Roger East from Wiltshire will be the man in the middle for tomorrow's League Two game at Edgar Street where Lincoln City will be the visitors.
East was last at Edgar Street in August when he was in charge of the game against Bury. That evening he sent off Ryan Valentine after he had collected two yellow cards. He also booked Darren Dennehy and Glen Southam. Leon Constantine scored the Bulls only goal in their 3-1 defeat.
At least East will not be able to book Valentine as he is suspended for the game after picking up two yellow cards last Saturday at Port Vale.
To date this season East has refereed 21 games in which he has given out 59 yellow cards and three red cards.
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Sunday, January 31, 2010
East in the Middle for Lincoln Game
Burton hope to keep James
Burton Albion are said to be keen on keeping Tony James, the former Hereford United defender, who has been linked with a move back to Edgar Street.
Albion manager Paul Peschisolido is understood to have made James an improved offer to keep him at the Pirelli Stadium after pressure from other players.
James is said to be considering the new offer. It's expected he will need to inform Hereford United manager John Trewick of his decision before the transfer deadline closes tomorrow.
Pressure on Trewick
Two respected members of Hereford United press core have suggested that John Trewick's time as manager of the Bulls may be numbered.
In his match report for the Hereford Times, sports Editor Richard Prime intimated that the pressure on Trewick was increasing.
DESPITE playing against 10 men for more than half the match, Hereford slipped to a fourth successive away defeat.
And this latest reverse, the Bulls’ sixth in seven outings, piles pressure on manager John Trewick.
Hereford are quickly being dragged further into the relegation battle and the way they were out fought by the Valiants, who played for 50 minutes with 10 men, suggests that not enough of the side have the stomach for the battle ahead.
And when Ryan Valentine saw red for the second time this season, in injury time, it just turned a bad afternoon into a terrible one.
Meanwhile Keith Hall, who is BBC Hereford and Worcester's match day reporter also commented.
"It sounds like he (Trewick) is getting extremely frustrated as well with it. Can't really bring the players in that he would want.
"I'm sure pressure is mounting. It's six defeats in the last seven for Hereford. It's not the run that they want.
"They are sliding towards the wrong end and that big R word is looming.
"Things have to change, they have to change quickly.
"Big, big game on Tuesday. If they don't win that I'm not sure what is going to happen."
Turner's Dilemma
Anyone who thinks running a football club is easy probably wouldn't not want to swap places with Hereford United chairman Graham Turner this morning.
The Bulls are currently 21st in League Two. Just under twelve months ago the, then League One, team brought off an excellent 2-0 win over the mighty Leeds United in front of 6120 at Edgar Street.
This coming Tuesday Lincoln City are the visitors. A sub 2,000 gate is expected.
The Bulls last won a game on December 1st. That was an away game at Northampton.
Since then just one point from a draw against Crewe and in six games just three goals, all by Leon Constantine.
His right hand man John Trewick has not had a good start to his first full season as a manager. Yet as a coach Trewick helped lift the Bulls out of the Conference into League Two and then, perhaps surprisingly, to League One.
However just 26 points from 25 games this season to date tells its own story.
Whether it's all Trewick's fault is questionable. It's not known how big a budget he was given for the season. And perhaps he has been asked to cut back further when Turner decided he had to put money aside for the Blackfriars End to be re-built. After all continually bringing young loan players to the club suggests there's not much money to play with.
Yesterday at Port Vale there were chants for former player Jimmy Harvey to be brought in to take over from Trewick. Harvey is currently without a job having left Chester and failed to be picked for the Kidderminster position.
In essence, Harvey hasn't been that successful since he left Morecambe after his heart attack. Whilst he lifted spirits at Forest Green, he left after a big fall out with the directors and threats of legal action.
It then appeared he was desperate for a job and moved to Chester. As is usual for that club no manager lasts very long and it's likely he was glad to leave when he did.
In the early 2000's Graham Turner appointed a manager to take over from him at a time when he needed to focus on keeping the club afloat. After a while it was apparant that Phil Robinson wasn't getting the results and Turner took over as manager again.
From that time onwards the Bulls had six or so years with Turner in charge both on and off the field. It was a good period both for the club and its supporters. Two play-off seasons in the Conference then the Conference final season, a steady first season in League Two, then the promotion season and finally a season in League One. Something one could only have dreamed about several years earlier.
With the hard work in planning for the rebuilding of the Blackfriars End of Edgar Street probably behind him, Turner might consider the pressure off the field has decreased although he's bound to be concerned by the drop in gates at home games.
In truth he has a dilemma.
Does he keep Trewick in charge for somewhat longer and hope results start to pick up. The Bulls have five of their next six games at Edgar Street.
Does he say Trewick has had his chance and bring in another manager - probably not the cheapest option.
Or does he take over as manager for a third spell.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Game might have been postponed
This afternoon's game at Port Vale might have been postponed.
Referee Graham Horwood made a pitch inspection at 1.00pm as the area around the away goal was still frozen.
According to stewards, Horwood decided the match could go ahead as he was hopeful that the sun would shine on the frozen area before the game commenced - which it did. He also asked for the groundstaff to fork the area.
Whilst frost covers had been used, it still suggests that even when temperatures only drop to around -4C there is still a possibility of a postponement.
Bulls slump to eleventh defeat
Despite being reduced to ten men before half time, Port Vale still comfortably took all three points at Vale Park this afternoon running out 2-0 winners.
John Trewick gave a debut to 17 year-old Lateef Elford-Alliyu alongside Leon Constantine with Craig King dropping to the bench. For Port Vale, Lee Collins and Kris Taylor both started with Big John McCombe among the substitutes.
An early Bulls attack came to nothing when Constantine screwed his effort well wide when put in by Marc Pugh while at the other end Dodds' overhead attempt was almost turned in by Richards. However, in the tenth minute, Vale took the lead when a long through ball caught the Bulls' defence square and Craig Davies chased through before rounding Bartlett and slotting home from 15 yards on the angle. Shortly afterwards, The Bulls were lucky not to concede another when the woodwork twice saved them before Dodds blazed over when well placed. Hereford got the ball into the net when Constantine nodded in Pugh's deep cross but the striker was ruled offside. For The Valients, Yates produced a cross, which Richards deflected just wide before. Fortune again shone on Hereford when Sam Gwynne mistimed a challenge on former Bristol Rover player Haldene in the box. Gwynne appeared to be nowhere near the ball as he took Haldene's legs in the box but referee, Horwood, chose to issue a yellow to Haldene presumably for diving when a penalty was the more likely decision. Constantine's header glanced back off the foot of the post but Port Vale continued to boss the proceedings while The Bulls were only able to muster sporadic assaults into the Vale danger area. James McQuilken replaced the injured Jamie Tolley before Haldene’s over zealous disputing of a throw-in decision brought a second yellow as he was dismissed with five minutes of the half remaining.
HT Port Vale 1 HUFC 0
Sam Gwynne's probing delivery into the Vale box was cleared by Collins before Kris Taylor was cautioned for a robust tackle on the United fullback. The free kick failed to produce anything of note. Hereford were looking brighter as the half developed but still failed to bring a real save from home keeper Martin as Pugh glanced a header wide from a Valentine through ball and Darren Jones fired a half-clearance wide from just outside the box. Kris Taylor pinged a delightful cross to Dodds who headed wide while Elford-Alliyu hooked over from a Matty Done cross. Manset and McCallum replaced Elford-Alliyu and Done as Trewick tried to find a way back into the game. A Manset surging run produced a chance for McCallum whose shot was partly blocked and Martin was able to gather safely. The Bulls attacked with a bit more effect in the later stages but when Constantine softly lost possession in the Vale box to Lee Collins, the former Bulls loanee came away with the ball and sprinted the length of the pitch before sliding a cross for Richards to net unmarked from inside the Bulls box. Valentine received a second yellow following a skirmish in The Bulls half, which evened player numbers. Game, set and match to the home side.
FT Port Vale 2 HUFC 0
Debutant Elford-Alliyu showed some nice touches at times but it did appear to be a case of men against boys for much of the game as once again Hereford failed to really to produce a decent volume of attempts on goal. It was particularly noticeable that even when wide men Pugh and Done got into good positions, there was rarely a striker in a position to score.
