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Monday, July 18, 2011

Fl to support Help the Hospices

The Football League has announced Help the Hospices as its Official Charity Partner for the 2011/12 season.

As the national charity for hospice care, Help the Hospices represents and supports local hospices, and champions the very best care for everyone facing the end of their life.

Chosen by fans following a public vote on The Football League website, Help the Hospices will benefit from unrivalled exposure across The League's 72 member clubs.

The partnership will officially launch on Monday 25 July 2011 with the 'Sunflower Sprint' mascot race at Uttoxeter Racecourse, Staffordshire where Football League furry mascots will dash down a 100m stretch of the course.

"We are delighted to have the chance to work alongside The Football League this season, so that hospices across the UK can continue to care for 360,000 people every year - which could fill Wembley stadium four times over," said David Praill, Chief Executive of Help the Hospices.

"This is an exciting opportunity for local hospices to tell millions of football fans about their important work."

Football League crowds topped 16 million last season; statistically half of those attending games will know someone who has been cared for by a hospice.

Fundraising activities this season are set to include bucket collections and fan initiatives, as well as a dedicated week of action from 7 to 13 March 2011 where all 72 League clubs will stage a game in support of Help the Hospices.

"Like Football League clubs, hospices operate at the heart of their local communities," added Greg Clarke, Chairman of The Football League.

"This season, with the support of all 72 League clubs, hospices will continue to provide vital care for adults and children with life-limiting and terminal illnesses across England and Wales."

Help the Hospices supports quality care by providing a wide range of training and education programmes and resources for hospice staff. The charity also gives local hospices a voice, by influencing government policy.

Its fundraising programmes and campaigns support hospices to raise funds in ways that would otherwise not be open to them.

If you would like to come along and support your favourite mascot in their bid to become the fastest mascot in The League, there is a Football League fans special rate offering Premier Tickets for only £12 (a saving of £10) and £2 of the cost of each ticket will be donated to Help the Hospices.

To take advantage of this offer click here

Select Premier Tickets, add the quantity you require and then enter the promotional code MASCOT.

(It's not known if Edgar the Bull will be at the event)

News Round-Up

Wrexham's owners say they have called in Police over threats made to their homes, businesses, and families as takeover talks drag on. Their statement claims the only stumbling block to the Supporters Trust bid is their lack of funds. Plymouth are to loan midfielder Damien Johnson to Huddersfield to get him off their wage bill. The former Birmingham and Blackburn man is their highest paid player, but they will still have to fund part of his wages as part of the deal.

Crewe are trialling Leicester defender Tom Parkes with a view to a loan move. The teenager spent part of last season at Burton. They are also trialling Welling forward Loick Pires, who was formerly on the books at Leyton Orient. Wimbledon are not offering trialist striker Bas Savage a deal as they want a different type of forward. Opening day opponents Southend failed to score a goal in their mini-tour of Scotland, losing to Dundee before a goalless draw with Raith.

Shrewsbury are trialling released Plymouth midfielder Luke Summerfield and former Macclesfield defender Carl Regan. The Shrews are to also offer veteran goalkeeper Gavin Ward their part-time keeper coaching role. AFC Rushden will play at Raunds Town initially, with Kettering taking over Nene Park. The phoenix club have named Rushden youth team coach Mark Starmer as their first manager with the side fielding an under-18 side only for the coming season.

Swindon have confirmed the signing of former Bulls striker Alan Connell after he passed a medical. The 28 year old has signed a two year deal with the Grimsby press claiming the fee to be £115,000 plus clauses.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

News Round-Up

Torquay are to offer trialist striker Taiwo Atieno a contract after he impressed in two weeks training with the Gulls. Plymouth have loaned striker Rory Patterson to Northern Irish league side Linfield for the remainder of his contract. The 27 year old had a single season with the Pilgrims and English football after spending most of his career in his home league.

Accrington have signed trialist Kurtis Guthrie on a one year deal. The 18 year old has been playing in the Jersey football league, and has scored three goals in two games for Stanley in pre-season. Steve Guinan scored twice in the Central Masters last night for Nottm Forest. Neil Mackenzie also featured for Stoke, with Notts County winning the tournament.

