Busy Turner even answers the phone

This article, written by Pete Oliver, first appeared on BBC Sport. It is reproduced in full.

Perhaps it should not have been a surprise to hear Graham Turner answering the phones at Edgar Street.

After all, he's done almost everything else in over a decade with the Bulls.

As chairman and manager, Turner has kept Hereford afloat and has now taken them to within one game of regaining their Football League status.

Hereford face Halifax Town in the Conference play-off final on Saturday and the demand for tickets has pressed Turner into service on the sales staff.

"It's just been so busy that everyone is picking up a phone," he told BBC Sport.

"The interest and buzz about the place this has generated is amazing.

"We thought we would have about 8,000 supporters going to the final but now it's looking more like 10-12,000."

On the first day of ticket sales for the final at Leicester City's Walkers Stadium, Hereford sold 4,500 to fans hoping for an end to their team's nine-year exile from the League.

"The supporters have had their disappointments and we had the problems of relegation, although those problems were already there," said Turner.

"But we have had a really good hardcore of supporters who have stuck with us.

"We have enjoyed our days in the Conference but the time is right to go back into the League."

Hereford's relegation to the Conference in a last-day decider against Brighton in May, 1997 ended a 25-year spell as a Football League club.

Since then, the Bulls have overcome major financial problems and ground ownership issues to re-group under Turner's guidance.

"The time has flown by and we have improved the club considerably," Turner added.

"We have brought the club out of a CVA and stabilised generally.

"We have also financed new dressing rooms and floodlights and we are geared up now to take our place back in the League."

Without one of the biggest budgets in the Conference, Turner has consistently fashioned young sides with a reputation for being among the most attractive in the division.

In each of the last two seasons, Hereford have finished as runners-up in the Conference, only to lose in the play-off semi-finals.

Turner is backing his team to shoulder the burden of expectation this time and hopes it will now be third time lucky against another club trying to return to League Two.

He said: "To get to this stage is a massive thing for the club and there is now an anxiety, which is probably the right word, to regain our League status.

"If there is any justice in the world I would like to think it will be us that gets promoted

"We have had our disappointments in the last two years, particularly two years ago when we finished 17 points ahead of Shrewsbury and they went up.

"We have made it to the final game now and it's a great achievement and a great feeling.

"But it will only be a great feeling if we win when we get there.

"Halifax are a decent side and Chris Wilder has done extremely well so it will be difficult.

"But if there is any justice in the world I would like to think it will be us that makes it."

Turner, 58, has already enjoyed a long and successful managerial career.

In his first job he took Shrewsbury Town, where he ended his playing career, up into the old second division and twice into the sixth-round of the FA Cup.

From there he went to Aston Villa and then to Wolves, dragging the Molineux club from the basement division to one away from the top-flight, winning two titles and the Sherpa Van Trophy along the way.

He has since had over 550 games in charge of Hereford following his appointment in August, 1995.

And nothing, given his combined role at Edgar Street, would give him greater pleasure than winning promotion with the Bulls.

"I always thought it would be nice to go up as champions," Turner said.

"But if you could guarantee winning a one-off occasion in the final that would be a great way to do it."

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