All in all, it was another disappointing day on the road for Bulls fans who numbered around 180 in a crowd of 4686. Port Vale played reasonably well but their defensive division will be happy to face attacks as few and frail as they had to today. I keep peering down the tunnel but the light isn't visible yet. See you all on Tuesday.
Port Vale: Martin, Yates, Owen, Collins, Taylor, Haldane, Griffith (Loft 83), Fraser, Dodds (Howland 83), Richards, Davies (Rigg 64). Subs not used: Anyon, Taylor, McCombe, Glover.
Hereford: Bartlett, Gwynne, Lowe, Jones, Valentine, Pugh, Lunt, Tolley (McQuilkin 32), Done (McCallum 75), Constantine, Elford-Aliyu (Manset 71). Subs not used: Adamson, Weir, Downing, King.
Young Bulls lose at Yeovil
Hereford United's under 18 team were defeated 4-1 at Yeovil this morning.
Yeovil took the lead after 12 minutes but the Bulls draw level on 36 minutes with their centre-forward finishing from just inside the box.
At this stage, according to the report on Ciderspace, the Bulls were on top of the game.
However at half time Yeovil changed their formation to 4-4-2 and soon scored three more goals.
Trewick 'Very disappointed with the Result"
Despite Port Vale going down to ten men in the first half, Hereford United failed to score this afternoon and conceded two 'easy' goals.
"I'm very disappointed with the result," Trewick told BBC Hereford and Worcester.
"We conceded what for me was a very straight-forward type of goal which we should have been defended better after ten minutes and that gave the opposition a lift.
"It's a common symptom of matches recently where we've lost narrowly and the goal the oppostion have got, they haven't had to work too hard for.
"We had a few chances - when your chances come you've got to take them."
Vale's second goal came after Constantine lost possession in the Vale half with nearly all the Bulls player well forward.
"Later on in the game you have always got to be careful when you commit people forward - when you start chashing things you are always vunerable.
"But 2-0 or 1-0 it doesn't make any difference as you lose the game."
Ryan Valentine's sending-off:
"I think it's difficult for referees to pick out one individual unless he said something which I not aware of.
"I thought the tackle was a decent tackle. I thought he won the ball. I need to look at that."
New loan player Lateef Elford-Alliyu (pictured) made his debut for the Bulls:
"He did some decent things. It was hard for the lad because we never established a position in the game where we could really go on and be comfortable.
"He did okay, he's only young, he's got talent and he played his part."
And new players:
"I'm hopeful I'll bring in someone before the deadline on Monday."
All the Stats from Port Vale
Below are the main stats from this afternoon's League Two match at Port Vale where Hereford United were defeated 2-0.
Possession: Vale 47% Bulls 53%
Shots on Target: Vale 2 Bulls 3
Shots off Target: Vale 7 Bulls 4
Corners: Vale 4 Bulls 12
Fouls: Vale 6 Bulls 8
Injury: Jamie Tolley was stretchered off after being injured.
Cards: Ryan Valentine was given two yellows, and Sam Gywnne one yellow.
Attendance: 4686 with 177 in the away end some of whom were chanting Jimmy Harvey's name.
Parking: Excellent - plenty of space
Stewards: Good
Catering: Reasonable - Wright's Pies were somewhat better than the usual fare.
Bottom of League Two:
17 Macclesfield 25 -7 29
18 Barnet 27 -9 29
19 Lincoln City 25 -13 28
20 Torquay 27 -4 26
21 Hereford 25 -9 26
22 Cheltenham 26 -14 25
23 Grimsby 27 -21 20
24 Darlington 24 -38 11
Manager Disappointed With Ref
A poor refereeing decision, a penalty decision not given. At least it wasn't John Trewick complaining this time.
Speaking to the press after the game, Micky Adams believes his side should have had a penalty in the incident that saw Lewis Haldane booked for diving. A decision the other way round may have seen Sam Gwynne sent off, after being booked just two minutes earlier.
Adams told the press: "It was a sending off that could have been avoided. I thought it was a penalty and I think Lewis Haldane did get tripped in the box, so he was harshly treated there.
"When the ball was out of play (for the second booking) all he was trying to do was get it back in play. But in his enthusiasm he's managed to grab him around the face and neck and you can't do that these days. He's been a little bit silly and I can't condone his second booking because in his enthusiasm he has managed to get himself sent off and put us in a spot of bother. But we are delighted with the three points in the context of the game and with what happened. It was a fantastic result for us."
Haldane believes he was hard done in both instances, adding: "The defender has stuck his leg out and took me off balance so I went down and thought it was a penalty, but he booked me. With the second booking their player has come in and put his studs on my knee to foul me, but I managed to jump out of the way.
"He's grabbed the ball and I wanted it because I thought it was a free kick for us. I put my arm on him, not intentionally to hurt him, but to get the ball. But the referee has come over and sent me off which is disappointing because I don't think that was a booking."
Both Haldane and the Bulls' Ryan Valentine will serve one match bans. Valentine will miss Tuesday's home match with Lincoln.
Ex-Bull Watch
Joe Anyinsah scored the opener for Carlisle as they drew with Leyton Orient. Stephen Gleeson and Adam Stansfield were two of nine players booked as MK Dons drew with Exeter. Michael Rose scored on his Norwich debut as they beat Hartlepool. John Grant scored at the wrong end as Aldershot drew with Grimsby. Karl Hawley scored the opener as Notts County beat Barnet. Moses Ashikodi scored the winner as Ebbsfleet beat Luton.
Results Round Up
With Rochdale facing Bury on Sky on Monday night, Bournemouth closed the gap to top spot to seven points with a 2-1 win at Crewe, while Rotherham's game at home to Macclesfield was one of three to be called off. Notts County closed the gap to the automatic promotion spots to two points with a 2-0 win over sliding Barnet, with the Bees now recording just five points from 39 since beating bottom club Darlington in October. Shrewsbury retain a play-off spot despite losing 1-0 at home to Accrington, who are three points shy of the top seven themselves. That gap remains after Chesterfield beat Morecambe 1-0 to retain seventh.
Down the bottom Darlington's match with Cheltenham, and Lincoln's home game with Dagenham were both postponed. Grimsby earned a valuable point with a 1-1 draw at Aldershot, and they close the gap to the Bulls to six points having played two games more. Bradford won 2-1 at Torquay to halt their desperate slide and retain 16th place, while Northampton and Burton drew 1-1 in the other game today.
In the Conference Luton had a spanner thrown in their play-off plans with a 3-2 home loss to Ebbsfleet. Mansfield beat Forest Green 4-1, with most of the main promotion candidates in FA Trophy action.
Ten Man Vale Beat Bulls
The Bulls fell to another away defeat, 2-0 at Vale Park, in today's League Two match.
An early Craig Davies goal and a late Marc Richards strike handed the points to the Valiants as, with Lewis Haldane's first half dismissal, the Bulls failed to capitalise on a man advantage for half the match. That advantage disappeared in second half injury time when Ryan Valentine was sent off for the second time this season after a clash with Richards.
The Bulls, cheered on by 177 fans in the 4,686 crowd, gave a debut to Lateef Elford-Alliyu from the start, and the game also saw a first appearance on the pitch for James McQuilkin since August.
Full report later.
Burton Extended Defender Loan
Burton have extended the loan of central defender Tom Parkes until the end of the season.
The 18 year old Leicester man is yet to play a game for the Brewers after arriving at the club last week, but could now be the piece in the jigsaw that would allow the rumoured move of Tony James back to Edgar Street.
Meanwhile the Bulls youth team lost 4-1 to Yeovil in today's game, after going into half time 1-1.
News Round Up
Rochdale have signed Bolton forward Temitope Obadeyi on loan until the end of the season. The 20 year old had a fourteen game spell at Swindon earlier in the season, scoring twice. The Spotland club received £300,000 for youngster Will Buckley from Watford, money that will 'stabilise the club for the rest of the season'. Darlington forward Noel Whelan has refused to quit after his hamstring gave way just three minutes into his return to action on Tuesday night.
