Draw pleases Wolves boss

Wolves boss Dave Jones was at Edgar Street last night as his side drew 1-1 in a pre-season match with Hereford United.



Ex-Bull Keith Downing, now reserve team coach at Molinuex, dictated affairs for the Premiership side while half the squad played at Bristol Rovers.



Jones said: "It was a matter of getting the legs and lungs going. Keith (Andrews) has been out for four months so 45 minutes was enough for him. If we’d have been feeling kinder then 20 minutes would have done but we let him carry on. Matt (Murray) was struggling a bit with his back, but he still looked sharp."



"I was hoping we’d see a level of competition and I think we got it. I knew it would be quite a tough game because it was Hereford’s first pre-season match and their players were wanting to impress the manager."



"It was very hot out there, so that was a good test of the players’ fitness. The most important thing is that we had picked up no injuries and so now we’ll get everybody in the pool today as we start preparing for Wednesday’s game."



Matt Murray, who played the whole match in goal for Wolves, commented: "It was nice to get a full game in. I had hoped for a quiet one as I felt a bit stiff leading up to the game but I certainly didn’t get it. They were pretty lively."



"It was very hot for the lads but it wasn’t too bad for me because I don’t have as much running around to do. All in all I’d say Hereford provided a good test for us and we were happy with the result."



Graham Turner, the United boss, was hopeful that Wolves would be successful in retaining their Premiership status at the first attempt after May's promotion.



"I'm pleased for Wolves because I know just how much hard work has gone on behind the scenes there," he said. "I just hope they can stay in the Premiership this season because the first year is the hardest."

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Impressive start by Bulls

Last night's friendly with Wolves showed that the Bulls should be a force to be feared in the Conference this season.



Rob Purdie was judged to be man of the match. He looked fast and fit and his goal, provided by newcomer David Brown, must have left the Wolves defence wondering what had hit them.



Very close behind Purdie in the man of the match stakes must have been Michael Rose. He adapted well to new his role in the centre of the field. He had played in that position during the Semi-pro internationals in Wales last May and provided Turner can sort out a left back this looked an imaginative move.



David Brown, the striker brought in from Telford, had a reasonable game but was occasionally a little hesitant with his first touch. However his flick-on header which sent Purdie clear for his goal was very well done, as Brown had his back to Purdie and still managed to direct the ball straight into the attacker's path.



Of the trailists on show, full-back Gethin Jones impressed. He quickly got into the match and looked to read his game well. He looked pacy and not afraid to go into the tackle, and was able to head the ball and use both feet as well. Once of Cardiff, the defender featured just three times (all as a substitute) in 2000/01 after switching from League of Wales club Carmarthen Town, which is his home-town outfit. Aged just 21, Jones was released in May after Cardiff's promotion to Division One but was told that he would be welcomed back to Ninian Park had he not found another club. The early stages of 2002/03 were spent on-loan at Weymouth.



Other trailists included a forward known as Danny Bartram. He did not have enough time to show what he could do and hopefully will be given another chance to impress. Dean Craven came on as a left-sided player and again first impressions suggested he could do a job but again it must be hoped that he will play again.



Although not used, the reserve goalkeeper Lee Kendall has experience at various levels and most recently was Tony Pennock's understudy in the Welsh semi-professional squad that featuring in May's Four Nations Tournament. Kendall played in just one of the matches, when Wales lost 2-0 to Ireland, but was not to blame for either goal at his club ground, Haverfordwest County. Tony James missed that particular match, but Paul Parry featured. Born in Newport, Kendall has been on the books of Crystal Palace, Cardiff City and Shrewsbury Town.



The other trialists were locals Kevin Gwilliam and Daniel Moon. Both had a spell on the pitch but Turner will need to look at a few more trialists before deciding who to sign.

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McIndoe to leave Yeovil

The official Yeovil website has reported that Michael McIndoe has been transfer listed, two years after his move from Hereford United.



A statement released by the club said: "Unfortunately Michael McIndoe no longer wants to play at Yeovil Town Football Club. He believes it is time to move onto a higher standard. He is of the opinion that YTFC's current status is below his ability and thinks he should be playing first division football."



