Cheltenham Town v Hereford United
Football League 2
Tuesday 2nd March 2010 KO 7.45 pm.
Whaddon Road
Cheltenham
GL52 5NA
Phone 01242 573558
Bulls fans make the relatively short trip to Whaddon Road on Tuesday evening for the rearranged match against Cheltenham. The game remains all-ticket for visiting fans and HUFC supporters can still buy from The Club offices on Monday. As a late option, you can call the office on 08442 761939 to reserve your ticket and collect it at the match from the Cheltenham ticket office. EDIT - NOW PAY ON THE GATE.
HUISA – still have places available. Contact The Club on the above number.
CAR – My suggested route is perhaps not the shortest but should provide a fairly trouble free journey. From Hereford, drive to Ledbury then follow the ring road to the end to join the A417 to the M50. Join the M50 easterly (sign M5) and continue to the M5 where you take the southbound carriageway (sign The South West, Tewkesbury, Bristol). Leave the M5 at J9 (sign Evesham) joining the A46. At the third set of lights (approx 2 miles) turn right for Cheltenham and right again at the junction onto the A435. After passing through Bishops Cleeve, you will enter Cheltenham with the Racecourse on your left. At the roundabout, take the third exit onto Evesham Road and then turn left at the lights into Wellington Road. Take the second exit at the next roundabout into Prestbury Road then first right into Whaddon Road. This route avoids driving through the centre of Cheltenham. Distance is about 45 miles and you should allow an hour. Postcode GL52 5NA.
COYB
.jpg)
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Cheltenham Travel – Tuesday
Preview: Cheltenham vs Bulls
The Bulls travel to Whaddon Road on Tuesday night for the first of three successive matches against sides below them in the table.
The two sides, for all the supposed rivalry, have rarely faced each other on the football field. Cheltenham wins are almost as rare, with just one win from the seven so far and four wins for the Bulls. On each trip to Whaddon Road the Bulls have scored at least twice, with last February's 3-2 win completing a double over the Robins thanks to Man Utd - with a Sam Hewson brace and Febian Brandy's early strike outwitting Martin Allen's masterplan to cripple the Bulls' defences. On that day Dean Beckwith, Josh Gowling, and Karl Broadhurst were all taken off injured in barely ten minutes of action.
The arrival of Mark Yates at Whaddon Road has not seen a dramatic turn in fortunes, with just two wins from eleven games in his two months in charge and cutting down the Bulls' lead on them by just a single point. Yates' transfer activity is just as stifled by financial problems as his predecessor, with his only signings a pair of youngsters from the Championship and a contract extension for semi-retired greengrocer Julian Alsop. His former Kidderminster charge Justin Richards heads the goalscoring with eight, while veterans Barry Hayles (6) and Alsop (3) are still keeping their zimmer frames oiled for the relegation fight.
For the Bulls it is a game they must not lose against a side just four points behind them. After conceding ten goals without reply in the last three and a half hours, a goal of any sort would be most welcome to Bulls fans. Gavin McCallum earned praise from Notts County fans for his work and creativity on Saturday and should continue his good vein of form. With John Trewick deciding whether to appeal Paul Downing's dismissal on Saturday, and the thoughts of last season's physical battle, he may prefer to go for the experience and no-nonsense style that Ryan Green and Darren Jones would bring.
Cheltenham Town vs Hereford United, Whaddon Road, Tuesday 2nd March, 7.45pm.
Trewick Vows To Continue
John Trewick has told the Hereford Times that he will continue to do his best for the Bulls.
Trewick told the paper: "What I want is the best for Hereford and I am doing my best for Hereford and I will continue to do my best for Hereford.
"It was never going to be an easy season. Cheltenham came down last year and they are below us in the table. Sides who have come down tend to have to regroup and refocus and go again. We have no automatic right to be at the top of the league and we have to battle and scrap for everything we get. Obviously, I am disappointed with our league position and I want to try to improve it and that’s what I am going to continue to do."
Trewick also tells the paper he dropped Adam Bartlett to give him a break: "I think Adam Bartlett has done well for us for the vast majority of the season. I do feel he's been in the firing line all season with no respite and my reason for leaving him out was to try and freshen his mind and, hopefully, get Adam to refocus on the job in hand."
News Round Up
Norwich have received an apology from the News of the World after the paper printed claims that the club were within days of going into Administration. Southend, however, remain the subject of rumours with Sky Sports claiming on Friday that February's wages had not been paid, adding to the local paper claims that January's money did not appear on time. The club declined to comment to the press when asked for a response, and face court again on March 10th.
Bournemouth had to bring youth teamer Jayden Stockley 215 miles by car to meet up with their squad yesterday after another injury to their threadbare squad. They failed to get League approval for another loan, with Stockley making a two minute sub appearance for the Cherries with retired assistant boss Jason Tindall also named on the bench. Lincoln have used a club record equalling 39 players this season, with a record 25 debutants for the Imps this term.
Simply Not Good Enough...
Mike Margetts laments a poor week for the Bulls:
Last weekend Hereford United were 3-1 to the good against a not particularly good Burton Albion side with half and hour to go and apparently cruising to a comfortable victory that would have sealed four home wins on the trot and sent fans home for the first time in a while with a few reasons to be cheerful.
The notion that the team would then concede ten goals without reply in two and a third games, and in the process drop nine points out of nine, would surely have attracted the most generous of odds from even the most cautious of bookmakers.
But as John Trewick and his not so merry men made their way back from Robin Hood territory yesterday they could hardly claim they had been robbed in any of the last three games.
The simple truth is that this Hereford team – no matter who seems to play –is just not up to it: indeed it is pure good fortune that the likes of Darlington and Grimsby are proving even more inept because otherwise the trapdoor back to the Blue Square Premier might well soon be creaking open.
It’s hard to believe that it was only two years ago that Hereford’s promotion push was in full swing and there were reasons to believe that the club might be on the brink of some sustained success.
Since those heady days, however, it has been pretty much downhill all the way and unless the management team can provide some much needed inspiration – and I assume the bizarre team selection at Meadow Lane was an attempt – it’s difficult with the current squad to see things getting much better.
And if they don’t will we soon be seeing the first sub-thousand attendance for a Football League fixture at Edgar Street? I wouldn’t bet against it…
Jobs for the Boys
With Hereford United's season not going too well it's quite probable that several of its squad will be looking for new jobs after the end of this campaign.
It was much the same in March 1998 as this article from Talking Bull written by Jock Strop explains:
With the retained list being only a couple of months away I thought what would happen to our players if they were out of a job or had to go part time and get a job outside football. Here are some career possibilities.
ANDY DEBONT: Could become a bouncer at Marilyn's but unfortunately the punters might bounce off him instead.
DAVID NORTON: Would be offered a contract by Leicester Tigers Rugby Club as they may find a use for his high balls.
JAMES McCUE: Would get a job on a fishing trawler because at least he'd be able to put something in a net.
IAN RODGERSON: Could become the new Just for Men model.
TONY AGANA: Could become a doctor as he knows about every injury and ailment going.
JOHN BROUGH: Wouldn't need to work as if Culture Beat release their 1993 hit single Mr Vain he would gain loadsa money in royalties.
IAN FOSTER: Could sell his collection of red and yellow cards to the card company Birthdays which would keep him financially stable for life.
GARRY COOK: Could always go back to his family at the donkey sanctuary.
CHRIS HARGREAVES: Would get a job at a shooting range as at least there he’d be able to have a shot once in a while.
JAMIE PITMAN: Would be offered his old paperboy job back but Pete Boulton would need to be on call in case he fell off his bike again.
All the other players could always be offered a job by Trevor Matthewson at his Fruit 'n' Veg store. Seriously though we need to stay full time next year and have another attempt at winning back our league status.
Taylor to Referee at Cheltenham
Anthony Taylor from Manchester is set to referee Tuesday's League Two match at Whaddon Road where Cheltenham Town will play Hereford United.
The Bulls haven't met Taylor for just over twelve months when he was in charge of the home game against Leyton Orient. On that afternoon the Bulls won the game 2-1 with a goal from Febian Brandy and a penalty converted by Steve Guinan.
Into Taylor's book went Kris Taylor, keeper Peter Gulasci and Sam Hewson.
To date this season Taylor has been in charge of 28 games and has given out 73 yellow and 3 red cards.
Thompson enjoying life at Newport
Glyn Thompson is having an excellent season at Newport County. The former Hereford United and Fulham keeper has let in just 15 goals in 31 starts for the Conference South leaders.
"When I was with Fulham we got into the Premier League, but for me personally it doesn’t compare to this season," he told the South Wales Argus.
"We’ve been unstoppable, whenever people have questioned us in the press we’ve shown a reaction and we’re so close now, we just have to get over the line."
Newport defeated Braintee 1-0 yesterday afternoon and have gained 76 points from just 31 games. Their goal difference is +52.