Barnet have loaned winger Danny Hart to Hemel Hempstead Town for a month. Bromsgrove will complete the season after Administrators agreed a deal with businessman Mike Ward to fund the club through the campaign. Mansfield are to let fans pay what they want to watch their Feb 6th match with Gateshead. The game, dubbed 'pay what you want, sit where you want' is described as a thank you to fans from the current owners.
Frost Covers used at Port Vale
Frost Covers were put on the Port Vale football pitch last night.
Temperatures at the ground dropped to -4C.
As at 9.30am the covers were being removed and the sun was shining.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Commentary from Port Vale
BBC Hereford and Worcester will have full match commentary (on their 94.7FM Herefordshire frequency) from Port Vale where Hereford United are the visitors this afternoon.
Keith Hall will be their man behind the microphone.
Supporters who have subscribed to Bulls Player can also listen to the game. Jamie Griffiths and Gregg Davies will describe proceedings.
Meanwhile, as at 7.30am, several clubs have already reported that they will have pitch inspections this morning as temperatures dropped well below freezing last night.
Former Bull Rumoured to be Returning
A former Hereford United central defender is rumoured to be returning to Edgar Street.
Graham Turner is understood to have opened the club cheque book for the experienced player.
Whilst not available tomorrow, the player is set to join up with his new team colleagues early next week.
Sources have suggested that the player is Tony James currently with Burton Albion, but this is NOT confirmed.
Overnight Stays Before Games
Over the past couple of seasons, Hereford United appear to have made more overnight stays before matches.
Whatever the merits of these 'early nights' it hasn't brought much success for the Bulls away from home.
This season, for example, the Bulls have only won one game on an opponent's pitch. That was at Northampton.
This game was played on a Tuesday evening, so no overnight stay was involved.
Contrast the away form of the Bulls with that of Conference side Altrincham.
Their excellent website has revealed that the Cheshire club has 'emerged with their best away record in years- seven league wins on the road so far' and hasn't made one overnight stay.
However one side that feels overnight stays are beneficial is Hayes and Yeading. They are even considering selling a player to help pay for hotel bills.
Manager Garry Haylock believes more overnight stays for Hayes might have put them in the top ten of the Conference by now. Last Saturday his side went into a 2-0 lead at Altrincham only to be defeated 3-2. And that came after an 8am start from West London. He's now hoping that a planned overnight stay before their game against Chester will bring them three points and therefore back his view.
"If you prepare well, you get the right kind of results. We’re a small squad, so losing a player to pay for hotels would be a question of swings and roundabouts. But no one else would touch some of our players before they came here – and yet we’ve created the right environment and they’ve excelled. The more professional you are, the better it is, and if we could have stayed over we’d have done so – no shadow of a doubt," Haylock told the Uxbridge Gazette.
Early 'Player' Subscribers miss out on Free Ticket Offer
Those Hereford United supporters who have already subscribed to the 'Bulls Player' may feel they have missed out on a new offer by the club.
For the club has just announced that new subscribers will be able to watch the forthcoming Aldershot game for free.
We are giving away free a free tickets to the Bulls Home against Aldershot Town on Tuesday February 16th 2010. With every new subscription to "Bulls Player".
It looks as though the club has made the offer because as yet few supporters have paid for 'Bulls Player'.
News Round Up
Grimsby's wholesale January changes have continued with the signing of veteran forward Lee Peacock on an 18 month deal. The 33 year old was prolific in the early 2000's for Bristol City, but has not scored since undergoing back surgery in March and was allowed to leave on a free by Swindon. Lincoln have earned £51,755 from the latest payment from the savings scheme run by the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society. The scheme has paid out over £900,000 to the club in eleven years.
Bournemouth's squad is to say up north this weekend as they face two away matches at Crewe and Rotherham. They will use Sheff Utd's training facilities between the games. Speaking to a fans forum, Cherries chairman Eddie Mitchell says he has put £400,000 into the club since arriving at the club last summer, including paying management pair Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall himself this month as the club had no funds. He believes total club debt is £600,000, and the sum will need to be cleared totally to lift the transfer embargo. They will sign Norwich defender Rhoys Wiggins on a months loan after persuading the FL their injury crisis left them with just 12 outfield players.
Torquay are to sign Southampton winger Jake Thomson on loan until the end of the season. The youngster has just finished one spell, playing 14 times for the club. Macclesfield have signed Derby's teenage winger Greg Mills on a months loan. Mills has made two sub appearances for the Rams' first team, and spent a couple of months at Solihull on loan. They have also made the signing of Ricky Sappleton on an 18 month deal after a lengthy loan spell from Leicester.
Bradford have been told by an FA tribunal to pay £7,500 for striker James Hanson. Former club Guiseley will also be due 25% of any future transfer fee. Torquay have signed Burton defender Guy Branston on loan until the end of the season. Branston made 23 appearances for the Brewers during the first half of the season, but has served three suspensions for yellow and red cards and is deemed surplus to requirements.
Lincoln have released transfer listed striker Jamie Clarke by mutual consent.
Brock Backs Trewick
Kevin Brock, a former teammate of John Trewick during his playing days, says a mid table finish would be a good season for the Bulls.
Speaking to the Hereford Times Brock, who spent three years in the mid-80's playing alongside Trewick for Oxford United, reckons the Bulls aren't big enough to aim higher this term:
"I know John well – he lived in the same town as me when he was at Oxford. He is a strong character and has got a good head on his shoulders. I think John was always going to get into management. He took a keen interest in that side of the game even when he was a player.
"Hereford are not a massive club in League 2 and, hopefully, the supporters and everyone can see that if they can get into mid-table it would be a good achievement."
The pair won the League Cup together at Oxford after helping them into the top flight. Brock is now managing in the Hellenic League.
Rose to have Fitness Test
Hereford United defender Richard Rose faces a fitness test before the Port Vale game tomorrow.
Otherwise, with the exception of Ryan Green and Lee Morris, manager John Trewick has an injury-free squad to pick from and may include his two new signings, West Brom youngsters Paul Downing and Lateef Elford-Alliyu, in the starting eleven.
"They both have incredible belief in their own abilities," Trewick told the Worcester News.
"Paul is a calm and assured central defender.
"He has good distribution and reads the game well from the back. Lateef is a sharp player. He is very creative and can invent things in the final third of the pitch — hopefully he can get us a few goals as well."
Trewick watched Vale last Tuesday when they played Rochdale.
"We went through what we are planning to do against Port Vale yesterday and we go there knowing what we need to do."
No new signings at Edgar Street have been announced since Monday but Trewick is still hopeful of adding to his squad.
"I will be disappointed if I can’t bring in at least one new face before the window closes."
Rose goes to Norwich
Another former Hereford United player is on the move. This time it is Michael Rose who is to join Norwich City on loan from Stockport County for the rest of the season.
It's a upward move for Rose, who played for the Bulls for two seasons in the Conference before moving to Yeovil.
McCombe could miss Hereford Game
John McCombe might be left out of Port Vale's starting eleven for tomorrow's League Two game against Hereford United.
The former Bulls defender was sent off in Vale's game against Northampton last month and has failed to regain his place on a regular basis.
"If you get suspended or lose your form, you've got a chance of losing your shirt – so don't lose it," said manager Micky Adams.
"We need people competing for shirts and we have that. John was a regular at the beginning of the season, but he isn't now. That's unlucky, but he has to get on with it.
"In the first half of the season he was as good as anybody in the team – he was reliable and part of a decent back three, but he's paid the price for that red card."
Another former Bull, Lee Collins, is expected to partner Gareth Owen at the heart of the Vale defence.
More On The Sun Ticket Deal
The Sun have published a list of games that their discount family tickets can be used at.
For the Bulls, there are only away games for which the tickets are valid - but only two of them are valid for away fans and only on a very limited basis.
The three games are Notts County (27th Feb), Lincoln (12th March), and Chesterfield (March 27th), but only the Chesterfield and Lincoln games have tickets available for away fans under the offer - 40 at Chesterfield and just 20 at Lincoln. The two sides offer ten times the amount of tickets for home fans, while Notts County offer 760 for home supporters but none for travelling Bulls.
No home matches are valid for the tickets, according to the published list. The total list, which covers assorted games over some ten weeks of football, can be seen on The Sun website here.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Watch the Bulls with the Sun?