"We have reluctantly placed Michael on the transfer list and a fee will be required."



If McIndoe is sold, Hereford should receive 25% of any fee.

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Bulls draw first match

Hereford United drew 1-1 with Wolves in tonight's pre-season friendly. Rob Purdie put United into the lead after fifteen minutes, with Adam Proudlock equalising early in the second period.



Terry's report is here.

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Wolves 'names' included in friendly squad

Hereford United are likely to miss just Steve Guinan for tonight's pre-season friendly match against Wolves at Edgar Street, kick off 7.45pm.



Andy Tretton, Jordan King and Rob Purdie are all expected to be declared fit to play as Graham Turner aims to rotate his squad. Guinan is recovering from a knee operation, while it is anticipated that several trialists will feature.



The club have announced, through the official website, that season tickets are not valid for the pre-season matches, and it will cost adults £7 and children £3 to gain entry. Membership cards are available for £10 each from the main office.



Wolves have split their squad into two, with half playing at Edgar Street and the rest featuring in a friendly at Bristol Rovers. Dave Jones will manage their side, contrary to earlier suggestions, which is made up of first-team players and those from the reserve and youth sides.



'Names' including former Manchester United star Denis Irwin and ex-Sunderland player Alex Rae will feature at Edgar Street as will Mark Kennedy, once of Liverpool, Wimbledon and Manchester City, and a regular Irish international.



The Wolves squad to travel to Hereford is: Matthew Murray, Patrick Flynn, Paul Butler, Luke Bradley, Denis Irwin, Sammy Clingan, Alex Rae, Keith Andrews, Mark Kennedy, Adam Proudlock, Jimmi Lee Jones, Carl Ikeme, Michael Townsend, Kevin O’Connor, Matthew Watson, Leon Clarke, Lewis Gobern.

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All hands on deck for pre-season

After eleven weeks and two days, Hereford United restart their footballing activities as the 2003/04 pre-season friendlies get underway at Edgar Street tomorrow night.



The Bulls take on a Wolverhampton Wanderers XI, kick off 7.45pm, with the newly-promoted Premiership side splitting their squad into two as they also play Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Ground on the same night.



It is expected that Wolves boss Dave Jones will travel to Bristol, meaning their team at Edgar Street will be managed by Terry Connor, first team coach at Molineux.



Graham Turner, who managed Wolves between 1986 and 1994 and took them from Division Four to Division Two, is likely to miss Hereford striker Steve Guinan. Last season's top scorer is recovering from a knee operation, but defender Andy Tretton is likely to play after getting over a back injury picked up in training. New signing Jordan King and midfielder Rob Purdie are also doubts in a match expected to feature several trialists for the Bulls.

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Grant goes to Telford

John Grant released by Hereford United at the end of last season has been signed by Telford, reports the Shropshire Star.



Twenty-one-year-old striker Grant began his career at Crewe before being released in 2002 when he was snapped up by current Telford chief scout Ron Jukes for Hereford.



The pacy forward scored four goals for the Edgar Street outfit but after breaking his leg he found it difficult to claim a regular place in the team.



Delighted Telford manager Mick Jones said: "John is a big, strong striker who has got awesome power and bags of pace.



"He has been working in training with us over the last few days and has impressed us enough to give him a contract.



"The broken leg last season really set him back but he is fully over the injury now and we are hoping he will be able to rebuild his career with us," added the Bucks boss.



Jones refused to reveal the length of contract that Grant has signed.

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Very few morals at times

Losing two trialists to Telford is a disappointment, Graham Turner has told BBC Hereford & Worcester.



Justin Rowe and John Daniels trained with the Bulls last season but switched to Telford earlier this week for a pre-season trial.



"One in particular used us during the summer and worked with Tony Ford. They were due to come in on the first day of pre-season with us and then phone calls made us realise they were going into Telford. So we can knock them on the head. That's gone. If they don't get a contract at Telford, if they are not good enough for Telford they are certainly not good enough for us.



"So as far as we are concerned those two people have gone out the window.



