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The Bulls entertain Hythe Town in the First Round of the FA Cup on Saturday.
The two sides have never met in any competition. Hythe have beaten sides from both Conf South and the Ryman Premier plus four sides from the county leagues they inhabit so far in their cup run. Last term, the Bulls made it to Round Two with a 2-0 win over Sutton United, with Mathieu Manset scoring and getting sent off, before losing out to a last minute goal to Colchester. The Bulls will be hoping for more of a run like that in 07/08, when Leeds, Tranmere, and Hartlepool all fell before Cardiff edged the Fourth Round match.
The Bulls go into the match with a minor defensive crisis to deal with. Janos Kovacs' injury on Tuesday means there is no recognised central defender to partner Michael Townsend. Ryan Green or Richard Rose can cover the position, and the signing of Nicky Featherstone on loan suggests the latter may be the preferred choice. Featherstone, whose Hull days appear to be numbered after several years in the reserves, helped to improve things at Grimsby last season with the Mariners drawing seven of the eight games he played for the club.
Hythe travelled on Thursday to prepare for their first tilt at the 'proper' rounds of the FA Cup after making an estimated £30,000 from their cup run so far. They can make another £18,000 for the win and would probably pick up the bonus for the featured highlights if they pulled it off. It's been 54 years since a Kent League side made the first round when Ramsgate Athletic fell at the first hurdle. While the Bulls physio is currently the manager, Hythe's bag carrier is Debbie Bishop. She tells the Hythe website in an interview that her, ahem, 'boobs are fake'.
Hereford United vs Hythe Town, Edgar Street, Saturday 6th November, 3.00pm.