UPDATED ARTICLE: A family of four May be able to watch Hereford United for just £9.50 provided they collect tokens from the Sun. (Or maybe not as eight Football League clubs have decided they are not taking part in this promotion)
Families can enjoy a day out at the football from the amazing price of only £9.50 for a family of four with a brand new offer launching this Saturday (January 30th) in The Sun. The deal is set to become the UK's biggest ever family football ticket offer with over 200,000 seats at Coca-Cola Football League matches across the country up for grabs.
It will give fans access to over 100 matches from February 6th until April 17th 2010, with savings of up to £60 per family of four on full price tickets.
The promotion is the first of its kind for the Coca-Cola Football League, with 64 Championship, League 1 and League 2 clubs coming together to offer families the chance to experience live football at a bargain price.
David Malkinson of The Football League said: "This deal is really exciting for The Football League - by working with the UK's biggest newspaper, we have created a brilliant offer that can't be beaten on price or scale.
"If you haven't been to the football for a while or fancy something new to do, you can have a great value day out with the family at a brilliant price.
"There are over 200,000 tickets up for grabs so wherever you are - from Newcastle to Plymouth; Swansea to Southend - there will be a game for you."
Readers need to collect four out of the six tokens printed in the paper from Saturday January 30 to Friday February 5. Tickets for a family of four are available at £9.50, £19.50 or £29.50.
More details will be available in The Sun from Saturday January 30th.
Nine Clubs could be Wound-up
Currently nine football clubs are facing possible winding-up orders.
Taking recent adjournments into account, here is the revised schedule of winding-up petitions to be heard, as published by Dr John Beech of Coventry University.
•3 February – Accrington Stanley
•10 February – Cardiff City, Hinckley United, and Portsmouth
•17 February – Burscough
•24 February – Notts County
•10 March – Chester City
Both Crystal Palace and Southend can be added to the list. Dates for any possible proceedings are yet to be announced.
"Happy Standing Still"
Former Bulls loanee Danny Blanchett has put the boot into the Bulls with his latest comments.
Speaking to the South London Press he cited club ambition as the reason behind his decision to ditch the Bulls for AFC Wimbledon:
"It was an easy decision for me. The difference between the two clubs is that Wimbledon really want to go places. Hereford aren't really looking to go much higher than where they are - they're happy standing still. When I joined they were near the bottom of League Two and that hasn't really changed. When I looked at it, they would need at least a couple of loan signings to push on and that didn't look like it was going to happen.
"I felt there was no ambition there but I'm an ambitious person and I want to play for a club and a manager with the same aims. Wimbledon sells itself. For a non-league club to get gates of around 3-4,000 is superb."
News Round Up
Grimsby are to sign Charlton's former Barnet midfielder Dean Sinclair, subject to a medical. The 25 year old cost the Addicks £125,000 in 2007 but he never played a League game for them due to injury. The Mariners are to also have Portsmouth winger Paris Cowan-Hall back on loan until the end of the season after he recovered from glandular fever and in a further flutter of the cheque-book, Grimsby have added striker Tommy Wright who joins from SPL outfit Aberdeen on an 18-month contract. Theo Robinson's move to Millwall is likely to be back on the cards after Huddersfield signed Liverpool striker Nathan Ecclestone on loan.
Accrington have saved themselves £12,000 after persuading the local council to delay an enforcement order to move their temporary Police control room at the Crown Ground. The box will now be dispensed with in the summer when a permanent facility is built. Ex-Bull Mick Galloway has become manager of East Midlands Counties League side Gedling Town. It is the third managerial appointment for the 35 year old.
Torquay have confirmed making a cash bid for a second player, after already securing Chris Zebroski for £25,000 during the January window. Northwich have threatened to take the Conference to court. The Vics agreed a CVA for around half the total, but Conference rules dictate that all sums must be paid. The Conference have refused to discuss the matter.
Leigh Genesis have issued another cash call after a major sponsor pulled out. Boss Garry Flitcroft secured a number of investors at the end of last season, but they have not provided sufficient cash to cover the club's losses. Toumani Diagouraga has extended his loan spell at Brentford until the end of the season.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Burton Beat Lincoln
A goal in 54 seconds from Cleveland Taylor meant Burton beat Lincoln 1-0 in tonight's only League Two match.
Despite the result moving Burton up the table, they might have wished their East Midlands rivals were away from home last night. The gate of 2,109 was nearly 1,000 down on their average, continuing the trend of poor gates during this midweek.
In the Conference ex-Bull Bradley Hudson-Odoi played for Histon as they lost 2-0 at home to Luton. The win moves the Hatters to within a point of the play-offs with at least two games in hand over their rivals.
Lionel Joins Dave At Brentford
Hopes amongst Bulls fans that Lionel Ainsworth might return to Edgar Street have been dashed after he joined Brentford on loan.
The one month loan deal sees the 22 year old join up with former Bulls colleague Toumani Diagouraga, who arrived at the Griffin Park outfit late last week. Diagouraga only made the bench for last night's match with Southampton after being subbed at the weekend due to an injury incurred after a challenge from former Shrewsbury man Grant Holt, who was given a straight red card.
Meanwhile Chester have been given a 42 day stay of execution by the courts over their £26,000 tax debt. The placing of the club up for sale for £1 appears to have been sufficient to buy them time, with the new court date set for March 10th. They are 29 points adrift of safety, meaning they could have already been relegated by the new court date.
Preview Port Vale vs Bulls
The Bulls travel to Port Vale on Saturday for a League Two match.
The two sides met earlier this season, at Edgar Street, sharing a 2-2 draw with Marc Pugh and Tristan Plummer scoring the Bulls' goals. This is the first season the pair have met in League action for 24 years, although the Bulls have won in cup matches in both 2005 and 2006. The December 2006 FA Cup meeting at Edgar Street saw Rob Purdie score twice as the Bulls romped to a 4-0 win over a Valiants side that contained Leon Constantine.
Port Vale have proven themselves to be difficult to beat, but have found it as hard to win. They have drawn thirteen of their 25 League matches so far this term and sit 13th in the table, six points short of the play-offs. They have confirmed today the signing of forward Lewis Haldane on a permanent deal until the end of the season after he agreed his release from Bristol Rovers, but Saturday's game suggests it will not be a goal fest with the Valiants drawing their last two games 0-0 and averaging barely a goal scored every match so far this term.
The Bulls will hope to feature at least two new signings at Vale Park. New arrivals Paul Downing and Lateef Elford-Alliyu are yet to make senior appearances for any side but are highly thought of at West Brom. The Bulls will be looking for better fortunes on the road after losing three straight away trips following their only away victory of the League season at Northampton.
Port Vale vs Hereford United, Vale Park, Saturday 30th January, 3.00pm.
News Round Up
Darlington forward Noel Whelan's future at the club is in doubt after he lasted just three minutes of his comeback after three months out with a hamstring injury. He lasted only 34 minutes of his debut, and the hamstring went again on his first run last night. Barnet defender Ishmael Yakubu is set to miss several weeks after suffering a back spasm just four minutes into last night's draw with Torquay. He was taken to hospital but later released.
Bournemouth are facing another payment deadline after former majority shareholder John Piper secured a 14 day order to repay an outstanding £24,000 loan. The club say they are confident of meeting the deadline, while they are also to seek another meeting with the FL due to their current injury crisis. Rotherham have named a former foundry as the site for their new stadium in the town. The site has also been earmarked for new council offices as part of a large scale 'Rotherham Renaissance' redevelopment plan.
Notts County owner Peter Trembling says the new investors are 'people who have worked in football before'. A report from this morning's court action says two creditors, neither the taxman, wanted to push the club into bankruptcy today. One of the creditors was owed just £3,791. They will remain subject to a transfer embargo until they satisfy the Football League that the new investment will be sufficient to allow further expenditure on wages.
Macclesfield vice chairman Andy Scott has warned supporters the club will fold if they continue to attract gates of 1,000. He says the club has 'always punched above it's weight' by being a Football League side. Maidstone's immediate future has been secured by Chris Smalling's transfer from Fulham to Man Utd. The club had not paid their players for seven weeks, but have now received funds from Fulham. What is more remarkable is that Fulham did not have to pay them a penny for the player, who was not under contract when the Cottagers took him, but they agreed to a series of donations as he progressed.
