks and pull off another famous cup shock. Whatever the result, I and the hundreds who were queuing in the cold for tickets after last Saturday’s victory at home to Hitchin are immensely proud of what we’ve accomplished so far. Hereford are back! 

Who says the FA Cup has lost all of its romance…

Football Focus Live From Fleetwood


The BBC will broadcast their Football Focus programme live from Highbury on Saturday, which will be on BBC One between 12pm and 1pm.

Dan Walker will be joined by Dion Dublin as they preview the weekend's FA Cup ties. 

Jim's Bar at the ground will be open for both sets of fans and they will be able to see the Emirates FA Cup

There will also be extended highlights of the tie, with Hereford receiving £6,750 for the coverage.

BN understands that Alistair Mann will be doing the match commentary for the BBC and BT Sport on the day.

The game is also being broadcast by ESPN to certain countries in the Southern hemisphere - any Australian Bulls can tune into ESPN HD in the early hours of Sunday morning to catch the match live.

However, Hereford Goals have been advised not to post their usual video updates.

Finally, if you haven't got your ticket for Saturday yet, very few remain on sale for away fans - https://herefordfc.cloudvenue.co.uk/fleetwood


Tonight's Southern Prem Fixtures


There are eight fixtures in the league this evening.

At the top of the table, both King's Lynn (1st) and Weymouth (2nd) should win their respective games against Biggleswade (15th) and Basingstoke (16th).

Kettering will rise above Hereford as long as they don't lose at Banbury, and a win for Tiverton at home to Merthyr will see them do the same.

So Hereford could be down to 5th should results not go their way - but they have games in hand over the teams around them (with the exception of Slough).

Banbury vs Kettering
Basingstoke vs Weymouth
Biggleswade vs King's Lynn
Bishop's Stortford vs Dunstable
Chesham vs Stratford
Gosport vs Kings Langley
St Ives vs Hitchin
Tiverton vs Merthyr

Evo-Stik South Premier Table


I Guarantee Our Support Will Be Louder Than Fleetwood's Said Purdie


Rob Purdie and Jamie Bird with swedes - a reminder of past FA Cup runs
After Saturday's 2-1 win at Oxford City, Rob Purdie looked ahead to the FA Cup tie at Fleetwood.

"Its going to feel like I'm a full time footballer again!" Purdie told BBC H&W's Keith Hall.

"At Eastleigh [fourth qualifying round] the fans were a different class. I said to Greeny that it reminds you of when we used to play in the league.

"It's something to look forward to. Some of the boys haven't played this far in the FA Cup do it's a great experience for them."

What does Purdie think Hereford's chances are of pulling off an upset?

"I think after Saturday's performance knowing we can dig in and defend well, we'll go there and think we've got a chance.

"We've got a huge winning mentality. Regardless of what league you're in, if you've got a winning mentality then you go into every game with some form of confidence.

"There's part of me that knows if they turn up then we'll have an uphill battle. But there's part of me that can't see us losing.

"We'll go there with confidence to win a game of football."

The crowd at Eastleigh after the full time whistle
And the support?

"I guarantee our support will be louder than theirs on Saturday, we might even outweigh their support.

"At Eastleigh we walked out to warm up and you hear the fans. They turn up on FA Cup day and want to make as much noise as they can. It's a little bit different to a league game so we'll look forward to that."


Monday, November 27, 2017

News Round Up


The Park View Martyrs, who are raising money to help save Merthyr Town, have seen their Just Giving page exceed its target. They were initially trying to raise £25k to pay an overdue tax bill, but with donation still coming in, the target as been raised to £26,250.

In an interview with the Hereford Times, Jamie Cuss has admitted that he is 'a million miles away' from playing for the Bulls again. The striker has gone out to Kington Town on loan, but says he needs to be on top of his game to play for Hereford.

Hitchin Town's Supporters Trust has been praised after donations towards the club's playing budget topped £150,000. The Trust have been contributing to the budget since 2005, and manager Mark Burke has said the funds are 'invaluable' and the fans are a 'credit to the club.'

In the FA Trophy, Bowers and Pitsea have been removed from the competition after fielding an ineligible player. New signing Jamie Dicks was suspended for the game, but the Essex-based club claimed there was a fault with an FA system. This explanation was rejected and their defeated opponents Egham Town have been reinstated.


FA Trophy Tie - Dagenham and Redbridge


The draw for the first round of the FA Trophy was made earlier this afternoon, and Hereford have been handed a home tie to National League side Dagenham and Redbridge.

The Daggers are currently 4th in non-league's top flight, having scored more goals than any other team in the division. On Saturday, they beat Chester 4-0 on the road, with all four goals coming in the second half.