A bumper crowd of 2117 watched the game with children entering for free with an adult.
"Hereford had a crowd of only 1,200 for their last League Two game, that puts into perspective how special our fans are," Thompson explained. "They give us a massive boost and teams just don’t like coming here."
Conference sponsors BlueSq have already chosen to pay out on County's promotion. The pre-season 7/1 shots will cost the firm £20,000 in winning bets.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Bulls On Wrong End Of Trouncing.
The first half of this afternoons hammering at Meadow Lane gave little indication of what was to come in the second period as United finished well-beaten 5-0 and down to nine men.
Trewick had wielded the axe following the disappointing display in midweek, culling his defence including Adam Bartlett. In came Adamson, Richard Rose, Sam Gwynne and newcomer Daniel Preston in a new look rearguard with Green, Valentine, Jones and Lowe making way. Matty Done also started in place of Lee Morris.
Notts opened the brighter with a couple of attacks down the left which were comfortably dealt with by The Bulls’ new look defence and after five minutes or so the visitors began to get a grip on the game. A free kick from the right was met by Downing but it was pushed wide by home keeper Schmeichel. From the resulting corner, the ball was cleared up field to Richard Rose who quickly released Matt Done. The winger turned it inside to Lunt who dinked his way passed to defenders before driving the ball hard and low across the face of the goal. Any touch from a Bulls player would surely have found the net but the ball found it’s way through for a goal kick. Former Shrewsbury striker Luke Rogers got the ball in the net on 20 minutes but was rightly adjudged to be several yards offside before a deep cross from the left brought a saving header from Preston with Rogers lurking at the back post. Adamson then marked his rare appearance with a fine reaction save turning a deflected shot away. At the other end, Done charged down a clearance and the ball fell to McCallum inside the box but the United striker fired over when well placed. When the ball ran over the bye line, it went unnoticed by the assistant referee and although the initial danger was cleared, it took good defending by Sam Gwynne to dispossess Westcarr. Unfortunately, as Gwynne shaped to clear he slipped and Westcarr fired passed Adamson to give The Magpies a somewhat lucky opening goal on 34 minutes. Good work by Lunt and McCallum produced a chance for Done but the Bulls’ winger’s low effort was blocked
HT Notts 1 Bulls 0
After a workmanlike first half in which Hereford were slightly unfortunate to fall behind, the second period provided little but goals from the home side and a couple of harsh dismissals by referee Eltringham. Hereford opened with a couple of decent raids down the left but with 10 minutes of the second gone, Westcarr received the ball from Rogers and turned Gwynne before firing in from 10 yards. Trewick responded by adding Lee Morris to The Bulls attack at the expense of Matt Done but the third goal was not long coming. Rogers had twice tumbled in the box trying to convince the referee to award penalties and eventually got his timing and acrobatics right when challenging Adamson for a through ball. The penalty decision looked soft and to add injury, Adamson was shown a straight red. Westcarr drove the spot-kick passed sub keeper Bartlett who had been brought on as Constantine departed to make way. The ten men became nine on 87 minutes when Downing was harshly adjudged to have handled on the goal line. A deflected shot reared off the surface and appeared to strike the young defender on the shoulder but the referee insisted it was deliberate handball and promptly issued a second red card along with awarding a penalty. Rogers blasted in from the spot. Then in the closing moments, a cross from the right found Rogers drifting in between two defenders to force the ball home for the fifth goal.
FT Notts 5 Bulls 0
From the promising start, The Bulls finished a depleted and well-beaten team as the depressing sequence of results continued. The young pairing at the back made a good start but were no mach for the second half antics of Rogers and the referee. Lunt produced some decent passes and McCallum possibly should have found the net early on but Constantine was largely anonymous in the opponent’s goalmouth. A crowd of 6036 watched the game with a surprisingly good turnout of 269 in the visitor’s section. There were calls for a change of management at the final whistle and several suggestions regarding transfers of Nottingham bar-staff back to The Shire.
Notts. Schmeichel, Lee, Thompson, Clapham, Hunt, Ravenhill, Bishop (Edwards 81), Davies, Hawley (Facey 67), Rogers, Westcarr (Hamshaw 74).
Unused – Hoult, Cabham, Fairclough, Akinbiyi.
HUFC. Adamson, Rose, Downing, Preston, Gwynne (Jones 90), Pugh, Lunt, McQuilkin, Done (Morris 59), McCallum, Constantine (Bartlett 72).
Unused – Green, Valentine, Weir, Manset.
It started quite well for the Bulls
It all started quite well at Meadow Lane this afternoon.
Car park right opposite, away entrance directly across the road, good seats towards the middle of the one main stand.
Then the surprises. Who are the players warming up on their own? Are we sure?
Ryan Green, Darren Jones, Mathieu Manset, Lee Morris, Ryan Valentine, Tyler Weir and Adam Bartlett all in a circle away from the rest of the squad. There's some mistake.
There wasn't. John Trewick had decided to change the back four and the keeper. Brave or foolhardy? Two teenagers in the heart of defence.
The game started and in truth for the first 33 minutes there wasn't too much to choose between the two sides.
Excellent support from the surprisingly large Hereford United following. "Where's your money gone" was one of the chants.
Then County scored and sections of the support started to vent their anger on manager John Trewick.
From then on it only got worse.
And Trewick didn't help his cause when he failed to commiserate with youngster Paul Downing after he was sent off.
After the game the inquest. What can be done. Cheltenham will be a six-pointer on Tuesday evening.
Will Trewick be in charge or will Graham Turner take over.
A reserve keeper will have to appear from somewhere.
One thing is certain. Should the Bulls lose on Tuesday, the attendance next Saturday at Edgar Street will be easy to count.
A Real Hammering - Trewick
Hereford United manager John Trewick spoke to BBC Hereford and Worcester after today's game at Meadow Lane.
"I look back to the first half where we had several opportunities to score then gave away an awful goal and goals change games.
"I thought at the start of the second half we might have had an opportunity to get back in it but very soon we conceded the second from a break-away.
"After that we might as well forget about it as we somebody sent off, then another sent off and ended up with two less players on the pitch.
"Five at the end was a real hammering and that's what it was.
"We might appeal (against Downing's red card)."
Trewick was quite pleased with his young central defender pairing of Preston and Downing.
"For the first half I thought they did well. County didn't have many opportunities, we had better opportunities to score.
"McCallum probably had the best chance of the match. We really should have had a goal, their goal was a gift. It was disappointing to go in 1-0, the two boys did well.
"Second half, everything was disintegrating and it was very very tough."
Meanwhile Notts County manager Steve Coterill did have some symphathy for Hereford.
"I think we have to give a fair amount of credit to Hereford. The two sendings-off were red cards by the letter of the law but you feel sorry for any team when they go down to nine men.
"The one thing we didn't do is pass for the sake of passing when we were a few goals up. We didn't look for the crowd to ole - that would have annoyed me.
"I think we were humble in our play, we actually went looking for more goals."
Stats from Notts County
Below are most of the stats from today's game at Notts County where Hereford United were defeated 5-0.
Possession: Notts 61% Bulls 39%
Shots on Target: Notts 11 Bulls 3
Shots off Target: Notts 3 Bulls 1
Corners: Notts 5 Bulls 3
Fouls: Notts 17 Bulls 10
Cards: Two straight red cards for Hereford - Adamson and Downing - and one yellow for Preston.
Attendance: 6036 with about 250 following Hereford, later confirmed as 269.
Bottom of League Two:
17 Barnet 33 -9 37
18 Hereford 32 -14 35
19 Lincoln City 33 -20 34
20 Torquay 33 -5 32
21 Macclesfield 31 -10 32
22 Cheltenham 32 -14 31
23 Grimsby 33 -24 24
24 Darlington 29 -40 15
Ex-Bull Watch
Gavin Williams was booked for Bristol City as they drew at Ipswich. Ben Smith scored twice for Crawley as they beat Luton. Nick Chadwick scored a hat-trick for Barrow as they beat Ebbsfleet, with Moses Ashikodi getting a consolation. Brian Smikle scored the opener for Kidderminster as they beat Histon. Phil Gulliver scored for Corby as they beat Southport.
Results Round Up
Rochdale extend their lead at the top to five points with a 1-0 win at Macclesfield after Bournemouth lost 1-0 at Shrewsbury (6th). Bury's goalless draw with Barnet was enough to keep them third with Chesterfield losing 1-0 at home to Aldershot. Rotherham won 1-0 at Burton to stay fifth, with Notts County opening a two point gap inside the play-offs after their tonking of the Bulls. Morecambe beat Port Vale 1-0 to keep their play-off ambitions on track.