Ex-Bull Chris Hargreaves has left Torquay on a free transfer for Oxford. He was released by the U's in 2007 by former boss Jim Smith.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Results Round Up
The Bulls have dropped a place in League Two after tonight's results.
Torquay's 1-1 draw at Barnet has seen them move above the Bulls on goal difference. At the bottom of the table Darlington took the lead but failed to hold on, losing 2-1 at home to Northampton in one of the five games to fail to attract 2,000 through the gates. Lowest crowd was again at Macclesfield, who managed only marginally better than their last home game with 1,046 watching their 2-2 draw with Morecambe.
At the top Rochdale extended their lead to ten points with a goalless draw against Port Vale. Rotherham beat Chesterfield 1-0 to retake third place, with Notts County beating Dagenham 3-0 to move back into the play-offs at the Daggers' expense. In the other game, Accrington beat Aldershot 2-1 to move within four points of the play-offs.
In the Conference Forest Green won 3-2 at Hayes and Yeading, where former Bulls trialist Tomi Ameobi scored for the Gumpers, while Kidderminster beat Grays 4-1 with Brian Smike scoring the opener.
Port Vale Travel – Saturday
Port Vale FC v Hereford United
Football League 2
Saturday 30th January 2010
Vale Park
Hamil Road
Burslem
Stoke-on-Trent
ST6 1AW
Phone01782 655800
When The Valients moved to Vale Park in 1950, it was their sixth home since their formation in 1876. “Burslem Port Vale” were founder members of the Football League Division 2 in 1892 when they moved from the Midland League. They failed to win re-election at the end of 1896 but returned to The League a couple of years later. In 1907, they were forced to resign due to financial problems and weren’t to return until they replaced Leeds City following their expulsion from the League for making illegal payments. The “Burslem” prefix had long been dropped when they moved to Vale Park in 1950 with their new home being tagged “the Wembley of the north” due to its size and planned developments.
Vale Park currently has a capacity of just fewer than 19,000 with visiting fans accommodated in the Phones4U Stand at one end of the ground. Admission is believed to be Adults £19, Seniors (Over 60) £12.50, Juniors (9-18) £8 and U9’s free. PLEASE NOTE, the turnstiles are cashless. You will need to but a ticket from the portacabin in the car park at the away end. Fans wanting to pay by credit/debit card will need to go to the main ticket office.
By Car – You have a choice of using the M5/M6 route or you can drive north on the A49 to join the A53 north of Shrewsbury and going via Market Drayton to arrive at M6/J15. From M6/J15, take the A500 towards Stoke then at the A527 exit, follow signs for A527/Tunstall/Burslem. At the next roundabout, turn right for Burslem Town Centre (Newcastle Street). Continue up the hill going straight on at an island and a set of lights. From Moreland Road, take the second left into Hamil Road and Vale Park is on your left. There is a large car park at the superstore next to the ground (£4) otherwise street parking. Distance is around 100 miles and you should allow two hours and a quarter.
Train – fans travelling by train will arrive at Stoke-on-Trent Station. The station is about four miles from the stadium. Take a number 24 bus to Burslem Town Centre.
HUISA – departs Radford's at 10.30 am with a fare of £14 (£15 non-members). Seats can be booked through The Club offices during normal hours or by phoning 08442 761939.
Alehouses – Burslem town centre is a ten-minute walk from the Ground. In St John’s Square you will find the Bulls Head. This is an outlet for the local Titanic Brewery and is well worth a visit. It is listed in “The Good Book”, also stocks Thatcher’s Gold on draught as well as a good range of visiting ales. Residents of Whitecross will be pleased to note that Strongbow is also served. On Moreland Road is The Red Lion. This again, stocks Titanic but bizarrely often has Archers from Swindon as well as decent food. The Leopard (6 pumps) and The Post Office Vaults (7 pumps) can be found in nearby Market Place.
There is a chip shop on May Street just a block from the ground called, unsurprisingly, The May Street Chippy.
Enjoy
Magpies Announce Investment Secured
Notts County have announced that they have secured investment, and that tomorrow's court date will be postponed.
A statement from the club says the unnamed investor has satisfied the taxman that the plans are genuine, and that tomorrow's court appearance will lead to a 28 day postponement to get the funding in place. The investment is subject to due dilligence, suggesting the investor will take a significant stake in the club, and is stated to clear exisiting debts and provide long term working capital to the club.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace have become the first Football League club to enter Administration this season. They have been up for sale for the past year, with owner Simon Jordan admitting before Christmas that he had 'cashflow problems'.
The imminent deduction of ten points for entering Administration will drop them from two points away from the Championship play-offs to four points clear of the relegation zone. Their Administrators are the same firm as the one appointed by Luton Town in 2007.
Chester To Sell For £1
Chester have been put up for sale for £1, in a rather unconventional manner.
The offer was made to City Fans United, the main supporters group, in a text message from Stephen Vaughan, senior, that read: '£1 for 100% shareholding. u pay all outstanding creditors. Stephen Vaughan junior.'
CFU have turned down the offer with the club due in court on Thursday for a meeting with the taxman over a £26,000 bill, saying that two days is not enough time to complete the necessary examination of the club's books. One-time prospective bidder David Jones has made an offer to the club on similar terms, and is awaiting an answer.
Stephen Vaughan, senior, has claimed that the debts of the club are just £136,000 - a claim flatly disputed by most interested parties who put the figure at up to £750,000.
News Round Up
Fleetwood, of Conf North, have denied paying former Chester player Anthony Barry a four figure weekly wage after they nicked him from under the noses of Wrexham. The player refused to deny claims by Dragons' boss Dean Saunders that he had taken a deal that was three times the wages offered by the Conference side. Bournemouth are reporting that they will have just 13 fit professionals for Saturday's trip to Crewe.
Lincoln want to sign Aston Villa defender Chris Herd on a permanent deal in the summer. He is expected to be released from Villa Park when his contract expires. The Imps have released transfer listed defender Janos Kovacs by mutual consent. Rochdale have extended the loan of Man Utd keeper Tom Heaton until the end of the month, and talks are ongoing to extend the deal to the end of the season. Cheltenham are trialling former QPR and Bristol City defender Josh Ford.
Darlington have signed Nottm Forest keeper Shane Redmond on loan for a month. The Irish u21 man had four games on loan at Burton earlier this season. Rochdale are expected to sell young winger Will Buckley to Watford in the next few days. The move is possible after the financially stricken Hornets were loaned £500,000 by a director.
Ex-Bull Chris Hargreaves has turned down a youth coaching role at Torquay and has asked to be placed on the transfer list. He has been removed from the squad for tonight's match with Barnet and has been given a few days off to consider his future. Cheltenham defender Drissa Diallo has retired from professional football after leaving the club. He will return to France after turning down two offers from FL clubs to play until the end of the season.
Jervis A Target?
After yesterday's reserve side 1-1 draw with Birmingham, one of the Blues' side is set to join a League Two side on loan.
Forward Jake Jervis, a 6ft 4in 18 year old, is attracting interest from 'a couple of League Two clubs' after making a first team debut against Everton in the FA Cup at the weekend. Yesterday, he played against the Bulls and told the Birmingham Mail: "I've been guaranteed a pro contract but I'm still in my second year as an Academy scholar.
"I'm not looking ahead too far, though. I am taking things step by step, every training session, every game. I'm trying to get out on loan which will give me more experience. There are a couple of League Two clubs who are interested so it would be good if something came off."
Monday, January 25, 2010
Horwood to Referee at Port Vale
Graham Horwood is set to referee next Saturday's League Two match between Port Vale and Hereford United.
Horwood has already met the Bulls this season. He took charge of the home game against Shrewsbury Town last November. The Bulls won the game 2-1 with a penalty from Valentine and a goal from Gavin McCallum but had both Valentine and Darren Jones booked.
To date this campaign Horwood has officiated some 19 games. In those he has dealt out 56 yellow cards and 2 red cards.
Meanwhile HUISA are taking bookings for the supporters coach through the club office ( 0844 276 1939 ). The cost is £14 for members, £15 for non-members, and the coach leaves at 10.30am.
As Port Vale is a club the Bulls have not played at recently, it is thought there will be more interest in going to this game than for Bury last Saturday.
