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Occasional contributor Chloecat gives her thoughts on the season:
The season finished for me on Saturday where it started – on 21st July 2012 I was at the pre-season friendly at St George’s Lane, Worcester and last Saturday I was at the final ever game there.
I must admit Saturday’s game was the more entertaining of the two, Worcester conceded a sloppy goal early on, but had the better of the chances in the first half and certainly were the better side in the second after Chester were reduced to 10 men just before the break. Some good goal keeping and poor finishing meant Chester ended up 1-0 winners, but I expected more of the side that had stormed the Conference North and on Saturday’s viewing, they may find the Conference a tad harder. Why was I there at all? Well with our season finishing so ridiculously early and with the prospect of no live competitive football for months, there was the opportunity to be at an historic if slightly sad end of an era sporting occasion. St George’s Lane was somewhat dilapidated, but I’d far rather visit an old ground with a bit of character and history, than a modern barn of a place such as Shrewsbury’s new ground any day of the week.
Listening to the locals around me, there seemed little enthusiasm for the prospect of travelling to Kidderminster for games and I just hope Worcester City can get their act together soon and sort out their new stadium. I actually visited the ground 3 times last year, I was in the city when they played Workington and unable to get to Lincoln where Hereford were playing I saw the next best thing – a former Hereford player get his first goal for Worcester – Tyler Weir – who had a good game on Saturday as well.
So to Hereford’s season and in the end I think we did as well as we could under the increasingly worrying circumstances. Personal highlights – the win over Shrewsbury obviously, the away trip to Cheltenham, the first half against Ebbsfleet at home showed what could have been if we’d kept a fit squad, and the chips at Ebbsfleet were really good – yes I am struggling. Because even though we finished well, it’s been a season of what might have been. At times we’ve looked really good, and have scored some cracking goals, but there have also been some dreadful home performances – the games against Braintree, Barrow and Nuneaton stand out for all the wrong reasons and as for the away trip to Dartford – stuff of nightmares. I was only thankful I voted with my head for Trophy performance against Chelmsford, and not my heart – I’ve been there before and could tell this was an accident waiting to happen so I stayed in London.
But the most worrying thing of all has been the collapse of the home support. I feel some sympathy for the board, they’ve done so much to try and bring in the crowds – special offers, half and quarter season tickets, but scheduling the Dartford game against an important England fixture was just daft, couldn’t we have played that on the Wednesday? Even the games that should have brought forth good crowds didn’t – the most disappointing aspect of the Shrewsbury game was the size of the crowd, ditto against Wrexham and Newport, and at these games, it was the home contingent that was lacking. Looking back to the last time we were in the Conference, it wasn’t this bad. In all fairness a lot of Conference teams have smaller away followings so that doesn’t help in the overall picture of things. Finances are tight and the rise in prices this season, combined with the awful weather, and at times dismal performances at home haven’t exactly drawn the crowds in.
Every time I look at the internet the club’s circumstances seem to worsen, and obviously we are not the only ones in trouble. Through the leagues from the problems at Bury, the meteoric fall of Portsmouth and the difficulties at Aldershot and Ebbsfleet – a lot of clubs are feeling the pinch.
We’ve been there before but it seems worse this time somehow. All this gloom and doom will do nothing for player recruitment, with our current crop waiting for their April salaries. Who will want to sign for a club which can’t guarantee paying them at the end of the month? The early finish to the season hasn’t helped – why on earth did the Conference play its last games on 20th April? We can’t be the only Conference team looking at a long summer with no football related income until 10th August. I’ve paid for next year’s season ticket already – I had the money available and reckoned the club needed the £180 more than I did, not that my £180 will go that far, but hopefully enough people will be able to do the same to ensure come 10th August we have a team to watch. Slightly worrying then to see the advice on Bulls News to pay by credit card just in case!
If we can keep a nucleus of the players offered contracts and those waiting to hear their fate, plus some new/old blood we could have a decent season, but with the financial situation, I somehow doubt many of them will sign up. There are familiar clubs back in the conference for us to visit and new grounds as well. It could be a great year – but only if we sort ourselves out financially and quickly.
An ever worried Chloecat
An ever worried Chloecat