At the bottom Darlington lost 1-0 at Bradford to stay bottom and now 16 points adrift from safety after Torquay beat Accrington 2-1 to move up to 20th. Grimsby lost 2-0 at Dagenham to drift seven points short in 23rd, with Cheltenham slipping down to 22nd after a 2-1 loss at Northampton. Lincoln missed a chance to overtake the Bulls with a 1-1 draw with Crewe.
In the Conference neither of the top two were in action, with York missing the chance to cut the gap to three points after losing 1-0 at home to Eastbourne. Kidderminster beat Histon 3-0, and Crawley surprised Luton with a 2-1 win.
Westcarr Trio Trumps Trewick's Tinkering
A Craig Westcarr hat-trick handed the Bulls another bad away day, losing 5-0 at Meadow Lane today.
John Trewick opted to change the entire defence, debuting not only new teenage signing Daniel Preston but also goalkeeper coach Chris Adamson, but Adamson's first League match in nearly three years was to end early with a red card for felling Luke Rodgers and allow Westcarr to complete his hat-trick from the spot, while Paul Downing was also dismissed for a handball in the box that saw the scoreline increased to 4-0 with a second spot kick.
The 269 Bulls in the 6,036 crowd were given early hope, but some abysmal defending put paid to any hopes of a positive result. The Bulls stay 18th in the table, holding their 11 point gap to the bottom two.
Full report later.
News Round Up
Rotherham have signed midfielder Josh Walker on a months loan from Middlesboro. The 21 year old has had previous loans at Aberdeen and Bournemouth, and started for the Championship club earlier in the month. Aldershot have signed Kettering's former Cheltenham striker Damian Spencer on loan until the end of the season. He has scored four times in 27 games for the Poppies and on loan at Kidderminster this season.
Northampton have signed Middlesboro keeper Jason Steele on loan for a month as cover for the injured Chris Dunn. Accrington have failed to have their transfer embargo lifted after postponements meant they failed to make their £30,000 payment due to the taxman as scheduled. They expect to make the payment shortly.
Ex-Bull John Snape,40, is going to revert to being a player for the remainder of this season, telling the Birmingham Mail: "I want to go and get some games between now and the end of the season so I’m open to offers."
Ada was One of Trewick's Targets
Pat Ada, the 25 year old Crewe centre-half. was one of John Trewick's recent loan targets.
Ada hasn't played for Crewe since November and a deal was done for him to come on loan to Hereford last month but manager Dario Gradi decided against the deal at the last moment.
Friday, February 26, 2010
The Soap Opera at Notts County
In an interview with BBC Hereford and Worcester Hereford United manager John Trewick has previewed tomorrow's match at Notts County who have a new owner and manager.
"A lot of people would say it's not the best time to play them," said Trewick. "But we know what we have to do.
"They are a side with a lot of good individuals and we've got to go there and match them.
"We've got to go there and spoil the party.
"We've all looked on with varying degrees of dis-belief at times. Sven coming in, Campbell coming in and leaving very quickly. Kasper Schmeichel coming in, alledgedly on huge wages, and lots of other things.
"Money supposed to have been paid then not been paid. It has been a soap opera.
"My view is that they have a lot of players there on big money and I don't know how they can be operating within the laws of League Two regulations.
"But that is for the authorities to sort out, I guess, but certainly I don't think it's a level playing field."
Parry may miss Rest of Season
Former Hereford United winger Paul Parry, now with Preston, may miss the rest of the season with a knee problem.
"He's not so good, he's gone back a little bit," said manager Darren Ferguson.
"With Paul I don't know if he will be fit again this season.
"He saw the specialist last week and his opinion is that he needs more rest and longer rehab for it to get right."
Hughes to miss Tomorrow's Match
Some good news for Hereford United late this afternoon as Notts County striker Lee Hughes will miss tomorrow's match between the two clubs.
Hughes was recently suspended for one game after being sent off for a second booking, but he has now been found guilty of using abusive language towards an assistant referee in that game and the FA have extended his ban to three games.
He will therefore miss tomorrow's match against Hereford United.
Hughes is Notts County's top scorer with 23 goals to date this season.
Preston Signing Delayed
Hereford United have announced that the signing of Daniel Preston has not yet been completed.
The club are waiting on Premier League clearance for the player, and he may not be registered in time to be included in tomorrow's squad for the trip to Notts County.
Edit...HUFC have, late this afternoon, confirmed the loan arrangement has now been completed.
Chester Expelled From Conference
Chester have been expelled from the Conference after a vote of member clubs.
Oxford have announced on their website that tomorrow's match against Chester has been postponed after 'more than 75% of clubs agreed with the Conference board's decision to expel Chester from the competition.'
An official statement from the Conference reads: Member clubs of the Football Conference, at a general meeting held today, voted in support of the Board of Director's recommendation to erase Chester City (2004) FC Ltd from membership in accordance with Article 5.2.
It has been noted that Chester were not in attendance at the meeting.
Plenty of Cheltenham Tickets Available
There are plenty of tickets still available for Hereford United supporters to purchase for next Tuesday evening's League Two match at Cheltenham Town.
They can be purchased from Hereford United by phone today for special delivery tomorrow or collected before 4pm Tuesday.
Do Pompey owe Money to the Bulls?
Portsmouth football club have gone into administration and Hereford United could be one of their creditors.
Last August the Bulls travelled to Portsmouth to play a Carling Cup game and therefore were due part of the gate recepits.
6645 was the recorded attendance at the game so any money due to Hereford is likely to be less than £20,000, always assuming that the money hasn't been paid.
In time a creditors list will be made available.
Preston Joins Bulls
Hereford United have announced the signing of Daniel Preston on loan from Birmingham.
The 5ft 11in teenage central defender made his first team debut in the Carling Cup as a sub against Sunderland earlier this season and is a second year scholar with the Blues.
Preston is a stepbrother of former Blues trainee James McPike, who had a trial with the Bulls last season.
Meanwhile, former Bulls loanee Febian Brandy is a target of Rotherham. Millers' boss Ronnie Moore says he has the names of fifteen strikers that he has been chasing.
Preview: Notts County vs Bulls
The Bulls travel to Meadow Lane to face Notts County on Saturday.
The Bulls have won both their trips to Meadow Lane in recent times. A late Tim Sills goal gave the Bulls a 1-0 win in December 2006, while Ben Smith and a Steve Guinan double took another three points home in October 2007 with a 3-2 win. Such is the change in both camps that from that 2007 match just two players remain with their teams out of the 32 named on the teamsheet - the Magpies' Stephen Hunt and the Bulls' Richard Rose.
Steve Cotterill takes on his first game for the Magpies with what, on paper, should be an easy three points for the home side. While the Bulls have won just once away the Magpies have lost just one at home, with three or more goals scored five times in their thirteen home games. As their fourth manager of the season he inherits a side that lost only two of twelve games under caretaker boss Dave Kevan, back to back losses to Bournemouth and Fulham at the lowest point of their money troubles. Lee Hughes heads the goals chart with 20 from 26 League appearances.
For the Bulls any result on the road is welcome, and they have their best chances now with February producing more points, and more goals, than any month so far this season. On the road, since scoring five in two games at Northampton and Burton, they have managed just two goals in five games. There is a three horse race for the Bulls' top League scorer this season, with Marc Pugh edging out Leon Constantine and Gavin McCallum by a single goal.
Notts County vs Hereford United, Meadow Lane, Saturday 27th February, 3.00pm.
News Round Up
Bournemouth have been issued with another winding up notice by the taxman. Chairman Eddie Mitchell told a fans forum that the claim was for £314,000. They have sold £280,000 worth of season tickets for next season, with £100,000 of that going to the taxman for the latest demand - and the rest of it already spent on covering existing debts. They will face court on March 31st for the demand.
Grimsby have signed Hull's former Rotherham keeper Mark Oxley on loan for a month. The 19 year old cost the Tigers £150,000 in the summer of 2008 but has not made a first team appearance for the Millers, Tigers, or Walsall during a loan earlier this season. Bradford have beaten Rotherham to sign Gillingham striker Mark McCammon on a months loan. The 31 year old played in the 2004 FA Cup final for Millwall. The Bantams have also signed former Wycombe winger Gavin Grant on non-contract terms.
Salisbury expect to exit Administration next week after receiving court approval for their proposed CVA. Crewe defender Patrick Ada has turned down a loan move to Rushden. Caernarfon Town is about to fold after 134 years. Their players have not been paid for a month. Macclesfield have extended the contract of striker Craig Lindfield until the end of the season.
Where's Your Caravan?
Details have emerged of a new book being written by former Hereford United player Chris Hargraves.
Entitled 'Where's Your Caravan' it's the story of his life in the lower leagues. It starts at Everton and covers his career via Edgar Street to Torquay.
"I am delighted to be able to tell the story of life on the road for a professional footballer. The same emotions and ups and downs as the Premier League, just on £100,000 less a week and with no Bentley or nanny," said Hargraves.
The book, to be released next year, will be published by TFP, the Friday Project.