From the Archives- HUISA Back Turner
This morning we have a look back at the headlines from twelve years ago.
January 26th 1998:
Graham Turner's takeover of Hereford United has been given the seal of approval by Mike Quarrell, the chairman of the Independent Supporters Association.
Turner, the former Aston Villa and Wolves manager, has acquired a major share holding of 14,000 shares in the Vauxhall Conference club after agreeing to buy out existing chairman Peter Hill and Cosworth development.
Quarrell whose organisation had been campaigning for the resignation of chairman Hill said, "We feel Mr Turner has the overwhelming levels of support and his last-minute bid for control demonstrated his commitment. He is arguably the only man who can unite the board, the supporters and local authority and commercial sector who must all work together to keep the club afloat."
Turner, who effectively took control last Thursday, will now be meeting all sections of the community in a bid to rejuvenate the club who lost the football league status last season.
Already £1 million in the red, Hereford lost another £1,000 when their match at Gateshead was postponed on Saturday due to a waterlogged pitch.
Football Leases will Return to Club says Turner
Graham Turner has said that he is hopeful that in time the club will hold the leases at the 'football part' of Edgar Street after a carve up of the total site. This news will be welcomed by all interested in Hereford United. Currently the leases from Hereford Council are held by Formsole which is a company jointly owned by Carillion and Richardsons. Turner explained what the club will finish with.
"The ground will the be divided up into the football facilities which will include the new stand of 1500. We are hoping the Meadow End stand will hold 2500. That's 4000," Turner told the OS.
"Then we have 1800 in the Merton Stand and 1400 (in the Len Weston). So around the 7000 mark.
"All the things included in the football facilities will be given a new lease to the football club.
"The long term future of the club will be assured in as much as they have a long lease on the football facilities.
"Then we have the outside facilities, the commercial facilities, they will become an income stream for the club.
"The difficulty comes with finance. We require for the stand we full amount we can get from the Football Foundation and we have ring-fenced some money to put in ourselves which is substantial.
"We are hoping the architect comes back with a figure we can afford and what the football foundation can put in.
Turner mentioned the historic Jackson Covenant.
"It's a restriction of use and provided we comply on the football side of it - things like no betting on the ground, no dog racing are in the agreement. Within the perimeter of the football ground it will be purely athletic purposes."
Youth Team to travel to Yeovil on Saturday
Hereford United's under 18 side will travel down the M5 to play Yeovil on Saturday morning.
The rearranged match will take place at Somerton Sports Club in Gassons Lane with a 10.30am kick-off.
Admission is free.
Marco Matrone on trial with Hereford United
It is reported that 22 year old Marco Matrone from Finland is having a trial with Hereford United.
FF Jaro midfielder Marco Matron have gone to England to be tested by Hereford United. He left Pietarsaari on Saturday and train in England for a week.
Hereford is located in 20th place in the English League Two, the fourth series of the level. Matron has played league football for Jaroslav over the past three seasons. He has found the target three times at 68 matches.
Mutch joins up with O'Kelly
Jordan Mutch, the young Birmingham midfielder who recently completed a loan spell with Hereford United, is to join Doncaster Rovers on an initial one month loan.
He will meet up with former Bulls coach Richard O'Kelly at his new club.
Bulls reserves draw with Birmingham
Hereford United reserves draw 1-1 with Birmingham in a friendly played at the Blues training ground this lunchtime.
Gavin McCallum scored for the Bulls who included today's two new loan signing from West Bromwich.
News Round Up
Notts County have to find £2million by Wednesday's court meeting with the taxman to avoid Administration. The taxman wants £600,000, but the club will have to satisfy the court they can clear all their other debts. Owner Peter Trembling says they were due to finalise a deal on Friday, but one of the potential investors had to attend a funeral.
Lincoln have transfer listed striker Jamie Clarke at his own request. The former Blackburn trainee has not featured for the first team in the last month after scoring just once in twenty League games. The Imps have also announced that transfer listed defender Janos Kovacs is in talks with Luton over a move. Barnet have added former manager Peter Shreeves to the coaching staff at Underhill. He brought current boss Ian Hendon to the club in 2002.
Ex-Bull Tony James is one of four contenders up for the PFA Fans' Player of the Month award for January. Fans can vote for any player on the PFA site here, but James is one of the four picked by the site to be outstanding during the month.
More on the West Brom Pair.
Paul Downing is an 18 year-old, 6’ 1”, Taunton born central defender who can also play as a holding midfielder. The Official WBA site says he possesses great awareness, senses danger and sees things early. He made an appearance on the first team bench for the 2008/09 late season Premiership match against Blackburn at Ewood Park. He was, at one time, reportedly being tracked by both Manchester City and Aston Villa.
Lateef Elford-Alliyu is a 5’ 8”, 17 year-old striker who was part of the West Brom squad that traveled to Peterborough for the 07/08 FA Cup match when he was just 15 years old. He is reportedly, quick, technically very good, knows how to use his body and has good movement. He was one of the scorers in last weeks friendly at West Brom. He featured twice in England’s U17 team in the European Championships in Germany.
Update: Paul Downing is a newphew of WBA's academy coach Keith Downing.
He said the move of the two youngsters to Edgar Street was 'really pleasing news.'
"They have proved they can cut it in the youth team and have a fair number of reserve games under their belts.
"There is now a real chance for them to learn the game at the sharp end where it's win at all costs.
"I'm sure the next month will be a great learning curve for them."
Manager Roberto Di Matteo also commented about the two youngsters.
"Hereford wanted them on loan so let’s see how they deal with the physical battles that they will find themselves in every week, playing for points, playing in front of people."
Bulls To Sign Baggies Pair
Sky Sports is reporting the Bulls are to sign young West Brom pair Paul Downing and Lateef Elford-Alliyu.
The duo are to arrive on one month loans with a view to extending the deals until the end of the season. Defender Downing, 18, is captain of the Baggies reserve side and can also play as a holding midfielder, while striker Elford-Alliyu is an England u-17 international. Neither have played for the first team at the Hawthorns.
Elford-Alliyu, 17, was called into the West Brom first team squad as a 15 year old for an FA Cup match two seasons ago, and is a regular scorer for the youth side as well as making a number of reserve team appearances.
My HUFC Top does Nothing for Me
Is it time for Hereford United to have 'fitted' tops for their female supporters?
Why? Well just look at these 
"Hang on - football fashion? Surely a contradiction in terms? Much as I love my Hereford United top, it really does nothing for me," said the supporter.
These pics are from the I Speak Melsh site.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
News Round Up
Norwich have said they will sue the News of the World after the paper claimed the club would enter Administration this week. The paper said that if major investment was not found the club would be forced into proceedings by Thursday with Ernst Young and KPMG briefed to handle matters. Two weeks ago the club announced losses of £5million last season, and that £3million was needed for next season.
Shrewsbury have released striker Omer Riza by mutual consent. The former Arsenal trainee has started just one League game since being cleared to play in April thanks to a series of injuries. Cheltenham are to release veteran defender Drissa Diallo, who has not featured for the first team since December 1st.
Notts County have said they expect to name a new manager for the club on Monday. Any appointment could be linked to impending news on new investors, although several papers still report Sven Goran Eriksson to be within days of leaving the club.
Young Bulls lose to Swansea
Hereford United's under 18 side were defeated 2-1 by Swansea City's Youth Team in a Youth Alliance fixture yesterday.
Bulls Team of the Decade
Readers of this site may recall that last week we mentioned an article from the Hereford Times in which Sports Editor Richard Prime gave his choice for the Hereford United team of the decade.
Over the past week Prime has received teams submitted by supporters and whilst many were very similar to that of Primes, there were a few differences.
Supporters favoured Tamika Mkandawire over Ian Wright, Micheal Rose above Rob Purdie, and Toumani Diagouraga over Jamie Pitman.
Paul Parry, pictured whilst at Edgar Street, was the most popular choice.
As a reminder, the Hereford Times team was: 4-4-2, Brown; Green, James, Wright, Purdie; Ainsworth, Pitman, Smith, Parry; Guinan, Gavin Williams. Subs: Baker, Richard Rose, Mkandawire, Diagouraga, McIndoe, Ipoua, Andy Williams.