Swindon are to sign Italian Alessandro Cibocchi on a two year deal. The 28 year old full back has spent most of his career in the Italian lower leagues. Robins keeper David Lucas is now on trial at Preston where he is trying to earn a move back north. Gillingham have still failed to acknowledge assistant boss Ian Hendon's departure for West Ham despite the former Barnet man being interviewed by the Hammers' own TV in a West Ham tracksuit.

Bulls arrive in Spain

Two pictures confirming that Hereford United safely arrived in Southern Spain last evening.

Meanwhile a couple of Bulls' supporters on route to Spain this morning arrived at the airport to find their flight had been delayed over four hours.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

The Peter Hill Years - Lest We Forget

Today Hereford United jet off to Spain on a pre-season tour whereas 13 years ago there wasn't enough money in the kitty to get to the airport let alone board a plane. Here's lookback at that era with an article from Talking Bull.

Monday 29th June 1998 was a momentous day. A day which will surely be recorded in the annals of Hereford United Football Club. At last here was an AGM where the long suffering supporters and shareholders finally got rid of the discredited Board - totally and absolutely.

The 'Peter Hill Years" have been a disaster. A fiasco where the club has been brought to its knees whilst the architects of the policy have continued with their exploitation via the 'Gentleman's Drinking Club' in the Boardroom. We've all had to endure the 'Cold War' years where information was more easily obtained from the Kremlin than Edgar Street. The SOS 'Save our Soccer' campaign of 1982 ensured the clubs immediate survival but did Peter Hill & Co learn any lessons from that shambolic era? Many local supporters and businesses lost out then - many felt forced into accepting a raw deal. Goodwill has been eroded dramatically and in some cases killed off altogether. Many, many businesses and people close to the club have been abused - then cast aside without a care - the majority never to return with further sponsorship or even to the terraces.

Eventually following concerted pressure from the 'hard core' of supporters some information was forthcoming and the total financial mis-management was revealed. However, Hill & Co continue on until debts exceed a million pounds. The 'Newman Era' and the 'Bowyer Legacy' of talent were both allowed to evaporate, the Peacock cash injection was wasted not once - but twice. Wild swings in management styles and costs are brought in and then discarded, often with calamitous results - and court cases aplenty! Despite numerous attempts to shame the Board into action and resignation with virtual unanimous 'Votes of No Confidence', the apathy and abdication of duties by the Chairman had reached new heights with the appointment of 'minder' M D Robin Fry!

This era of frustration, sadness and anger built until the massive implosion. Edgar Street is allowed to decay still further. The supporters are increasingly alienated as a result of the arson attack on the Sportsmans Bar whilst insufficiently insured. The lack of expertise in running the club shop escalates and the general marketing of the club becomes a sick joke with Pulling and then Simmons at the helm. Hill tried to prop up his position still further with the 'appointment' of a Fans' Associate Director on the board who quickly follows the Hill role model by abdicating his responsibilities. Benjy first stops liaising with the majority fans and eventually fails to represent them, almost becoming a 'Hill' clone. So, yet another opportunity is wasted and a potential channel of communication lost. Next is the ultimate nightmare of relegation from the Football League. Shareholders and supporters are not consulted regarding the 'gift' of the remaining Edgar Street asset - the lease on the ground - which is handed over to the BS Group, not for money but to obtain a £500,000 loan!

Fry resigns but won't go until he receives his 'pay off'. Last seasons deplorable scenes where even the club's own staff go for weeks without pay - and no explanation - is the final straw. Eventually comes judgement day. The AGM. The putrid, decomposed, acrid stench of Peter Hill and his fellow Board of Directors will no longer waft skywards from Edgar Street. Vive l'empereur Turner!

A brief period of exultation followed before the grim reality of the club's perilous state re-established its firm grip on the mind. Where do we go from here? We must go back to our community roots. Supporters must take some ownership, responsibility and authority of running the club through owning a significant shareholding in HUFC and boardroom representation. We as supporters must have a voice and be accountable for our own decisions.

GT are you listening?

THE MAN WITH THE RUSTIC BURR

Ex-Bull Watch

Leon Constantine played the second half of Barnet's 2-2 draw with Peterboro. He had previously been trialling with Braintree. Gavin McCallum and Josh Gowling both scored in Lincoln's 4-0 win over Ilkeston. Andy Williams scored twice for Yeovil as they drew with Truro. Glen Southam started for Aldershot on trial as they drew with Inverness.