It's their second season back in the National League (formerly the Conference) after a nine year stay in the Football League. Despite their relegation, former Luton manager John Still remains at the helm.

The London-based club's record defeat is still a certain 9-0 thrashing back in 2004. In the Hereford side that day were none other than Rob Purdie and Ryan Green. Footage of the game can be seen here (link).

The tie will be played on Saturday 16th December, meaning the home league game against Bishops Stortford has been postponed.

The winners will receive £6,000 in prize money.


Saturday's Southern Premier Review


Steve Wintney rounds up yesterday's league games:

Kings Lynn Town's lead at the top of the Evo-Stik League South Premier table was cut to four points on Saturday.

The Linnets faced a battle of the Kings as they travelled to fourth-bottom Kings Langley, who produced a fine battling performance to hold out for a 0-o draw at the Cry Community Stadium.

Weymouth are now second as 530 at the Bob Lucas Stadium saw them beat Biggleswade Town 2-0.

Josh Wakefield after 33 minutes and Harry Baker on 68 minutes were the Terras' marksmen.

Kettering Town moved level on points with third-placed Hereford FC, who were on Buildbase FA Trophy duty, after a routine 2-0 Latimer Park win over basement side Gosport Borough.

In front of a crowd of 565, Aaron O'Connor after 5 minutes and Brett Solkhon on 68 minutes were the Poppies marksmen, and it would have been more but for Boro's young goalkeeper Tom Price.

Tiverton Town are sixth after a 2-1 win at Creasey Park against second-bottom Dunstable Town.

Levi Landricombe bagged a brace for the Yellows in the 5th and 62nd minutes, sandwiched by a 36th minute Arel Amu penalty for the Duns.

Redditch United are seventh but were held to a 2-2 home draw by Bishop's Stortford.

And that after taking an early 3rd minute lead through Dior Angus.

Afolabi Akinyemi equalised 5 minutes before the break, only for Orrin Pendley to restore the Reds' lead on the hour-mark.

An own goal by Paulo Apostolopolous 18 minutes from time salvaged a Blues' point.

Third-bottom St Ives Town suffered a 3-0 defeat at Stratford Town, for whom Ben Stephens after 25 minutes, Jack Luckie 4 minutes later and then Ed Ahenkorah's spot-kick 10 minutes from time were all on the mark.

Responsible for St Neots Town's 2-1 home win over Basingstoke Town were David Bridges after 26 minutes and then a Jonny Herd penalty 5 minutes into stoppage time at the end of the game after Sam Argent's 24th minute spot-kick had given the visitors the lead.

Hitchin Town edged a seven-goal thriller in Somerset, taking a 13th minute lead through Elliot Bailey and then leading 3-0, courtesy of Josh Bickerstaff after 33 minutes and Connor Vincent 3 minutes later.

A Jon Davies penalty reduced the arrears right on half-time and then Frome battled back to level with goals from Chas Hemmings after 77 minutes and George Miller 2 minutes later – only for Vincent to win it for the Canaries with his second a minute later.

Arguably the result of the day though came at Penydarren Park where beleaguered Merthyr Town held Dorchester Town to a 1-1 draw – just a week after suffering a 13-1 battering!

A terrific crowd of 923 roared the Martyrs to a draw with Adam Davies' 52nd minute equaliser after Blake Davies had given the Magpies a 38th minute lead.

From the archives | Dagenham & Redbridge 0-9 Hereford - 27th February 2004

With news that Hereford FC will host Dagenham and Redbridge in the 1st round of the FA Trophy. It gives me a perfect opportunity to share footage of this win. Played on Friday 27th February 2004 and live on SKY TV. Hereford ran out 9-0 winners with goals from David Brown (3) Danny Williams (2) Steve Guinan (2) Mark Beesley and Tony James.


Hereford Lined up
Matt Baker
Ryan Green
Michael Rose
Tamika Mkandawire
Andy Tretton
Tony James
Scott Willis
Jamie Pitman
Steve Guinan
David Brown
Rob Purdie
Subs : Mark Beesley, Danny Williams, Dean Craven

Attendance 1,617

Subscribe ->   www.youtube.com/djmatthealey

Hereford Home in Trophy First Round

Hereford will face Dagenham and Redbridge at home in the first round proper of the FA Trophy.

The tie will take place on Saturday 16th December.

More later.