The amalgamated team from all the submitted selections is: 4-4-2, Brown; Green, Mkandawire, James, Michael Rose; Ainsworth, Smith, Diagouraga, Parry; Guinan, Gavin Williams. Subs: Baker, Purdie, Pitman, Wright, Ipoua, McIndoe, Stansfield.
Prime's excellent article with much more detail of supporters choices is on the Hereford Times site: http://www.herefordtimes.com/sport/thebulls/4861683.Parry_was_most_popular_choice/?ref=rss
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Bulls fall to dubious refereeing decision at Bury
As one diehard fan commented as he left Gigg Lane this afternoon “well, at least we solved the conceding a late goal problem by conceding early!” It was a slightly harsh reaction as from this writer’s position; the free kick that led to the single goal should never have been awarded.
John Trewick replaced the injured Richard Rose by moving Keith Lowe to a central role and brought in Sam Gwynne at right back while Craig King was recalled to the starting line-up with Manset dropping to the bench.
The match was barely two minutes old when Bury scored the only goal of the game. Darren Jones dispossessed Ryan Lowe as The Bulls’ defender took the ball and cleared to a wide area. Lowe, who appeared to be behind Lowe at the time tumbled to the ground and the referee awarded awarded a free kick just outside the penalty box. Mike Jones stepped up and curled the ball passed the unsighted Bartlett into the top corner of the net. Hereford grafted to get a grip on the game but Bury in the early stages did look the more purposeful. A sweeping move down the right involving Gwynne and Pugh saw Wayne Brown quickly off his line to clear before Bury broke with a swift diagonal move which ended with Dawson snatching his shot wide of Bartlett’s far post. Valentine and Done combined well down the left but the final ball came to nothing. Although the game swung from end to end, it was Bury who were prepared to try their luck on goal as Worrell and Lowe both saw efforts go close. The Bulls only effort of note in the first period was a Pugh shot, which was some way off target.
HT Bury 1 HUFC 0
Hereford looked sharper as the second half started but were still suffering from shooting nerves. However, The Bulls might have had a penalty as Craig King burst into the box. While the push from behind was maybe slight, there was definitely contact but the referee waved away the claim as King fell to the ground when well placed. As the saying goes….”we’ve seen them given”. Pugh produced a teasing cross from the right, which was cleared at the expense of a corner before Constantine missed a glorious chance to level the score. A deep cross from the right which was returned into the six-yard box by King fell to the feet of the unmarked striker but with the goal at his mercy, Constantine fired straight at Brown and the ball cannon wide off the keepers knees. Trewick introduced Manset for King as The Bulls looked to increase the threat on the home goal and later replaced Done with McCallum but despite an improvement in the second half, The Bulls still only managed two on target efforts in the whole match….Constantine’s miss from close range and a header which Wayne Brown tipped over from the same striker.
FT Bury 1 HUFC 0
It will be argued that the Bury goal came via a piece of refereeing wizardry and Brown’s renowned shot-stopping denied a goal or two from The Bulls but the fact remains that Bury did produce by far the greater attempts on goal. I’ve seen worse performances but the 120 HUFC fans in the crowd of 2797 could have few complaints about the result.
Hereford: Bartlett, Gwynne, D Jones, Lowe, Valentine, Pugh, Tolley, Lunt, Done (McCallum 72), Constantine, King (Manset 64). Subs not used: Adamson, Weir, C Jones, Sonko, McQuilkin.
Bury: Brown, Scott, Sodje, Futcher, Buchanan, Worrall, Jones, Barry-Murphy, Dawson, Lowe, Morrell (Baker 72). Subs not used: Belford, Cresswell, Allen, Newey.
.
Great Victory says Bury Boss
Bury manager Alan Knill was pleased with his side's 1-0 victory against Hereford United this afternoon.
"Great free kick, great victory but Hereford were always dangerous on the counter-attack," remarked Knill to his Official Site.
"They will be disappointed they didn't take something from it.
"It was a tough game but the good thing is that we've won but it wasn't good enough for some people."
Knill then revealed that former Hereford United keeper Wayne Brown had some abuse pointed at him today from an unlikely source.
"My goalkeeper goes out and we have two St John's Ambulance people telling him that he's the worst goalkeeper that's been here for whatever.
"It comes to something when the goalkeeper comes in and tells you I want to go.
"What the hell is going on here. It disgusting. They probably don't even pay for a ticket. It's just annoying.
"Sometimes you think well what is the point.
"Brown is a good keeper. He's been fanastic.
"All of a sudden someone has got an opinion and they want to voice it.
"I don't mind if they pay for the ticket.
"This is what you have to put with in football at the moment but it's pretty tiring. We are third in the league."
I feel hard done by again - Trewick
Hereford United manager John Trewick was far from happy with referee Tony Bates this afternoon at Gigg Lane after the Bulls lost 1-0 to Bury.
"I'm just very annoyed with the referee quite frankly," Trewick told BBC Hereford and Worcester.
"It was clearly not a foul for the free kick from which they scored from.
"Their players said he just fell over.
"For me Craig King was fouled for a penalty when he was going through, Leon Constantine had his shirt pulled when he was having a headed attempt at goal from five or six yards out which has distracted him.
"I just feel hard done by again. I feel like I am having a moan again, which I guess I am.
"But this happens far too often for us and it's got to change. Something has got to happen because it's costing us points.
"It's hard to take."
Trewick then gave his view on the game.
"I thought we were a little bit lacking in the first half but apart from the referee's decision for the free kick we kept a clean sheet in that half.
"Second half we were the better side.
"I just feel very disappointed losing the game in the circumstances."
Meanwhile Trewick took no part in the warm-up before the game. He left that task to Jamie Pitman and Tony Ford (pictured).
All The Main Stats From Bury
Below are all the main stats from this afternoon's League Two match at Gigg Lane where Bury defeated Hereford United 1-0.
Possession: Bury 49% Bulls 51%
Shots on Target: Bury 7 Bulls 2
Shots off Target: Bury 3 Bulls 3
Corners: Bury 2 Bulls 5
Fouls: Bury 9 Bulls 9
No yellow cards for Hereford
Attendance: 2797 with around 120 (later reported to be 113) in the away end plus one new flag.
Some Hereford United fans were searched before entering the ground
Stewards: Friendly
Catering: Terrible
Bottom of League Two:
17 Macclesfield 24 -7 28
18 Barnet 25 -7 28
19 Lincoln City 24 -12 28
20 Hereford 24 -7 26
21 Torquay 25 -3 25
22 Cheltenham 26 -14 25
23 Grimsby 26 -21 19
24 Darlington 23 -37 11
Results Round-Up
Rochdale are nine points clear at the top of the table, and thirteen clear of fourth place, after a 4-1 win at sorry Cheltenham. Their lead extends after Bournemouth lost 2-1 at Aldershot, with Bury third after their win over the Bulls. Rotherham are fourth with a 2-1 win over Grimsby, with Shrewsbury fifth after beating Dagenham 2-1. The Daggers remain in the play-offs with the Shots, but John Still's men have now lost three of the last four. Chesterfield remain on the edge of the play-offs after a goalless draw with Northampton.
At the bottom Darlington remain rooted after losing 3-0 at Crewe, with Grimsby also staying firmly in the bottom two. Cheltenham occupy 22nd spot after Lincoln beat Bradford 2-1, with the Bantams down to 16th and manager Stuart McCall under fire. Torquay lost 3-2 at home to Burton to remain 21st, while Barnet's poor form continues with a 2-1 loss to Morecambe. The Bees slip another place after Macclesfield's goalless draw with Port Vale.
In the Conference Chester named nine teenagers in their fifteen man squad and were hammered 4-0 by Mansfield. Stevenage retain top spot with a 2-0 win over Kettering, while Oxford are a point behind with two games in hand after winning 4-0 at Grays, where Julian Dicks had signed eight and released eight more in the past week. Kidderminster drew 2-2 with Crawley, while Forest Green lost 4-3 at Ebbsfleet.
Bulls Lose At Bury
The Bulls lost 1-0 at Bury in a game settled by a poor refereeing decision.