Trialist Morris Off To Torquay?

Bulls News understands that trialist forward Ian Morris has agreed terms with Torquay and is not on the plane to Spain.

The former Scunthorpe man left the Bulls in the past 24 hours after receiving a substantial offer from another club, with the Gulls expected to be the club he will be joining.

Morris was the only new trialist to actually be named by the club following Tuesday's opening pre-season match at Ludlow.

18 Players off to Spain

18 players will be in manager Jamie Pitman's squad who leave Hereford for Spain this afternoon.

"It will be good for the lads to have a change of scenery and being together as a side should be a great boost for team bonding," Pitman told the Worcester News.

"This doesn’t mean it’s a holiday, though, as we will be doing three training sessions a day to ensure fitness is getting better. The main aim of the trip is to make sure the players are prepared for the start of the new season and the game against Molina should be a good test."

Former Bull Danny Williams, who is on trial at Edgar Street, is included in the 18 strong squad. However given youngster Kyle McCarthy and transfer listed Sean Canham are not going, the implication is that Pitman is taking one other trialist with the squad.

News Round-Up

Plymouth have taken Rochdale striker Anthony Elding on trial with a view to a move after the player rejected a move to Mansfield. They also fielded Blackburn youngster Tom Hitchcock in their friendly last night with a loan deal expected to be sealed next week. Torquay have resigned goalkeeper Martin Rice to act as their no.2 to Robert Olejnik. Rice, 25, left Plainmoor for Truro two years ago after spending two years as backup keeper.

Brighton have confirmed the signing of Dagenham midfielder Romain Vincelot for a fee believed to be £100,000. The Frenchman's departure means that, along with winger Danny Green, the Daggers have lost the scorers of 22 of their 52 goals last season. Hartlepool finished their £100 season ticket offer on Friday, racking up just over 5,600 sales. Their average attendance last season was just 2,933.

Mathieu Manset scored twice as Reading hammered Slovenian side NK Dravograd 7-0. Manset played only one half as the Royals fielded different sides in each half. Plymouth held talks with the Football League yesterday over their takeover, and were issued with a list of items that need to be resolved. The supporters groups forming a 'rescue plan' say they have a plan in place should the FL veto the sale.

Easyjet takes Bulls to Spain

Hereford United's squad are off to Spain later today for their pre-season warm weather training camp.

It's believed that they will be flying from Bristol with Easyjet and are expected to land at Murcia airport at 20.20 this evening.

Whilst in Spain, Jamie Pitman's squad will play a friendly with Molina Segura FC on Tuesday evening.

They are due to return on Wednesday.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Connell Set For Swindon Move

Former Bulls striker Alan Connell is set for a move to Swindon Town after submitting a transfer request.

The Robins lodged a six-figure bid with current side Grimsby today and, following Connell's request to leave, the Mariners accepted the bid. He is due to have a medical at the County Ground tomorrow with the move to be sealed shortly after.

Connell, 28, scored 25 times for the Mariners in his only season in Conference football. Since leaving the Bulls in the summer of 2007 he scored 20 times in 102 games for Bournemouth and Brentford in League Two.

Meanwhile Supporters Direct have received around half of their grant from the Football Stadia Improvement Fund that was withdrawn last month after a twitter outburst from their former chief. The FSIF will consider putting the rest of the grant back in place next month.

News Round-Up

Cheltenham boss Mark Yates has denied that former Bulls loanee Waide Fairhurst is his main loan target. The Robins are working on bringing in a loan frontman but Yates says Fairhurst, who scored twice for the Bulls in his debut at Whaddon Road, is not the man they are close to signing. Darlington have denied that Northampton striker Tadhg Purcell is training with them, despite comments from Cobblers boss Gary Johnson.

Barnet have announced that striker Steve Kabba has signed a new two year deal. The 30 year old is still recovering from knee surgery that ended his season early. Plymouth supporters are to meet with failed club bidder James Brent in a bid to form a 'rescue plan' should the Football League veto the current deal to sell the club. The council is claimed to be ready to buy the Home Park stadium should the rescue plan be needed.

Former Bull Neil Mackenzie has signed part-time with Evo-Stik Southern newcomers St Neots Town. The 35 year old quit the full-time game in April. Rotherham boss Andy Scott has confirmed making striker Tom Pope an offer to settle up his contract. The 25 year old has been told by Scott not to attend pre-season training, and has been warned that he will end up on the footballing scrapheap if he doesn't play this year.

