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Smith hoping for quick return
With the season kicking off today, one player who won't feature in the opening matches is Hereford United midfielder Ben Smith.
Smith, signed from Southend United this summer, is suffering with a dislocated shoulder picked up in the pre-season win at Bromsgrove Rovers.
"I had some bad luck with injuries at Southend and I'm just hoping this is not a bad omen for the rest of the season as well," he told the Evening News. "It's frustrating especially coming to a new club and you want to show people what you can do."
"The important thing for me had been to get a whole pre season under my belt and not get injured so this is obviously a setback," he commented after last season was curtailed by injury problems. "Hopefully I can get back as soon as possible."
An apprentice at Arsenal, Smith found it frustrating with a lack of first team opportunities.
He said: "Unless you are an international you've got virtually no chance of playing first team football. It's so hard and at Arsenal I didn't even get to play a reserve team match. I saw a lot of players before me, who were stagnating in the reserves with no chance of making the first team and developing, and I didn't want that to happen to me.
"It is frustrating because I've got faith in my ability but the same thing happened at Reading. I thought I was doing better than some experienced players in the first team but they were always given a chance. By January, February time you just end up disillusioned."
Meanwhile, any hopes that Hereford United were to sign attacker Marcus Browning have been dashed. The former Huddersfield Town striker has signed a three year deal at Bournemouth.