Darren Jones' tackle was judged to be a foul inside 90 seconds, though he appeared to take the ball cleanly, and Michael Jones curled home the free kick. Apart from that the game would have probably ended up goalless, with neither side creating too many chances.
The Bulls slip a place to 20th in the table.
Full report later.
News Round-Up
Grimsby chairman John Fenty has said they have had two bids turned down for Accrington forward Michael Symes. The second bid is claimed to be over £100,000 for the former Shrewsbury man who is out of contract in the summer. York have also revealed that the Mariners made a bid for their striker Richard Brodie. Bournemouth could be sharing their ground next season after Poole Town confirmed they were eyeing up Dean Court as a ground in order to meet criteria to gain promotion from the Wessex League.
Dagenham have signed French defender Romain Vincelot on an 18 month deal. The 24 year old has been playing in the French third tier. The Daggers have also loaned midfielder Harlee Dean to Grays for the rest of the season. Rotherham have signed two from Blackburn on loan - defender Gavin Gunning, who previously had a loan at Tranmere, and winger Marcus Marshall, who has made one sub appearance for the Premier League side.
Macclesfield have extended the contract of striker Craig Lindfield by another month. Luton have denied speculation that they are on the verge of Administration. The claims were sparked after three of their high earners were transfer listed, but a spokesman says the club was always expected to lose money as they try to return to the League and the losses will be covered for at least another 18 months.
Commentary from Bury
For the first time ever Hereford United supporters will be able to listen to full commentary from an away game through the Official Website.
Gregg Davies and Jamie Griffiths will be behind the microphones for the game direct from Gigg Lane.
As they will have plenty to keep them busy, the text service that used to be provided by the OS will now be done by the Press Association.
As ever BBC Hereford and Worcester will have full match commentary on 94.7FM around Herefordshire.
Keith Hall will bring listeners all the action from the Bulls first away game of 2010.
Meanwhile it looks as though this afternoon's game will be one of the poorest supported by Hereford United fans this season. Whether the new OS commentary will make any difference to the number of supporters going to games remains to be seen.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Chester Fans Call Boycott
After a ballot of their 500 members, the main Chester fans group have called for a boycott of the club's matches.
While the boycott was pretty much in place already, resulting in a club record low gate on Tuesday night, City Fans United have called for an official boycott of their home games until the club 'has been placed into local reputable ownership'.
Just 5% of fans voted against a boycott, with 99.5% believing a change of ownership was essential. 98% of respondents would also back a new 'phoenix' club if the current side was forced to fold.
Chester fans held a boycott during the Terry Smith era that saw the club engage in American Football style training overseen by Smith himself, but gates didn't plunge as far as they have already under Vaughan family control.
Meanwhile the Conference were forced to postpone an EGM to discuss Chester's situation after the 'senior, decision-making officers' of the club failed to attend the meeting. A Conference official told the Chester Chronicle that a single representative was sent from the club, but he was not able to meet the criteria.
Bulls miss out on Dave
Hereford United chairman, Graham Turner, has said that the club has tried to bring Toumani Diagouraga back to Edgar Street.
"I was involved in trying to bring Toumani Diagouraga back.
"Permission from Peterborough to speak to him through his agent. It went on for a couple of weeks.
"In the end I had a phonecall to say he had decided to go to Brentford nearer where he was based and a division higher.
"Things like that are going on behind the scenes.
"I was disappointed. I'd got great hopes that he would come back and do the same as Lionel Ainsworth did last year for us.
"We've missed out on that one."
Turner words are from the OS.
Football Supports Haiti
Football has joined international governments, charities and aid agencies in the battle to help Haiti recover from the devastating earthquake that hit the island two weeks ago.
The Football League has pledged its support to the recovery effort by placing the Disaster Emergency Committee's (DEC) Haiti Earthquake Appeal donation form inside every one of the 72 programmes over three weekends for free.
Programmes for matches in Coca-Cola League 1 and League 2 will carry the advertisement on January 30 and February 6 giving fans across England and Wales the opportunity to donate vital money to the people of Haiti.
The full-page advertisement publicises the DEC donation line - 0370 60 60 900 - and includes means of donation by credit or debit card and cheque.
Gavin Megaw, Director of External Affairs at The Football League said: "The Football League is pleased to be working with the DEC to raise awareness of this cause. We hope our small gesture helps the humanitarian effort at such a desperate time for the people of Haiti."
West Bromwich Albion and Bristol Rovers are just two clubs that have already responded to the urgent appeal for humanitarian assistance. The Baggies played with the DEC Haiti Appeal logo emblazoned across their chests during the 2-2 draw with Newcastle United on Monday night and auctioned the 18 shirts off after the match to raise vital funds. Rovers called on volunteers to help hold a bucket collection for the appeal around their League 1 clash against Hartlepool United on Saturday.
Bulls 9/2 to Win at Bury
Hereford United are 9/2 to win at Bury tomorrow according to Skybet.
Bury 4/6 Draw 13/5 Hereford 9/2
Considering that the Bulls played quite well against Crewe last Tuesday despite their lack of training over the previous three weeks, some supporters may feel 9-2 might be worth a pound or two.
On the other hand others might think that as the Bulls have only won once away in the League this season to date, Bury might not be the likely venue for a second away win.
Meanwhile odds of 10/1 are available for anyone thinking that the Bulls might be relegated at the end of this campaign.
Millwall Chairman supports Salary Cap
Millwall's chairman, John Berylson, has come out in support of a salary cap. Citing differences in the level of spending by League One clubs last season, he argues that at present it's not a level enough playing field.
"My view is that there should be a maximum and a minimum for each league to start with and then we can work on reducing the gap," said Berylson as reported by the London Evening Standard.
"In League One, we have Southampton's payroll of £8-9million, Leeds' £7.5m, while Colchester and Huddersfield are way up there.
"Wycombe maybe have a payroll of £1.1m. Last year, Hereford were not even £1m. How do you expect them to compete with a team spending £10m? How can that be fair?
"I know Leeds and Nottingham Forest will get twice the number of fans but that doesn't mean they should be allowed to outspend them by 10 times.
"You have got to ensure that teams cannot make such tremendous losses with such gambles. Portsmouth will get relegated, may take administration - but what happens if no one comes to save them? The reality of being down and out and disbanded really exists. It's the first time I fear that a team will cease to exist."
News Round Up
Barnet have signed full back Adam Lockwood on loan from Colchester for a month. The 28 year old had a month at Dagenham earlier in the season. Ex-Bull Chris Hargreaves is wanted by Oxford, with Torquay allowing him to speak to them. Shrewsbury have signed Huddersfield defender Joe Skarz on loan until the end of the season. The 20 year old full back has started 14 League games for the Terriers this season.
Rochdale have signed Blackburn winger Alan Haworth. The 21 year old spent a month at Gateshead earlier in the season. Ex-Bull Marlon Jackson has extended his loan at Aldershot until the end of the season. Grimsby have lost the services of loanee Paris Cowan-Hall after the youngster contracted glandular fever without playing a game.
Mansfield player Daryl Burgess has been suspended for a month and fined £500 for betting £45 on a game he was involved in while playing for Rushden in 2008. Accrington man Peter Cavanagh got a nine month ban for a £5 bet at the start of the season. Burton have signed Derby goalkeeper Ross Atkins and Leicester defender Tom Parks on loan for a month as cover for injuries and suspension.
No Bishop For Bury
Bury will be without star striker Andy Bishop tomorrow for the visit of the Bulls.
The in-demand striker hasn't played since September and is still two weeks away from resuming training after injury. In his place former Chester man Ryan Lowe has flourished, scoring ten times in 22 League games this term including two at Edgar Street when the Bulls lost the return fixture 3-1. Veteran Andy Morrell has also weighed in with five goals in eleven games since recovering from injury in November.
On loan Leeds striker Tom Elliott is also expected to miss the game after breaking down in training while attempting a comeback from a two month lay-off, while both Damien Allen and Ryan Cresswell are back in training and may feature.
Boss Alan Knill was disappointed with their performance despite winning 2-1 against Bradford on Tuesday, but he praised his side's ability to grind out the win and challenged his side to kick on:
"There are 21 games left and we are there to be shot at — but we are the ones in control. If we do well in those remaining matches it is going to be a great season. It is all about what we do now."
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