Former Bristol Rovers boss Paul Trollope will be a visitor to Edgar Street this pre-season after being appointed as first team coach at Birmingham. Southend are reported to have rejected a £300,000 offer from Peterboro for teenage midfielder Kane Ferdinand. The 18 year old made 19 starts for the Shrimpers last season after graduating from their youth team.

Dagenham have accepted a bid from Brighton for midfielder Romain Vincelot. The 25 year old Frenchman was the Daggers' top scorer last term with 12 goals. Accrington have signed released Shrewsbury midfielder Kevin McIntyre on a one year deal. The 33 year old spent four years with Macclesfield prior to his Shrews stint.

Crawley have accepted a bid from Luton for winger James Dance. The 24 year old joined the Red Devils in January from Kettering for an undisclosed fee, but only started two games for the Conference champions.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Williams could get a deal says Pitman

Former Hereford United midfielder Danny Williams (pictured at ES in 2003) was one of the trialists at Ludlow on Tuesday evening. And manager Jamie Pitman is considering whether to offer Williams some sort of deal.

"Danny came in and trained," Pitman told the Hereford Times.

"I was doing him a favour but he has been the top in the running and bvery good in training, very bright.

"His touch is good, his distribution is very good and he is an intelligent footballer.

"As much as anything, he will give everything he has got for what we are trying to achieve.

"If he continues to show the form he has here then, who knows."

News Round-Up

Torquay have signed striker Rene Howe on a two year deal after his release from Peterboro. The 24 year old ended last season scoring once in 12 games for Bristol Rovers on loan. Stockport say they have 'withdrawn their interest' in Bury striker Ryan Lowe after having three bids rejected. They claim to have made an offer of £100,000, but the Shakers denied it was that high.

Bristol Rovers are reported to have paid £40,000 plus clauses for Torquay forward Chris Zebroski. Wrexham's Supporters Trust says talks to buy the club 'appear to have stalled' with the current owners poised to reject the Trust's offer. The club have said they will make a statement today.

Bradford have signed midfielder Ritchie Jones on a two year deal with a further two year option. The 24 year old former Man Utd trainee has spent the last three years in League One with Hartlepool and Oldham. The Bantams have confirmed that they have also made an offer to Dagenham for midfielder Romain Vincelot. Sky Sports claimed yesterday that they had made a six-figure offer, but co-chairman Mark Lawn would only confirm that a bid had been made. Brighton are also reported to have offered £100,000 for the player.

Leon Constantine is training with Conference newcomers Braintree. He was released by York earlier in the summer. Stockport fans might want to mildly panic after incoming investor Tony Evans admitted that Stephen Vaughan was 'a good friend' and that 'if he wants to ring me and get involved I would definitely listen to him'.

Lincoln have signed former Bulls loanee Josh Gowling on a two year deal. The 27 year old has previously had a loan spell at Sincil Bank and joins up with ex-Bulls Gavin McCallum and Nicky Nicolau. Bristol Rovers midfielder Chris Lines is training with Crystal Palace in the hope of earning a move to the Championship side.

Northampton have released striker Michael Uwezu after deciding not to offer him a new deal. The 20 year old joined the Cobblers towards the end of last season from Fulham on a short term deal and was invited back in a bid to earn a longer deal. Bradford have signed teenage defender Andrew Burns. The 18 year old former Bolton trainee is the latest member of their development squad.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

HUISA to run coach to Forest Green friendly.

For the first time in many years, HUISA are to run a coach to a friendly away game.

Fans wishing to travel to Nailsworth for the match against Forest Green Rovers on Saturday 30^th July can do so by booking through the Club office (08442 761939).

The fare for all fans is just £8 and departure is set for 12.30pm from Radford's.

Bookings can also now be taken for the first League match at Southend. Departure on August 6th will be at 8.00 am with a fare of £25 (members £23).

Bulls Charge to the Alamo

Hereford United supporter 'Beans', who lives in Spain, has kindly written this preview for BN.

This Saturday sees the Hereford United squad travel to the Murcia province in South East Spain to begin a five day ‘warm’ weather training camp. The trip is to include a match against Tercera Division group 13 side Molina Segura on Tuesday 19th, 7pm (BST)* kick off.

