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With the news that Sir Alex is to retire, BN looks back to 1990 when he brought Manchester United to Hereford.
If only Hereford United had defeated Man United
Sir Alex Ferguson has now been at Old Trafford for over twenty years but it might not have been anywhere near as long had Hereford United defeated Manchester United in the FA Cup on January 28th 1990.Fergi had to take his team to Edgar Street to face Hereford United in the fourth round of the FA Cup. At the time he was under pressure as his side were sliding down the First Division. Some of his expensive squad were not performing and as ever the buck stops with the manager.
"He takes his side into tomorrow's tie at Hereford knowing that his tenure will probably go the way of the Government's Football Spectators Bill should the League's 88th-placed team prove victorious." wrote Phil Shaw in the Independent.
Team captain Bryan Robson revealed before the game that United were wary of going to Edgar Street. They had defeated Notts Forest in the previous round.
"It's cup final to them and it's sure to be tough," said Robson.
"On paper this looks easier than playing Forest away, but you never know when you go to these lower league clubs."
On the day of the game, Sunday January 28th 1990, the pitch was awful after days of rain and the Bulls held their visitors until the 84th minute of the game when Clayton Blackmore scored the only goal of the game.
"Being drawn against a little club can be a nightmare. When we won the FA Cup in 1990 we played Hereford United on a quagmire of a pitch," Ferguson wrote in a column later that year.
"There was an incredible extravaganza with marching bands and a big bull - the Hereford emblem - out on the pitch.
"There was a sell-out crowd, tickets changing hands on the black market and of course television - they hadn't seen so many cameras since they beat Newcastle in the FA Cup in 1972.
"So our visit made it a big day for them.
"It was so wet that the car park was flooded and some cars were marooned for days.
"We only won with a goal in the final minutes."
13,777 watched the game.
Hereford United: Elliott, Jones MA, Devine, Hemming, Peacock, Pejic, Jones M, Narbett, Robinson, Benbow, Tester.
Relive the game with YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyMSCXBKZ0A