"It takes us from his wild youth - lots of sex and drugs and drink - through to domesticated family man - school runs and flatpack furniture with plenty of football in between," said TFP's Scott Park.
"Chris's book is the perfect antidote to the piles of showbiz puff masquerading as football memoirs that we seem to get from the Premier League superstars. This is the real story of football, one that transcends club allegiance and tells it like it really is."
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Superman could be off to Bermuda
Former Hereford United goalkeeper, Wayne 'Superman' Brown, could be off to Bermuda for his summer holidays if he contiunes to keep clean sheets for his current club Bury.
Brown has only let in two goals in Bury's last seven games.
"I am a happy but cold man at the moment," Brown told the Bury Times.
"I enjoy keeping clean sheets and I know my missus enjoys them too.
"She was planning on going away to Spain this summer but I think she is thinking about Barbados now with the extra money I am picking up.
"We are defending really well and long may it continue."
Brown has tasted promotion with both Chester and Hereford United and is hopeful Bury will be in League One next season..
"I have done it with Chester and Hereford and it’s a nice way to get promoted.
"We didn’t have any experience of promotion as a squad last season but this year we have taken the bull by the horns and we are giving it a good go."
King and Tolley out for Saturday
Both Craig King and Jamie Tolley are likely to miss out on being in the Hereford United squad for Saturday's match at Notts County.
However young loanee Paul Downing has recovered from the knee injury which made him miss Tuesday's game against Northampton.
And, according to the Worcester News, manager John Trewick could have one fresh face in the squad.
Meanwhile Trewick feels that Notts County will be a challenge for the Bulls especially as they have both a new owner and a new manager.
"They have got strong players and their problems are well documented but often that doesn’t affect the players," he said.
"They also have a new manager and that can sometimes galvanise the staff so we have that to contend with. We can’t control their situation, we can only control ours."
Short Report from Hereford United AGM
Hereford United (1939) Ltd held their annual general meeting this evening at the Three Counties Hotel, Belmont, Hereford.
As usual Graham Turner was in the chair and also on top table were fellow directors Joan Fennessy, Grenville Smith and Hugh Brooks together with 18 shareholders including one who had driven from Somerset for the half-hour meeting.
The main purpose of the meeting was to approve the accounts for the year ending May 31st 2009 in which a profit of £26,899 was made.
Several questions pertaining to the accounts were asked. These included a question why the trade debtors had increased. The chairman replied that some money had been owed to the club by the Football League after relegation from League One.
In another answer the chairman told the meeting that the Football League had made some advance money from television rights available to clubs which Hereford United had taken up.
The cost of loan players was noted by another shareholder. The chairman said that the club would continue to bring in loan players if need-be.
The recent poor performance on the pitch and disappointing gates were mentioned by one shareholder. However whilst the chairman said he noted what had been said he wasn't prepared to discuss it as it fell outside the remit of the meeting.
Another shareholder felt the accountant's charges were high. The chairman replied that the club had looked at these but were happy with Baker Tilley (who were later re-appointed).
Both Graham Turner and Hugh Brooks were re-elected as directors of the club. No other names were proposed.
Mention was made of the Chairman's report which accompanied the minutes in which Graham Turner had written about the future of the club (see Tuesday's BN for more details) and questions were asked about the re-building of the Merton Meadow End at Edgar Street.
The chairman made it clear that he hoped the Meadow End would be re-built within five years at the latest. At present it looked as though this may have to be an all-seated stand. This was because if the club received money from the Football Foundation for around half the cost of the re-building of the Blackfriars End there may be conditions attached to that grant.
However he was very aware that some supporters would prefer to stand.
The plans for the New Blackfriars Stand were on view for shareholders to look at.
The chairman was asked about the cost. He replied that he thought just over £1M. The plans are due to go to Herefordshire Council tomorrow or Monday. The club had not yet asked for tenders to build the stand.
The 'New Blackfriars Stand' is 12 rows high and will have seats for 1492 supporters. As well there will be provision for 16 disabled supporters and 16 helpers.
And the club is going green, as rainwater from the roof will be held in tanks for use through the sprinkler system. All they need now are wind-turbines on the top of each floodlight gantry!
Bulls Release Blackfriars Drawings
Hereford United have released drawings of the proposed new Blackfriars Street stand tonight.
The stand will feature three food stands, a bar, and sizable new toilet facilities for both the new stand and D block of the Merton Stand. A number of familiar features of Edgar Street will be lost including the Football In The Community office (former club office) on Blackfriars Street and the two veteran floodlight pylons at that end.
The existing turnstiles and outer wall will remain in place with the vacant ground to the back of the stand fenced off for future development by the Richardsons.
The two drawings of the new stand can be seen on the official site.
News Round Up
Grimsby are being sued by ex-boss Mike Newell for £50,000 compensation. Half of it is wages for the remainder of his contract, the rest is a cut of the transfer fee received by the club by selling youngster Ryan Bennett to Peterboro shortly after his sacking. In documents seen by the Grimsby Telegraph, Newell claims he was physically threatened by chairman John Fenty. The documents show Newell was being paid a basic £65,000 a season by the club, plus bonuses and a cut of transfer fees received.
Dagenham midfielder Stuart Thurgood has been ruled out for the rest of the season after he was told he needs another operation on the injured ankle that has kept him out since November. Notts County are to ask the Police to investigate the way Munto Finance ran the club. The new regime believe criminal charges are applicable after a thorough review of the club.
Bournemouth have extended the loan of Norwich man Rhoys Wiggins for a second month. The club claimed to have just eight fit professionals for their match on Tuesday night, and named a match squad of just 14 including two goalkeepers. Histon have announced they have cleared their debts and are planning for next season. They were claimed to be £700,000 in debt in January.
AFC Wimbledon have agreed a longer lease on ground surrounding their Kingsmeadow base that will allow them to enter the Football League if they win promotion. Part of the deal will see former ground owners Kingstonian remain as tenants of the Dons for a longer period. Southend have banned club captain Adam Barrett from doing his column for the Southend Echo due to the ongoing dispute over the paper's reporting of the club's financial problems.
Aldershot have signed former Shrewsbury striker Omer Riza on contract until the end of the season after a trial. Lincoln have signed Leeds striker David Somma on a months loan. The South African played three times on loan at Chesterfield earlier in the season.
Kids for a quid at Meadow Lane
Notts County have announced that to celebrate the appointment of new boss Steve Cotterill, Saturday’s match against The Bulls at Meadow Lave has been designated a “Kids For A Quid” day.
Supporters under the age of 16 will be admitted for just one pound and a bumper crowd is expected.
Notts County Travel
Notts County v Hereford United
Football League 2
Saturday 27th February 2010 Kick Off 3.00pm
Meadow Lane
Nottingham
NG2 3HJ
0115 952 9000
The Bulls travel to Nottingham on Saturday to play The Magpies. Known as the world’s oldest Football Club, they were formed back in 1862, which pre-dates The FA. Their Meadow Lane ground was rebuilt during the nineties and now hold around 20,000 fans in an all-seater format. Visiting fans are now accommodated in part of The Jimmy Sirrel Stand on one side of the pitch. Admission is believed to be £20 for adults and £12 for seniors (60+), students and 16-18 year-olds. On Saturday, Notts are promoting a “kids for a quid” day for U16’s.
HUISA – Travel cost is set at £16 with a planned departure time of 10.30 am from Radford’s.
For those travelling by road, the trip is fairly straightforward so long as you enter Nottingham from the south (For Sat/Nav users, the postcode is NG2 3HJ). From Hereford go to Worcester and join the M5 north to Junction 4A where you join the M42. Follow the M42 to the end and onto the A42. As you approach the M1, branch left and merge onto the A453 (sign East Mid Airport/Notts South/ Derby). At both roundabouts, take the third exit onto the A453 (sign Nottingham). Continue to Clifton roundabout and take the 2nd exit (sign Notts) then keep in the left lane and branch left to a roundabout where you take the 1st exit onto the B679 (sign Grantham, Melton, Newark) entering Nottingham. At West Bridgeford, turn left into Loughborough Road A60 (sign Notts). Follow City Centre signs onto London Road and at the traffic signals turn right onto Cattle Market Road A6011 (sign Southwell, Colwick). Turn right into Meadow Lane. Distance is about 110 miles and you should allow about two hours and a half.
There is parking in the Cattle Market £2 or in the football clubs car park opposite their offices in Meadow Lane £2.50. Otherwise, there may be some Street parking.