"It's disappointing but I've been in it long enough to know that it happens. So that's an episode that we've taken care of them, they trained with us last season. We've looked after them. That's an episode that's over now. You write it down to even more experience.



"There's no love lost in football and there's certainly very few morals at times."

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2003-04 VP '200 Club' launched

Following a highly successful first season since its re-launch, the Hereford United Vice-Presidents "200 CLUB" has this week launched its 2003-04 competition.



A profit of over £500 was achieved last season, and this year its organisers are hoping to at least double that figure by attracting Hereford United supporters from all around the ground to take part in what is a very simple competition to enter.



Each supporter pays a one-off payment of £24 per entry, and is then automatically entered into a monthly draw in which the prizes are £50 for first, £25 for second and £10 for third. At the end of the season a Superdraw takes place in which one lucky winner collects a cheque for £500. You receive a membership card with confirmation of your draw number(s).



The idea proved popular last season, when predominantly it was targeted at Vice-Presidents and visitors to the various Hereford United web sites. This season, however, the net will be widened and organisers are hoping for maximum publicity to push the numbers up as far as possible.



If you would like more details and an entry form please email Jon Hale on jon.hale@tiscali.co.uk or ring (01684) 574800 (daytime).

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Hard pitches causes knocks

The hard ground has caused several Hereford United players to miss some training according to BBC Hereford and Worcester. Graham Turner says that he is resting those affected so as they will be fit for the Wolves friendly on Monday.



Andy Tretton with a slight back, Jordan King and Rob Purdie are being monitored.



"It is a long process, the pre-season training. The idea is to be fit for the first match of the season not to kill them at the moment so we just take it easy on one or two who are feeling slight knocks," said the manager.

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We will be okay

Graham Turner has told BBC Hereford and Worcester that he hopes to have the bulk of his squad finalised within the next seven days. Talks are understood to be continuing with several players. Although a number of players are training with league clubs, that is no guarantee of contract offers he suggested.



"They (the players) are not all going to be fixed up where they are training at the moment, particually those with a bit of experience. All of them want to stay in the league if they can and if they have been invited to train for a couple of days with a league club that's what they are doing.



"But over the next week or so I'm convinced that we will bring our squad up to strength and come the ninth of August we will be okay," said Turner.

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CVA to continue

Although there was an approach by Hereford United last year to try and clear the CVA (Company Voluntary Arrangement) with a 5p in the pound proposal which was rejected by the largest creditors, there has been no further progress to clear the CVA according to sources close to the club.



It had been suggested that the club might have raised their offer to 10p to try and get a settlement but HU-FC.co.uk has been told this afternoon that no such offer has been made.



The Supervisor of the CVA reported last February that the club and its joint venture partners,(Carillion and Richardson), are "continuing to pursue the issue of the developement of the company's trading premises. The success of the CVA and any further payments to the creditors are dependent upon the success or otherwise of the joint venture"



This arrangement is understood to be for ten years and if the venture is successful then the creditors would receive a further payment. The downside is that it looks as though the CVA and its restrictions on, for example, buying players could be around for some time to come.

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Telford snatch trialists

Justin Rowe and John Daniels have decided to have trials at Telford according to to the Hereford Times. HU-FC.co.uk had understood that they could be involved with the Bulls squad against Wolves next Monday and the club had made arrangement for the two players to have spent their pre-season at Edgar Street but it appears that the pair have decided to opt for Telford.



It has to be asked whether Ron Jukes, ex Hereford United chief scout, who just after his move to Telford told HU-FC.co.uk that would keep his shareholding in the Bulls should now reconsider this decision as he appears to have been involved with the trialist's move.



Steve Guinan may miss the opening friendly as he is still recovering from knee surgery.



Admission prices for the home friendlies have been announced. Adults will pay £7 and concessions £3.

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Chester still favourites to win Conference

There has been little change in the odds available to punters who fancy a flutter on next seasons Conference champions.



Skybet, Sportingbet, UK betting, Paddy Power, and Bet365 all have Chester as favourites to win at prices of either 4-1 or 9-2. Both Dagenham and Stevenage are also fancied mainly at 11-2 or 6-1 although UK betting puts the Daggers at 5-1.



