Guardian looks at Hereford Cup-tie

In their FA Cup preview the Guardian looks at Hereford United/Hythe Town match.

Hereford v Hythe Town

Ronnie Radford returns to Edgar Street as one of the guests of honour for the visit of Hythe Town tomorrow. Hythe are the first side from the Kent League to make the FA Cup first round since Margate in 1957 and are playing their seventh tie in this season's competition, having defeated the likes of Epsom & Ewell, Concord Rangers and Staines Town to get here. The Cinque Port side had been on a run of seven successive wins before losing to Lordswood in the Kent League Cup on Saturday but their chairman, Paul Markland, remains bullish: "They're full-time professionals and we're part-time semi-amateurs, but the way the lads are playing at the moment I think they can give anybody a strong game on their day."

Hereford have a romantic tale of their own having looked as though they were well and truly sunk under the management of Simon Davey. The physio, Jamie Pitman, who played more than 200 games for the club, has stepped into the breach as caretaker manager and has been a spectacular success with two wins and three draws as the Bulls have moved out of the relegation spots. They have scored 13 times in those five games, having managed only four in their previous 10 in League Two. Guillem Bauzà, a former Spain Under-16 team-mate of Fernando Torres and Andrés Iniesta, has been the focus for the press before this game but Mathieu Manset and Stuart Fleetwood have arguably had more impact on United's revival.

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