Alehouses - There are a number of Pubs and eating-houses close to the ground with The Globe in London Road and The Southbank just over the Trent Bridge both offering a decent choice of Ale and good food. Nearest to the ground is The Trent Navigation Inn, which serves beers from the nearby Magpie Brewery. The Vat and Fiddle in Queensbridge Road looks a good bet with up to 10 ales on and the Castle Rock Micro brewery next door! Finally, for those who prefer their waitresses to be not "overdressed", a visit to Hooters could be the answer. I understand the fried eggs are well thought of in the area. The nearest chip shop appears to be the Trent Fishbar in Turney Street which is on the opposite side of London Road to the ground. From The Globe Pub, walk down Bathley Street then go left and left again into Turney Street.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Touch-line Ban for Trewick
Hereford United manager John Trewick faces a touch-line ban, perhaps for as many as three games, after being sent to the stands on Tuesday evening during the game against Northampton.
Trewick can appeal against any ban but this seems unlikely given the evidence.
When a player is sent off, any ban starts with the next game but it is unclear if the same happens with managers.
Speculation that chairman Graham Turner, who also has the title of director of football, might take over at pitch-side as early as Saturday remains to be confirmed.
Referees for Bulls Next Two Games
The referees for Hereford United's next two games have been announced.
Geoff Eltrincham from Tyne and Weir will be in charge at Notts County next Saturday afternoon and A Taylor at Cheltenham next Tuesday evening.
The Bulls have already met Eltrincham this season. That was on the opening day at Morecambe. The game ended in a 2-2 draw. Mark Pugh scored both Hereford goals and no-one was booked.
Eltrincham has only officiated 13 games this season to date. In those he has given out 30 yellow and 2 red cards.
Spireites Beat Railwaymen
Chesterfield won 1-0 at Crewe in tonight's only League Two match.
For the Railwaymen it was their lowest crowd of the season, 3,278, with the Spireites retaining fourth place with a four point lead over the rest of the play-off contenders.
In the Conference Stevenage closed the gap at the top to three points with a 1-0 win at Wrexham. Ex-Bull Tim Sills made a late sub appearance in the game.
Turner Expects Loss For Current Year
In a pre-AGM interview, Hereford United chairman Graham Turner has predicted that after six years of profits the club will lose money in the current financial year.
"We're relatively pleased with the way the trading has gone given all the circumstances," Turner told the Official Site.
"We always expected that this recession would hit us this season.
"You've only got to look at the last few mid-week games and the attendances that they have attracted, 1300, 1500 and last night 1200.
"It doesn't take a genius to work out that with nearly a thousand season ticket holders that not much revenue was generated on the night. We were a bit concerned there wasn't enough to cover the security, stewards and gatemen.
"It's a situation we face partly because of the recession, the weather and football live on television and the position we find ourselves in the League.
"We might be in a position that at the end of this season where, for the first time for quite a number of seasons, we will make a loss."
Turner Unhappy with Defending
Hereford United chairman Graham Turner has said that poor defending lost the Bulls the game against Northampton last evening.
"They were very poor goals," said Turner in his latest interview on the official site.
"And that followed on quickly from last Saturday when to have conceded in the manner we did so late in the game was particularily galling.
"I thought Northampton were a bit powerful. They played quite well.
"But they were bad goals to concede. It's unforgivable, defending like that."
In the same interview Turner spoke about the refereeing of the game and the disallowed Hereford goal.
"In all my years in football it is one of the most bizarre decisions I've come across.
"Clearly no offence took place. We've watched it on the DVD. We've watched it in some motion. We are absolutely dumfounded as to the reasons why having given the goal - the linesman never signaled for any offence - that they got their heads together and conspired to come up with a decision that ruled out the goal.
"I'd like to know what their skipper said to the referee."
435 Take Up Bury Ticket Offer
Bury have released details of quite who took up their offer to season ticket holders of other clubs.
They offered £5 admission to see them play Shrewsbury last Friday, and 435 season ticket holders from other clubs took up the offer. Heading the list were Man City and Man Utd fans with Bolton, Burnley, and Blackburn also well represented, while 29 Accrington fans also took the offer as well as 18 from Rochdale.
There were also 12 Mansfield fans, with a blank weekend due to FA Trophy ties, and one from Borussia Dortmund. The offer produced an attendace 600 above their average, and 1500 over the attendances for the home matches played immediately before and after.
Salisbury welcome at Yeovil
It's often the practice of football managers to blame the referee when things go wrong.
Yet, last night at Edgar Street, one had to have some sympathy with the Hereford United manager John Trewick when he was sent to the stand by referee Graham Salisbury after appearing not to think much of his performance.
Firstly there was the disputed goal, then a number of decisions that perhaps with another referee might have gone the way of the Bulls.
Next Saturday Salisbury is set to referee the League One match between Yeovil Town and MK Dons.
Ciderspace has posted a few paragraphs about Salisbury and in general they appear quite pleased with the way he has officiated matches involving Yeovil admittedly only away from home.
'Hence five matches, and five good performances from the Lancashire official, so hopefully that run can continue. Finally after skirting around Bristol and Swindon, he will make his first ever visit to Huish Park - hopefully his 'home form' is as good as his away form.'
Their comments simply show that in football referees, just like players and managers, can have games when they don't get everything right. They are only human.
And the referee last night can't be blamed for either of the two Northampton goals which at the end of the match was what separated the two teams.
News Round Up
Contrary to yesterday's confident press conference, the Telegraph claims Notts County are to seek a CVA to defer their debts with negotiations ongoing with 263 creditors. The paper says the previous £4.5million debt pile is now £6.7million after accountants completed their investigation. They have agreed to pay the taxman £324,000 up front to avert their latest court date, with additional £50,000 payments each month to catch up with their backlog of payments.
Dagenham are to sign Plymouth midfielder Yoann Folly on loan for the rest of the season. He has played around 100 times in the Championship for a quartet of sides. Walsall's sub-3000 gate last night was their worst League crowd in 13 years. Former Bulls keeper Peter Mellor, who spent the 77/78 season at Edgar Street, has become the National Technical Director for USL, the organisation operating the league structure under MLS in the US. Mellor is credited with literally writing the coaching manual that has made US football a serious world force.
Accrington went as far as asking fans to bring patio heaters to the club in an attempt to thaw the pitch for last night's postponed match with Burton. Burton have signed former Accrington midfielder Romauld Boco on a deal until the end of the season. The Benin international left Stanley under a cloud, citing racial abuse, and went on to play in Ireland.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Trewick's Thoughts on Being Sent to the Stands
Hereford United manager John Trewick was sent to the stands last night during the game against Northampton.
"I thought I was behaving in a reasonable fashion," Trewick told the Sun.
"But I was sent off for making a comment to my assistant about decisions not going for us.
"It wasn't directed at the fourth official, the linesman or the ref and I didn't swear so I am a bit non-plussed."
Meanwhile in his interview with BBC Hereford and Worcester Trewick talked about the 'controversial incident' early in the first half.
"There was an explanation given to me which I couldn't quite understand at the time and it seemed to effect us.
"I can't understand why I was sent to the stand. I had a few questions to ask at the time and the fourth official for some reason was getting into my hair.
"He was very very loud at the time saying get back, sit down, shut-up.
"I was behaving in a reasonable fashion.
"I was sent to the stand for just making a general comment to Tony Ford about it was a disgrace, we never seem to have any decisions go for us.
"It wasn't directed at him. It wasn't directed at the linesman. It wasn't directed at the referee. I didn't swear.
"I think he decided he had it in for me and made a point.
"I'm a bit non-plussed about why it happened."
Finally in another interview Trewick said he was commenting to Tony Ford about every decision which appeared to him to be going Northampton's way.
"The fourth official decided he was going to take some action.
"I'm at a loss why I was sent to the stands."
COBBLERS AT EDGAR STREET
John Trewick’s anger after the astonishing turnaround on Saturday resulted in extra training on Sunday, we were led to believe. A meagre crowd at Edgar Street this evening endured a dire game, and could be forgiven for thinking that any additional preparation that took place had not been of any benefit. After a setback in the very first minute, the Bulls showed little creative flair, were comprehensively outfought by Northampton, and looked hesitant and nervous in defence. Trewick’s frustration was taken out on a poor referee who sent him to the stands for one verbal outburst too many, though it should be recorded that this was certainly the only evidence of passion from anyone connected with the home side.
As the mercury plummeted, the game’s first minute brought the main talking point of the night. James McQuilkin shot at goal and the effort was heading wide until Lee Morris, back in favour, stuck out a foot to divert the ball into the net. Cue celebrations, the players, the ball and referee Mr Salisbury all returning to the centre circle for the restart. Enter the villain of the piece, one Mr Turner (no, not that one, but the gentleman with the yellow flag). He had not yet made an indication that he wished to offer any “assistance”, but now belatedly realised that Morris had been offside. Mr. S. escorted across by the visiting players for a brief chin-wag ,the goal is duly chalked off and play resumes with a free kick.