Most companies rate Shrewsbury at around 8-1 and Morecambe at 9-1. Exeter can be had at 10-1.



Hereford United can now be had at odds of 14-1 on UK betting. The other companies have the Bulls at 16-1.Skybet were offering 20-1 against Hereford early in June.



These odds were available on-line today.





SKYBET



Chester 4/1

Dagenham 5/1

Stevenage 5/1

Shrewsbury 8/1

Exeter 10/1

Morecambe 10/1

Halifax 16/1

Hereford 16/1

Telford 16/1

Aldershot 20/1

Scarborough 20/1

Tamworth 20/1





SPORTINGBET





Chester 9/2

Dagenham & Redbridge 11/2

Stevenage 6/1

Shrewsbury 8/1

Morecambe 9/1

Exeter 10/1

Aldershot 16/1

Halifax 16/1

Hereford 16/1

Scarborough 20/1

Tamworth 20/1

Telford 20/1





UKBETTING



Chester 4/1

Dagenham & Redbridge 5/1

Stevenage Borough 6/1

Morecambe 15/2

Shrewsbury 9/1

Exeter 10/1

Hereford 14/1

Aldershot 14/1

Halifax 16/1

Scarborough 16/1

Tamworth 20/1





PADDYPOWER



Chester 9 - 2

Stevenage 11 - 2

Dagenham 6 - 1

Shrewsbury 15 - 2

Exeter 9 - 1

Morecambe 10 - 1

Hereford 16 - 1

Scarborough 16 - 1

Halifax 16 - 1

Aldershot 16 - 1

Tamworth 20 - 1

Telford 20 - 1





BET365





Chester City 9/2

Stevenage Borough 11/2

Dagenham & Redbridge 6/1

Shrewsbury Town 9/1

Morecambe 10/1

Exeter City 10/1

Aldershot Town 14/1

Hereford United 16/1

Halifax Town 16/1

Telford United 16/1

Tamworth 20/1

Scarborough 20/1

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Six days to Wolves friendly

The first friendly of the season is only six days away and with visitors Wolverhapton Wanderers expected to bring a team comprising a mixture of both experience and youth, it should be an enjoyable evening at Edgar Street next Monday. Kick-off is at 7.45pm.



Wolves have a busy pre-season schedule. As well as bringing a team to Hereford they are also due to play at Burton on the same evening.



This season will mark the return of Wolves to the Premiership and it is hoped that several of their big names will feature. New signing, Nigerian International Isaac Okoronkwo, could make his debut for the Wanderers after his arrival from Shakhtar Donetsk. Hopefully former Manchester United players Paul Ince and Denis Irwin could also make an appearence.



The Bulls are likely to have new several trialists on show but no names are available as yet. New signings David Brown and Jake King are expected to make their first appearances for the Bulls and both Justin Rowe and John Daniels from Grosvenor Park could be given an opportunity to impress.

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New rule open to interpretation

The 65% of turnover that can be spent on wages appears to be open to whatever interpertation a club puts on it.



The Nationwide Conference top officials are not prepared to make public what clubs have been asked to do to conform to this new rule. Although they have sent details to clubs and answered a few questions from the press, they have not released the rules in full.



When asked what turnover meant, they suggested that the average of the last two seasons turnover would suffice. This could be quite unfair to a club that has not had the TV cameras at its ground or have not been able to take advantage of a transfer fee or simply had a poor year with low gates as a result.



Questionaires have been sent to clubs requesting financial details by the Conference and these questionaires will be checked on their return. But it is down to the individual clubs what they include as turnover. It is unclear if a donation to a club would count for example.



The Conference should spell out the rules for fans to see. Keeping them under wraps only makes supporters question whether they will be fairly applied.



Meanwhile the Evening News has suggested that Graham Turner may be interviewing two potential signings today.

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Summer trips for Bulls' faithful

Hereford United have arranged three away pre-season friendlies this summer.