A Look at Fleetwood


The away end at Fleetwood, pictured in 2013.
"Fleetwood Town 1 Oxford United 1" by quisnovus is licensed under CC BY 2.0

BN's Northern Correspondent has been on a reccy to Fleetwood:

Since moving to Lancashire nine years ago I've only been to Fleetwood 3 or 4 times, and I've never seen the football ground on any of those visits, so I thought I'd better go and check things out before next week's FA Cup match. I intended to go yesterday when the 'Cod Army' were at home in the big local derby against Blackpool, but the weather was awful, and the thought of walking round Fleetwood in a hailstorm didn't appeal, so I went today.

Like a lot of northern towns, Fleetwood has struggled a bit following the demise of its traditional industry, in this case fishing. The town's biggest employer now is Lofthouse's, maker of the famous Fisherman's Friend lozenges. Notable people from the town are Syd Little of Little and Large (did I say notable?) and operatic warbler Alfie Boe. Two of the more curious sights are an exact replica of the famous statue of Eros which sits in the centre of a roundabout on the A585 on the outskirts of the town, and a 93 feet tall sandstone lighthouse built amongst shops and houses.

The football ground, known as Highbury Stadium (good for a trivia question) is buried in the middle of a network of residential streets and adjacent to a park. You'd hardly know it was there unless it's a match day. The visiting supporters entrance is at the end of Park Avenue. Car parking is all on street, and according to the club's head of operations, there are no restrictions. He also told me that there were no disabled parking facilities due to the presence of the TV cameras - there will be extended highlights of the game on BBC and Football Focus will be presented from there on Saturday. 

There's not much around the ground in the way of food or liquid refreshment, except the Highbury Chippy at the end of Highbury Avenue near one corner of the ground. The town centre is about 10-15 min walk from the ground and has the usual assortment of fast food outlets. The local Wetherspoons is The Thomas Drummond (a former Sunday School - funny old world isn't it?) in London Street, and the only chippy I've personally used is the Granada Fish Bar which was good. There's a MacDonald's at the Freeport Outlet village, where there is also a lot of parking. It's not far from the ground as the seagull flies but about 12 minutes walk.

Now, travelling there. The nearest and recommended rail station would normally be Blackpool North, which is at the end of the line from Preston. However that line is currently closed for improvements, and there's a rail replacement bus service in place. Leaving Hereford at 8:53 will get you to Blackpool North for 12:50. From Blackpool there's a bus to get you the final 7.5 miles to Fleetwood, or the option of a smart new tram service which is pretty good. However it all adds up to a bit of a pain, and it would be a pretty late return to Hereford. Or you could make a weekend of it and have a night out in Blackpool!

Traveling by road is relatively easy. Take the M55 off the M6 towards Blackpool , leave the M55 at junction 3 and follow the signs to Fleetwood. Google maps reckons about 194 miles. Postcode for the stadium is FY7 6TX.

As far as I know this information is accurate but please make your own checks.

So there we are. Fingers crossed that the weather is better next week as it can be pretty bleak on a bad day. On the other hand, when the sun shines the views across Morecambe Bay to the Lake District fells can be fantastic. If you're making the trip, have a great day out and a safe journey.

Come on you whites! 

No Midweek Game For Hereford


In case you missed the news last week, Hereford's game at home to Frome Town tomorrow night has been postponed.

Last week, the Southern League agreed to postpone the league match to allow the Bulls time to fully prepare for their FA Cup tie.

It was also agreed that Saturday's FA Trophy tie wouldn't go to a replay - it would go straight to extra time and penalties, if needed.

"Both teams didn't want a replay so we were going to finish on the day anyway," said Beadle after the 2-1 win.

"But to get it done in 90 minutes anyway is a bonus. We've now got a chance to rest for a week."

There are eight league games taking place tomorrow, but Slough Town have had to postponed their game at home to Redditch.

Instead, they need a replay to decide who will go through to the first round of the trophy after drawing 1-1 with Hendon.


Sunday, November 26, 2017

Hereford Looked The Better Side Said Oxford's Manager


After yesterday's game, Oxford City's manager admitted Hereford deserved to progress into the first round of the FA Trophy.

"I don't think we played well, congratulations to Hereford they deserved it," Mark Jones told Radio Cherwell's Colin Ryde.

"Our players came out of it with a lot of credit. I'll also take responsibility as well, we made some changes which I thought was the right thing to do."

Jones made some changes from the side that played in the goalless draw against Bognor Regis midweek.

"I felt today it was the right thing to do to rest one or two, we have a couple of players on four bookings.

"When we do make changes, it might effect the other players as well.

"I don't think we played well enough over a sustained period in the game to get on top. To be fair, Hereford looked the better side throughout the game."

After Hereford took the lead, Oxford did start to cause more problems, but couldn't find an equaliser.

"A couple of shots in the second half and a good save from the keeper in the last couple of minutes, but we didn't cause them enough problems over the 90 minutes."

The full interview can be found here (link).