Relieved by their early escape, the Cobblers started to exert pressure. Billy McKay, Liam Davis and Adebayo Akinfenwa showed good understanding and started to create openings. Akinfenwa’s considerable bulk brought some unkind comments, but he was proving tricky to shake off the ball. One clever turn, just before the half hour, finished with a neat lay off to McKay, whose low shot from 20 yards found the net, with Adam Bartlett not reacting quickly enough to prevent the opening goal. Hereford offered only a shot and turn from Leon Constantine in response. Indeed, the visitors always looked more likely to score, with Bartlett called on to make a couple of smart saves, and Kenny Lunt and Ryan Valentine making good blocking tackles. Ryan Green, back from injury, also cleared well under pressure.
HT: HUFC 0 NORTHAMPTON TOWN 1
Highlights from the second half were depressingly few and far between. Morris fell as he darted between two defenders, but calls for a penalty fell on deaf ears. Lunt then found Morris whose attempt to curl it in at the far post was blocked. Marc Pugh made a couple of promising runs, but the final pass was lacking in accuracy. Constantine crossed to Morris who shot wide. The paucity of entertainment on offer was not helped by an infuriatingly inept performance from the referee, who never really recovered from the farcical opening scenes. Northampton dealt easily with any threat from the Bulls, who showed little spirit or commitment.
Midway through the half, the game was over as a contest. Bartlett came out for the ball, and a lack of communication and a moment’s hesitation allowed Akinfenwa to nip in and steal it. It may seem unlikely that someone of his demeanour would be able to “nip”, but this is precisely what he did! He then rolled it into the unguarded net, with Jones in vain pursuit. The remaining twenty minutes or so were painful to watch, and indeed a record low crowd was further depleted by the final whistle due to a significant number of early departures. Mathieu Manset had the ball in the net, but was about ten yards offside, Northampton were content with their night’s work and wasted as much time as they could get away with (lots), and the home fans were aware that even an added 45 minutes would not lead to a Hereford goal. The 5 minutes that were actually announced only served as further punishment.
FT: HUFC 0 NORTHAMPTON TOWN 2
Attendance: 1266 including 102 from Doc Martenland.
HUFC: Bartlett, Valentine, Jones, Green, Lowe, Pugh, Lunt, McQuilkin, McCallum, Morris (Done 74), Constantine (Manset 74).
NORTHAMPTON: Lumley, Rodgers (Herbert 88), Johnson, Hinton, Beckwith, Curtis, Gilbert, Osman, Davis (Dyer 84), Akinfenwa (Harris 72), McKay.
Sampson delighted with three points
Northampton manager Ian Sampson has given his views on this evening's game at Edgar Street.
"I was pleased with the performance and we showed a lot more professionalism to see the game out," he said.
"We were tight when we didn't have the ball, we worked on that in training on Monday and we're delighted to come away with the three points.
"The incident early on in the game where Hereford scored was quite bizarre but their player was definitely off-side. I think the fourth official and Craig Hinton said something to the referee and thankfully they came to the correct decision.
"I thought the players that came into the team did well and it's good to have that competition for places.
"Hopefully this is the start of another good run for us and we are aiming to get into the play-offs. That is a tough ask but all we can do is just try and have another good run and if we can do that then we will see where that takes us."
Ex-Bull Watch
Tamika Mkandawire scored the equaliser as Leyton Orient drew at Gillingham. Robbie Threlfall scored the second as Bradford won at Rochdale. John McCombe scored for Port Vale as they demolished Lincoln.
Stats from Edgar Street
Below are the main stats from this evening's match at Edgar Street where Hereford United lost 2-0 to Northampton Town.
Possession: Bulls 57% Cobblers 43%
Shots on Target: Bulls 6 Cobblers 8
Shots off Target: Bulls 3 Cobblers 2
Corners: Bulls 5 Cobblers 4
Fouls: Bulls 4 Cobblers 9
Cards: A yellow card for Ryan Valentine and manager John Trewick was sent to the stands.
Attendance: 1266 with 104 following Northampton
Bottom of League Two:
16 Bradford 30 -6 37
17 Barnet 32 -9 36
18 Hereford 31 -9 35
19 Lincoln City 32 -20 33
20 Macclesfield 30 -9 32
21 Cheltenham 31 -13 31
22 Torquay 32 -6 29
23 Grimsby 32 -22 24
24 Darlington 28 -39 15
Results Round Up
Rochdale's 3-1 home loss to Bradford meant Bournemouth cut their lead at the top to two points with a 3-0 win over Barnet. Bury hold third with a goalless draw with Morecambe, with Rotherham and Shrewsbury drawing 1-1 last night to hold fifth and sixth respectively. Dagenham beat fading Aldershot 3-2 to move within two points of the play-offs.
Down the bottom Grimsby remain five points short of Torquay, and safety. The Mariners drew 1-1 with Macclesfield while the Gulls drew 1-1 at Cheltenham. Port Vale hammered Lincoln 4-0 to push the Imps' goal difference to -20.
In the Conference Oxford moved six points clear at the top with a 2-0 win over AFC Wimbledon.
Record Low Attendance For Bulls
The lowest gate of the Bulls' Football League tenures saw a limp display as Northampton ran out comfortable 2-0 winners.
Two disallowed goals, the first given offside as the teams lined up for the restart, only papered over the gaping cracks of a side lacking in attacking ideas and with little confidence at the back. John Trewick showed the most fight of the Bulls on display, being sent to the stands for a number of vocal protests before aiming a kick at the woodwork in the Directors Box when another decision went against.
The paltry 1,266 gate, boosted by 102 Cobblers, had dropped well below that announced total by the time the game was concluded, with even the announcement of five minutes injury time at the end - a result of constant timewasting from the visitors - was booed far louder than the actual whistle.
Full report later.
Downing stays for Rest of Season
It has been confirmed that the loan spell of Paul Downing has been extended to the end of the season.
The young defender has impressed manager John Trewick since coming to Edgar Street late last month.
However Lateef Elford-Alliyu is returning to West Bromwich.
UPDATE: Downing missed this evening's game against Northampton as he is injured.
Magpies To Avoid Admin
Notts County say they will avoid Administration this season after a lengthy investigation into the club accounts.
With a court date to meet a tax bill on Wednesday the club have said they are confident, with talks with creditors ongoing, of avoiding Administration and have appointed Steve Cotterill as manager until the end of the season.
Cotterill has been out of work since leaving Burnley in 2007, and will keep caretaker boss Dave Kevan as his assistant after Kevan eventually turned down the main job himself. Cotterill's first game will be against the Bulls on Saturday.
The club have also reversed one of the decisions made by Munto Finance to boot Nottingham rugby club out of Meadow Lane. The two clubs had been in a bitter legal fight over the decision, with the Magpies ordered to pay £37,000 in legal costs that they had defaulted on, with the rugby club seeking sizable damaged.
The two clubs have now agreed a new seven year lease for the rugby club to stay at the ground, with the rugby side waiving the outstanding sums and claims for damages. They will also revenue-share income from the rugby games.
This Evening's League Two Fixtures
As at 1pm, at least one of this evening's League Two fixtures has been postponed and there is to be a pitch inspection at another.
The game at Darlington has been postponed because of a frozen pitch.
There is to be a pitch inspection at Accrington around 4pm to see if their game against Notts County can go ahead. Better news from Port Vale where it has been decided that a planned pitch inspection is not needed and their game against Lincon City should go ahead.
As regards this evening's game at Edgar Street, there is light snow is the area but as yet it is not causing any problems.
Accrington Stanley v Burton Albion
Aldershot v Dag & Red
Bournemouth v Barnet
Bury v Morecambe
Cheltenham v Torquay
Darlington OFF Notts County
Grimsby v Macclesfield
Hereford v Northampton
Port Vale v Lincoln City
Rochdale v Bradford
Update 4pm: Accrington game is off.
Meanwhile the wet snow that fell on Herefordshire earlier is clearing to showers. Tonight's game at Edgar Street is ON.
Grant Off To Oxford
Ex-Bull John Grant has left Aldershot for Oxford on loan until the end of the season.
Grant joins up again with Chris Wilder, his former boss at Halifax where the pair lost out to the Bulls in the 2006 Conference play-off final. The move is likely to signal the end of Grant's League career after he admitted at the start of the season he was likely to quit the full-time game to move into youth work.
In other news, Notts County are expected to name Steve Cotterill as their interim manager during today's press conference according to morning press reports. The club face court on Wednesday over a £370,000 tax debt and will make a full announcement regarding their future this afternoon.
Meanwhile Darlington's match with the Magpies this evening has fallen to the weather, with snow making the pitch unplayable. Accrington's game with Burton is also subject to an inspection at 4pm.
The Future of Edgar Street
The future of Edgar Street as a football ground is more secure now than for anytime since the Bulls faced relegation into the Conference in the mid-Nineties. That's the inference from Hereford United Chairman Graham Turner's comments included with the annual accounts just released.