On Thursday 17th July, Hereford go to Grosvenor Park, who play in the Midland Alliance, and have close links with Hereford as players Justin Rowe and John Daniels are both training at Edgar Street during pre-season. Formerly known as Sutton Town, Grosvenor are based in Bloxwich, near Walsall, and last season finished in tenth place after promotion as champions from the Midland Combination in 2001/02.



To get to Grosvenor, exit the M6 at junction 10 and follow the 'Walsall Town Centre' route. Then take the A34 (after about three miles) to Bloxwich. The ground is on the A34 directly after the Four Crosses public house in Somerfield Road, and there is a clubhouse at their Red Lion ground. Grosvenor play in orange shirts with black trim.



A week later, on Thursday 24th, United make the trip to South Shropshire. Ludlow Town finished fifteenth in the Midland Alliance last season, five places below Grosvenor but have a rich history stretching back to 1890 and their most recent promotion came in 2000/01, when they moved up from the West Midlands League Premier Division. Ludlow have left their County Ground to move into their new home, the Corrs Stadium, after a spell playing at Shifnal Town. Hereford travel to Ludlow to officially open their new ground, which has cost around 1 million UKP. It is believed that all of the local community can use the facilities. The stadium is close to the by-pass and after the turning for Ludlow Racecourse - do not turn into the centre of town.



Ludlow's home colours are predominently red with black trim.



For a second consecutive year, Hereford make the short trip to Delahay Meadow, home of West Midlands League Premier Division club Bromyard Town. This time the match is played on a Saturday (July 26th), two days after the Ludlow game. The Herefordshire-based club finished in mid-table in the league last season as one of the county's poorer sides in a league that also boasts Westfields, Kington Town, Ledbury Town and Wellington.



Whether you enter the town on the A44 or A465, take the Stourport/Kidderminster B4203 road for half a mile. The ground is on the right through iron gates, adjacent to O'Malleys' Irish restaurant.

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FA Youth Cup

The draw for the Qualifying Rounds of the FA Youth Cup was made last week according to the Non-League Paper.



Hereford United's youth team have a home fixture against Cinderford Town in the first qualifying round. Should they win they will play either Yate Town or Worcester City again at home in the second qualifying round.



Further progress will mean an away tie against one of the following four clubs, Bournemouth, Wootton Bassett Town, Bitton or Christchurch.



Players have to be born on or after September 1st 1985 to qualify.

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The Clout of the Conference

After the news that the Conference is planning a link with the Footballers Football Channel comes another deal designed to promote the Conference.



This tie-up is with a car manufacturer and if agreed will provide each Conference club with a free people carrier for the coming season.The Non-League Paper suggests that the sponsorship could be worth £2 million.



Conference chief executive, John Moules, has called it "one of the biggest car deals ever done"



Assuming it is finalised it gives the Conference even more commmercial clout and should take its reputation to a new high in the football world.

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65% rule worrying Turner

Squad Budgeting is still worrying Hereford United manager Graham Turner. He can't reconcile the spending by some clubs on players wages with the new measure in place. Only 65% of turnover is allowed for wages according to new Conference rules. Whether some clubs are finding ways around the regulations is open to debate.



"We know how strong the Conference is going to be," Turner told BBC Hereford and Worcester.



"I have been amazed with this squad budgeting that's going about the sort of players some of the clubs are signing. I can't even think that they are trying to get within the constraints of the squad budgeting. It has amazed me just the sort of players coming into the Conference.



"We have asked about the same players. We have talked to those players and the offers you get from other Conference clubs have been astonishing in some cases.



"I think the Conference is getting stronger by the season. It looks particularly strong with sides that perhaps struggled last season. Stevenage in particular has gone on signing players and I think they will be a very strong squad. Telford are throwing money at things. There are a lot of teams in there that are investing quite heavily in their squads so I think it is going to be a particularly strong Conference this coming season.



"But I do think we have got a lot of young players with a lot of talent, a good degree of fitness and I think we will be up there with a shout."

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New players fitting in well

Graham Turner is especially pleased with the way the two new arrivals from Telford have fitted in.



