Time to break the cycle

This morning BBC Sport has published a long article featuring Hereford United and its manager Graham Turner. Part is reproduced below.

Last Tuesday's victory means that Hereford's five results this season follow a pattern of win, loss, win, loss, win.

SO FAR THIS SEASON:

L2: Stockport 0-2 Hereford
L2: Hereford 1-2 Lincoln
L2: Hereford 2-0 Chester
L2: Barnet 3-0 Hereford
CC: Hereford 3-1 Coventry

You do not need to be a member of Mensa to complete the sequence but Turner's focus is on breaking it with a victory over Hartlepool.

That may be easier said than done as, while in the long-term he is convinced his squad have what it takes to make the jump up from Conference to League Two, in the short-term there is a settling in period to contend with.

"Half the team has changed from last season and that takes a little bit of time to settle down," Turner said.

"It's difficult when you make so many changes in a side and you have to give time for those players to gel together.

"Plus we've stepped up a division. There's a better quality and pace than in the Conference and that needs a settling down period as well.

"There's a marked difference in the quality as you'd expect from the sort of money in League Two.

"In a cup competition, a one-off, the Conference sides can hold their own, but over a season that extra quality always comes out - there is a significant difference.

"But we've got to get used to it and I feel we've got a squad good enough to be able to hold our own and we've been encouraged by parts of our performances so far this season."

Turner has been buoyed by the second half against Lincoln and a 20-minute spell that sealed the victory over Chester and most recently of course the win over Coventry.

But that was a cup game, a one-off when Turner concedes sides from any level can bridge the divide.

What matters to him is the league, consistency, the end of that settling in period and that means three points against Hartlepool.

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