"The long term future of the club at Edgar Street is in the process of being secured with the prospect of a new long lease for a reduced footprint of the ground," said Turner
"A new 1500 seater stand with all the ancillary facilities spectators expect from modern day stadia will be built and should be operational early in the 2010/2011 season, this is subject to a grant from the Football Foundation with the club itself providing substantial finance towards the overall cost.
"This will be the first phase of the redevelopment at both ends of the ground.
"Outside of the new footprint of the football facilities a commercial development will be built in which we will retain an interest.
"A joint venture agreement is in the process of being finalised with the Richardsons Developers which will see our long term debt to them accounted for, and new income streams for the club from commercial development.
"Further into the future the phase which will include development at the Merton Meadow End will provide the club with a new stand and spectator facilities at that end.
"The objective of a capacity of over 7,000 is achievable as part of te joint venture agreement."
Turner Comments on Accounts
Hereford United chairman Graham Turner has commented on the annual accounts which has just been released.
Whilst profits are well down Turner stressed that the Board of Directors are determined to ensure the long-term viability of the club.
"For the sixth consecutive season a profit, albeit very modest one this year, was achieved.
"At a time when so many Premiership and Football League Clubs are struggling with their finances we continue to buck the trend."
Turner and the Board beleive the future is secure.
"To sum up, the club is capable of trading profitably; a new long term lease will provide security of tenure, the debt to the Richardsons settled, two new stands and new income stremms leads the Board of Directors to believe that the club will be in great shape to progress on and off the field and that the long term future of the club looks very bright."
£26,899 Profit for Bulls
Hereford United made a profit of £26,899 in the year to May 31st 2009. That compares with a profit of £408,647 the previous, promotion season.
To have made a profit at a time when other clubs are showing large losses is a credit to the club but it has come at a cost - relegation back to League Two.
In essence the League One year turnover was disappointing, down from £2.386,228 to £2,023,657. However costs were contained with wages and salaries at £1,118,456 slightly down compared with the previous season.
One of the reasons for the drop in profit was reduced income from transfers out £131,587 compared with £269,139. Another reason was the cost of loan players. Last season their cost was £262,146 against £118,989 in 2008.
But the biggest different in the accounts is the substantial drop in gate income - £580,328 which is down from £994,551. That's a drop of over £400,000. Whilst this is balanced somewhat by an increase in season ticket income, up £104,000 and Football League income, up £140,000 it does show the importance of getting supporters through the turnstiles.
Sampson Wants Revenge
Northampton boss Ian Sampson wants revenge on the Bulls for the pasting his side got at Sixfields in December.
Speaking to their official site he said: "Hereford are a decent team and they gave us a bit of a pasting here just before Christmas so I suppose we go there looking for a bit of revenge. Both Hereford and ourselves threw away leads on Saturday so I would expect the game on Tuesday night to be quite tight.
"I think we have come a long way as a team in the last couple of months and we are definitely a much better footballing team now than we were when we played Hereford in early December. The league table never lies and at this point in time the teams above us in the league are better than us but if we can get on another run then I'm sure we can move up the table.
"Time is running out on us a little bit now so we need to start another run as quickly as possible and hopefully we will do that at Hereford."
Sampson will have to decide who will replace the suspended Ryan Gilligan, who picked up a two game ban for ten bookings on Saturday, while fellow midfielder Liam Davis is hoped to be fit enough to complete 90 minutes.
Ex-Bull Steve Guinan will be one of three others to definitely miss the game along with Andy Holt and Chris Dunn, who had a knee operation to clear out cartilage damage.
Monday, February 22, 2010
News Round Up
Notts County are to make an announcement about their financial state on Tuesday afternoon. At the last count the Magpies were £4million in debt and needing £2.5million to finish the season, with the accountants finding new debt every day. Macclesfield man John Rooney, youngest brother of Wayne, is on trial with Derby County.
Crewe are giving a trial to Lancaster striker Jordan Connerton. The 19 year old has also interested Rochdale after scoring 30 times for the Unibond side this term. Southend are reported to have still not paid January's wages, more than three weeks after they were due. Kidderminster have drawn Stevenage in the semi final of the FA Trophy. Salisbury will face Barrow or York in the other tie.
The vote to expel Chester from the Conference will be made on Friday, starting at 11am. 24 of the 31 available votes will be needed to kick them out, with the other 23 Conference sides having a vote each and eight more votes from the North and South leagues.
Barrel Scraping continues at Cheltenham
In a season that has seen CB Cheltenham Town lurch from a managerial gardening crisis to the dizzy heights of capturing their star player from nearby Bishops Cleeve, we now hear that a last ditch effort is being made to improve the quality of football currently being served up at Whaddle Road.
Blue Square North outfit, Gloucester City, are being enticed to The Abbey Stadium from their current temporary base at Cirencester Town to add flair and finance to an otherwise depressing season.
Gloucester, who lost their Meadow Park ground to the floods of two years ago, are still hopeful of returning their home City within two years.
Bulls 7/4 To Beat Cobblers
The Bulls are a best price 7/4 to beat Northampton at Edgar Street tomorrow night.
The bookies are split as to who the favourite for the game is, but the majority of bookies favour the Bulls with the Cobblers available at a slightly longer 15/8. The draw is 12/5.
Cobblers' forward Adebayo Akinfenwa, top scorer of those likely to be on the pitch tomorrow with 12 goals, heads the first goalscorer charts at 6/1 with Leon Constantine while Gavin McCallum is 13/2.
Threlfall Off To Bradford
Former Bulls loanee Robbie Threlfall has joined Bradford on loan for a month.
The 21 year old had a month at Northampton at the start of the season, only starting one of four League games, and had a injury hit spell at Stockport at the end of last season after his two stints at Edgar Street.
The Bulls entertain Bradford on March 20th, with Threlfall likely to be in the Bantams squad for the game alongside fellow ex-Bull Stephen O'Leary.
Preview: Bulls vs Northampton
The Bulls entertain Northampton Town on Tuesday night for the final of three home games in a week.
After losing both games last season to the Cobblers, the Bulls have a chance to record their first double of the season this term. The 3-1 win at Sixfields remains the Bulls' only League away win of the season, with goals from Darren Jones, Mathieu Manset, and Craig King - none of whom have scored in the eleven games since. Overall, the Bulls have not won any of the last four matches between the two sides at Edgar Street and have to go back to 1996 when the original Tony James scored for the Bulls.
After gifting the points to Burton on Saturday the Bulls will be aiming for three points on Tuesday night to compensate the fans. With set piece frailties again exposed fans were left wondering quite how fit Ryan Green is if he was able to sit on the bench at the weekend. He is needed to calm what is otherwise a defensive line that is very short of League experience, with only Ryan Valentine having been a regular for a full League season from the defensive line deployed on Saturday.
After the Bulls visited Sixfields the Cobblers went on a superb run of form that they seemed incapable of during that 3-1 defeat. An eleven match unbeaten run followed that boosted them into play-off contention, but they come to Edgar Street with back to back losses to Crewe and Aldershot and conceding three goals in each game. The Cobblers picked up a misconduct charge from the FA for their Aldershot performance, and had five players booked at Crewe so they'll certainly be up for the fight for points. Literally. Ex-Bull Steve Guinan hasn't started a game since the Bulls won due to injury, and is unlikely to feature on Tuesday.
Hereford United vs Northampton Town, Edgar Street, Tuesday 23rd February, 7.45pm.
A Trip to Milan for a Robin
There's little doubt Cheltenham Town are desperate for money. Why else would they have started a promotion for supporters to purchase season tickets for the next campaign which doesn't start for six months.
The Robins are even offering the chance to win a trip to Milan for the first 250 supporters who take up their offer.
It's debatable whether the trip is full of fun and enjoyment as it includes a visit to the Errea factory which produces the Robins Home shirt.
Milan is usually regarded as an 'international and cosmopolitan city' with some wonderful examples of architecture. It is home to the La Scala, considered one of the most prestigious operahouses in the world.
It is also regarded as one of the fashion capitals of the world with companies like Valentino, Gucci, Versace, Prada, Armani and Dolce & Gabbana.
Nevertheless, despite these attractions, it's the Errea factory for the lucky Cheltenham supporters.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Stansfield has Cartilage Surgery
Former Hereford United striker Adam Stansfield has recently had surgery for a cartilage problem and his manager Paul Tisdale has admitted that being without him will make life difficult as the Grecians try to stay in League One.
"Adam is a quick healer, and fingers crossed he will be back as soon as possible," said Tisdale.
"He is in a rich vein of form, so let's hope he gets back to playing at that level when he returns.
"I think he has been at his best since I've known him. He is playing better now than he did in the Conference, which may be a surprise to a few people. He has improved and is still improving and to lose him is a big loss – but these things go in cycles and the next man must take his place."
Stansfield has scored nine goals for Exeter this season to date.
Salisbury to Referee Northampton Match
Graham Salisbury from Lancashire is set to referee tomorrow evening's League Two game between Hereford United and Northampton Town.