Speaking to BBC Hereford and Worcester he said: "They have certainly shown enough ability in the games and fitness wise they are okay. Both from the same club so they knew each other before coming in but David Brown in particular has been working with us through the close season. He has been working on his weights so he has got to know one or two of our players."



During the interview Turner also commented that the Edgar Street pitch is looking "absolutely magnificent, season ticket sales are up and all those sorts of things are very encouraging".

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Forum off after midnight

Just a quick reminder/apology, this forum will be down from Midnight to Saturday 8am at the latest to allow for a server change. Confguide and some others are also affected.

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Players are looking good

Graham Turner has told BBC Hereford and Worcester that he is very pleased with the way the players are looking after their summer break.



"We have done a fair bit of running and then we went over to Gloucester University and took advantage of the facilities there. Terrific measuring equipment for endurance, for speed, for flexibility and some real experts there. We have put the players through the paces there and we have got a fair idea of the fitness levels compared to the end of the season and we will test them again in the not-to distant future.



"They are looking good, they are looking strong and full of enthusiasm. I've been ever so impressed with the way they have come back to it. I think it sometimes comes with a young group of players that they are so eager to start training and we have given them the pleasure of a ball out on the first couple of days of pre-season.



"Today, Friday we are having a real test for them around the circuits we have got. But it's good so far."



Commenting on how the players keep fit during their break Turner continued: "During the summer we have worked a lot on power work, some thing you can't do too much of in the season especially when you are playing two games a week. Today we have a dietician in who takes body fat content tests and we will see how that compares with the back end of last season. For a smaller club I think we do things as right as we possibly can given the financial constraints."



Moving onto current number of players Turner admitted he is still looking for additions. "The disappointment is that I've not finalised any moves to bring anybody in to the club. We have spoken to a number. I've missed out again on several players who have decided to go to clubs near to their homes, but we have got a number of people coming in on a trial basis next week and we have had a couple of goalkeepers come in and work with us.



"I've every confidence that we will get our squad sorted out. I think there are still a number of decent players available who still have not got fixed up so we will get them sorted out in the next week or two.



"You talk to people say Nottingham way or a bit further afield than that and it's the distance. They don't want to move home, they don't want the travelling every day so they finish up signing for a more local club to them. It's a disappointment to me. Sometimes it shows a little bit of lack of ambition for the younger players but these things happen and we will sort it out."

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Turner wants to settle the squad

The Hereford United players started pre-season training on Tuesday and yesterday the squad went to Gloucester University for fitness tests.



But the squad still has only 14 players signed up and Graham Turner says it would be to everyone's advantage to add four more players.



"I would certainly like to get things settled as quickly as possible because we need to work with players in order to get a nice team pattern," said Turner talking to BBC Hereford and Worcester this morning.

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Exeter face CVA

Exeter City football club are facing the prospect of a CVA, Creditors Voluntary Agreement,very similar to that of Hereford United.



The Grecians owe more than £2 million to six major creditors and their approval for a CVA must be won by August 5th when Exeter are due back in the High Court to face a winding up order.



The six creditors include construction company Mowlem,the Football Foundation and the Inland Revenue.



Insolvency expert Stephen Allinson, who is a director of Yeovil Town and helped them out of financial problems six years ago, told the Exeter Echo Sport that the reaction of the main creditors to a possible CVA was "sensible".



"I am confident that we (Exeter) will be playing football next season" he said.



However there is much work to be done before then and even if agreement is reached Exeter could be penalised by the Conference with up to a 12 point deduction.



Allinson and the fans now in charge at St James's Park have to persuade creditors responsible for 75% of the debt to sign up to a CVA.



There is talk that the debt could be cut by up to 90% but it is thought that as the Inland Revenue is owed around £200,000 they will resist such a low repayment. However as they are only owed about 10% of the total debt they could be outvoted should the other main creditors agree to such a small payment.



Mowlem, the construction company who built a new stand, are owed £600,000 and as they are a public company will have to consider their shareholders before agreeing to a CVA.



Once again it looks like bad management at a football club has led to the situation of a debt so large as it cannot be coped with.



Not unlike the situation when Peter Hill was chairman at Hereford. At least Exeter are unlikely to be saddled with having to pay all the debt as Hill agreed to do.

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Forum downtime expected

The Independent Hereford United Forum will be offline for a while overnight on the 4th/5th July.



This is because the server is being physically moved to Telecity, and will effect all confguide.com forums, as well as the confguide.com website.



However, things should swiftly return to normal when the update has been concluded.

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Accounts to be sped up

Graham Turner, the Bulls manager, has told the Hereford Times that he hoped that the annual meeting for the year ended May 31st 2003 could be held this year.



"We have straightened out the accounts for the last financial year and we aim to hold the AGM in the next two to three months," he said.



It is thought that the 65% rule regarding players wages has made United bring forward the publication of accounts and by doing so will avoid any potential fine for missing the deadline from Companies House.



The loss in the year to May 2002 could have been nullified if 'other operating income' had been as high as in the previous year. Other operating income comprises donations received and rental franchise income.



In 2002 there was nothing received from what is described as the 'Development Association'. The VP (Vice-Presidents) Club also failed to match its help in 2001 by over £3,000 and sundry income was down by £23,000.



The income received from franchises which probably means Legends and snack bars was down by £2500.



Meanwhile Phil Cleeton is to become the next chairman of the VP Club. He replaces Richard Howard who has been in the post for four years. The club has 55 paid-up members.

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Market not going to Burghill

Ex-Bulls director George Hyde, now deputy leader of Herefordshire Council, has said that the authority is not going to move the livestock market to Burghill.



Hyde has said that the new administration realised that the choice was controversial and so "we are convinced that it must be possible to find a more suitable location".



The announcement has been greeted by Burghill councillor Sally Robertson. However with the Market Bill before Parliment and discussions on the Edgar Street Grid in progress the Council will have to come up with an alternative site quickly.



Meanwhile training restarted for the Bulls yesterday. Graham Turner was quoted by local press as saying: "It was a good session. It was a combination of some running, weights and ball work which the players appreciated with the Wolves game coming up."



It is believed that several trialists were present as well as the two new signings David Brown and Jordan King.

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Poor attendances

The detailed trading figures for Hereford United show how poor attendances were in the year to May 31 2002.



Compared with the previous season gate money, both from home and away games, dropped from £263,110 to £221,174. That figure does not tell the whole story as it is necessary to add back the share of home gate receipts that go to the league and to visitors. This shows that £15,918 was sent out, much less than £35,123 in 2000/2001.



Putting the two figures together and adding in season ticket sales and membership (£53,069) shows that the nett receipts went down by £19,802. This drop is close to the overall loss of the club for the season. Attendances in the season just ended rose by close to 500 per game which should mean that receipts are back up around £300,000 plus season ticket receipts. This is before the share to the league and visitors goes out.



The total attendance at home matches for 2001/2002 was about 38,000 which includes the Wrexham cup-tie. By dividing this number into the gate receipts it shows the average admission receipt is £6.80p



When attendances decrease so do programme sales. They were down by £6,358 to £24,025. It looks as though less than one in three supporters buy a programme when coming to Edgar Street.



Another disappointment was the sharp drop in club shop sales down from £40,999 to £18,878. However this may be explained by no new home kit in that season.

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Keen to prove a point

The Hereford United manager Graham Turner is continuing to search for new players and is reported to be very happy with the fourteen he already has on the books. The Bulls squad are back at Edgar Street for pre-season training this week, and Turner says he's confident they will have benefited from the experience of playing together as a unit last season.



The United boss thinks that last seasons champions showed the merits of fielding a squad largely made up of younger players, all of whom are keen to prove a point.



Speaking to BBC Hereford and Worcester, Turner said: "If you look through the Yeovil side, they did ever so well and I know that hurts our supporters whenever they are mentioned. I thought they set a new standard in the Conference last season with their fitness, with their determination and the quality of play. And you look through their side and it was generally a young side. There were not too many old heads in their team.



"I think when we look through our side, we have got a sprinkling there of people like Steve Guinan and Andy Tretton. But in the main they are a fairly young eager bunch and I would think that will pay dividends for us."

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