He has not been in charge of a game at Edgar Street since the first Friday in September 2008 when the Bulls played Swindon. Bradley Hudson-Odio scored for the home team in the 1-1 draw.
To date this season Salisbury has officiated in 25 games. In them he has given out 46 yellow and 4 red cards.
News Round Up
Chester are now claimed to be on the verge of being sold to a Danish consortium. Palle Rasmussen and the Chester projekt.dk consortium are the claimed bidders with Stephen Vaughan jnr telling the press they plan to defer payments to creditors until June 2011 despite the Conference telling them they had to meet tax and footballing debts within seven days.
City Fans United have met with the Danes, and released a statement saying they had no money to pay creditors and no business plan and had been asked to withdraw from bidding as CFU would not support them. Vaughan also tells the press that former Chester boss Mark Wright and his ex-Liverpool pal Jan Molby both had a hand in setting up the deal through a PR company owned by Wright.
Barnet striker Paul Furlong spent three hours in hospital after Saturday's win at Port Vale after being struck in the face by the ball, and will discover this week whether he had broken anything once the swelling goes down. Dagenham boss John Still will undergo surgery this week for a gall bladder operation after he was taken ill on Friday night.
Lincoln defender Adam Watts will miss most of the rest of the season after breaking a leg on Saturday. He is due to have surgery on Monday to pin the joint. Tales of more non-league clubs overspending - Eastwood Town, new home of Mat Bailey, is claimed to have a £10,000 a week budget which is somewhere on a par with Accrington, while Staines have plans to go full time on gates averaging just 455 this season.
My Son Saw My Goal
Former Hereford United defender Tony James who turned down a move back to Edgar Street earlier this month was delighted to score the winning goal against the Bulls yesterday.
"Everyone could see from my reaction that I really enjoyed scoring that goal," said James.
"I think it is the first time I have scored with a header, and I felt fantastic.
"My son was in the grandstand and had never seen me score before, so it was brilliant for him as well."
Ex-Bull Watch
John Eustace scored Watford's second in the first minute of injury time as they drew at Scunthorpe, but Gary Hooper scored twice with his second in the fifth minute of injury time. Both men were also booked. Darren Dennehy has extended his loan at Gillingham, who have ended Tristan Plummer's loan after a month and just two games, as he kept Josh Gowling out of the side in their win over Bristol Rovers.
Lionel Ainsworth only managed a seven minute sub appearance as Brentford lost at Walsall, although Toumani Diagouraga played the whole match. Alan Connell scored a late equaliser for Bournemouth as they drew with Macclesfield. Moses Ashikodi scored as Ebbsfleet won at Gateshead.
Downing's Loan Deal to be Extended?
The two young West Bromwich loanees, Paul Downing and Lateef Elford-Alliyu, who joined Hereford United in January on one month loan deals are set to return to the Hawthorns shortly.
The deal was made public on Monday January 25th but it is not known when the FA was informed, which could mean that they may be able to stay a few days longer before their month is up.
Elford-Alliyu played for the Bulls at Port Vale on January 30th. However Downing didn't feature until the following game which was against Lincoln on February 2nd.
At present it looks as though both will be available for Tuesday's game against Northampton and probably next Saturday's game at Notts County.
Sources close to the club has suggested that John Trewick will ask West Bromwich if the loan of Downing can be extended until the end of the season. The youngster has partnered Darren Jones in the heart of the Hereford United defence.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
BULLS LOSE SEVEN GOAL THRILLER
Conceding an early goal, but then fighting back to lead 3-1, the Bulls then pressed the self-destruct Burton and allowed the visitors to snatch an unlikely victory deep into stoppage time. Manager John Trewick was not pleased by the late capitulation, the concession of unnecessary free kicks and the inability to deal with crosses, and hinted that mass detentions in the form of extra training may be the order of tomorrow.
In a fairly even first half, the home side created one or two early openings, with goal machine Gavin McCallum latching onto a pass from Leon Constantine only to be adjudged offside. The Canadian then went on a fine run before shooting wide, and a cross from Ryan Valentine was cleverly chested back by Marc Pugh, and on this occasion, McCallum’s effort was deflected for a corner. At the other end, Cleveland “Ohio” Taylor beat two defenders before firing high wide and none too handsome. With 9 minutes played, Burton then took the lead. Darren Jones misjudged the flight of a speculative punt upfield, Greg Pearson was quick to take advantage and sent in a low cross which was expertly turned home by the prolific Shaun Harrad.
Paul Downing’s trip on Taylor gave the Brewers a free kick in a promising position, but Harrad’s shot was straight at Adam Bartlett. The pairing then created another chance with some neat control and a ball which evaded all and sundry on its path across the six-yard box. As suddenly as the opposition had taken the lead, the Bulls then produced an equaliser. 28 minutes had elapsed when Matty Done sped down the left flank and swept the ball into the path of Pugh, whose shot from the edge of the penalty area appeared to take a slight deflection on its way past Artur Krysiak in the Burton goal. Half chances came at both ends, but no more goal action, and little hint of the drama to come as Mr.Jones, slumming it from the Premiership, blew for half time.
HT: HUFC 1 BURTON ALBION 1
Hereford emerged with renewed vigour after the break. Constantine should have set McCallum up but underhit his pass, Pugh turned cleverly but was hauled back by Aaron Webster, Kenny Lunt had one long range shot blocked, and little Jimmy McQuilkin was terrier like in the tackle and insightful in his distribution. On 55 minutes, the pressure brought its reward. Encouraged to shoot, Lunt let fly from 25 yards. Again a deflection wrongfooted Krysiak, although it seemed doubtful that he would have had a chance to save such a powerful shot..
Ryan Valentine made an over lapping run down the left, and Done’s return pass was accurate. The defender was not able to get his cross in. Then the Bulls scored their third of the afternoon, in a bizarre period of play inside the Albion box. Suffice it to say that no defender seemed able or willing to clear, none of the Bulls attackers could get a shot in, and the football spent a full 30 seconds randomly bouncing about in a pinball-like manner, or perhaps attempting to model Brownian motion. Eventually, the shin of McQuilkin diverted it over the line. 3-1 to the Bulls, half an hour to go, and game over?
Or perhaps not. From the restart, Taylor was allowed time and space and his neat effort found the corner of the net. Mcquilkin made a rapid foray into enemy territory, but chose a long range shot, not really his forte. As the action continued thick and fast, Burton were awarded a free kick for handball on the edge of the Bulls penalty area. The inevitable happened. Taylor crossed, and before the defence could react, Webster headed the equaliser.
The game continued at a frenetic pace, with almost any final score a distinct possibility. Richard Walker, a Burton sub, had two clear openings, and the home side also threatened. Gwynne passed out wide to Lee Morris whose terrific cross found Mathieu Manset’s head. Krysiak parried, the ball fell to Pugh, but the keeper beat away his effort in a marvellous double save. Manset then had a golden opportunity to restore his side’s lead. Looking to be offside, no flag was forthcoming, but the striker somehow failed to finish the job.
Four minutes of added time were announced. In a promising Bulls attack, a foul was awarded when Krysiak appeared to be impeded by one of his team-mates, and a second yellow card saw the dismissal of Webster. As the breathless encounter entered the very last stages, and with nearly 96 minutes elapsed, disaster struck. Pugh did well to chase back, but brought down Keith Gilroy on the touchline. Gilroy took the kick, and there to meet it was the head of, irony of ironies, one Tony James. The ex- Bull, who Hereford had recently failed to tempt back to Edgar Street, had finally settled an amazing, and ultimately frustrating game. 17th place- our spiritual home!
FT: HUFC 3 BURTON ALBION 4
Attendance: 2253 including 310 Brewers.
HUFC: Bartlett, Valentine, Downing, Jones, Lunt, Pugh, McQuilkin, Gwynne, Done, McCallum (Morris 76), Constantine (Manset 76).
Burton: Krysiak, Webster, James, Corbett, Parkes, McGrath, Phillips (Gilroy 61), Maghoma, Taylor (Boertin 94), Harrad, Pearson (Walker 61).
Peschisolido – “We were out of it”
Speaking to Bulls News after the win at Edgar Street this afternoon, Brewers manager Paul Peschisolido admitted he didn’t expect anything from the game.
“Thirty minutes to go and 3-1 down, we were out of it and we were poor. Defensive mistakes from both sides. I put two subs on but in truth, it didn’t affect the game, we were still poor. There was some irony to the winning goal.”
The Brewers Chief also spoke to BBC Radio Derby "It was a bit nerve-wracking really. We didn't perform well at all and we didn't deserve to win today.
"I don't remember (the winning goal) I was running up and down and jumping around like a fool, so I can't quite remember.
"In fairness from performances today he (Tony James) was the only one that stood out for me. I thought he played very well and it was nice for him to score a goal against his old club."