*The "BST" timing has only just come to light....it may effect the minibus timings. Beans will update the arrangements and advise if required.

Molina Segura finished 9th in the division last season and should prove to be a good work out for the Whites who head to Spain on the back of a 5-0 victory against Ludlow Town. The match which is to be held at The Hacienda del Alamo golf resort near Fuente del Alamo is sure to be a stern test for the Bulls who will have to contend with the early evening heat as well as a side who – like other teams in the Spanish lower leagues – should be able to retain the ball well. I managed to see a few games at my local side Pinatar CF last season who are in the same league as Molina and I would say the standard of football I saw was akin to the Conference. The quality and range of passing though was of a higher level, but hopefully the good old English (and Welsh!) pace and power will prove too much for them! As the match is being held at a golf resort I think we can expect a pretty decent pitch which should please manager Jamie Pitman! I am told there are a small amount of seats to the side of the pitch and also a kiosk where refreshments can be purchased. No entry fee to watch the match has been set. The game could possibly be free but I wouldn't expect to pay anymore than €5.

Any Bulls fans making the trip over to Murcia for a few days will not be short of things to keep them occupied. The region boasts over 250 kilometres of coastline almost entirely made up by the sandy beaches of the Mar Menor and the Mediterranean. The Mar Menor is the biggest salt water lagoon in Europe. The La Manga sand strip almost encloses 170 square kilometeres of the shallow warm waters and it’s therapeutic mud baths seem to be popular with the Spanish tourists. For people who don’t like lazing around on the beaches there are plenty of other places to visit – the historic Roman port city of Cartagena, the Cordilla Penibetica Mountains, the natural park and salt lakes of las Salinas which is home to hundreds of flamingos and the wide choice of bars and restaurants to name just a few.

Travel

Budget airlines fly to Murcia’s San Javier airport with regularity from most of the UK airports from which Fuente del Alamo is around a half an hour drive.

Direction from the airport - As you leave the airport follow signs for the A7 motorway to Cartagena. Take this motorway until you get near to Cartagena and then take the exit for the A30 to Murcia. After about 15 minutes there will be an exit signposted Roldan, Fuente Alamo and Balsapintada. Take this exit to the roundabout and turn left to Fuente Alamo and Balsapintada. Keeping going for about 5kms going through the village of Balsapintada, when you reach a roundabout go straight across and go into Fuente Alamo. You will come to another roundabout; turn right here and you will see a signpost for Hacienda del Alamo.

There is a minibus leaving from San Pedro/Lo Pagan which is a five minute taxi drive from the airport. The minibus will be leaving from the bus stop outside the fair at 5.30pm. There are currently 8 seats left on the bus so anyone interested should contact natacooke@aol.com or telephone 0034968061178.The cost at the moment is €20 but will reduce if we can get more people to use it.

Southend Strikers Struggling

Southend could be forced to field a makeshift strikeforce to face the Bulls on the opening day.

Strikers Barry Corr and Blair Sturrock both picked up injuries in the final game of last season, and the pair are still struggling with fitness. 21 goal Corr is expected to be out until the end of August with a knee problem, while Sturrock is awaiting the results of two injections into an ankle problem and could yet face surgery to resolve the issue. If both miss the opening game, veteran Neil Harris would be the only experienced striker currently available to boss Paul Sturrock.

Meanwhile the Shrimpers are submitting another planning application for their new stadium. The plan is now split into three phases, with only the scaled-down stadium itself and a hotel being built immediately. They hope to being the project in October but face further delays having yet to secure all the land they need for the project.

Rose Trialling At Dagenham

Released Bulls utility man Richard Rose is trialling with Dagenham.

The former Gillingham trainee played the opening 45 minutes of their 2-0 win over Boreham Wood last night. Rose, 28, was previously told by Jamie Pitman that he may be offered something if he doesn't get fixed up elsewhere.

Meanwhile fellow ex-Bull Steve Guinan scored for Kidderminster last night in their 3-0 win over Bishop's Cleeve. In other friendly news Cheltenham lost 2-0 to Evo-Stik Southern side Stourbridge. Manager Mark Yates blamed an excessive training session on Monday for the below-par performance.

In other ex-Bull news Josh Gowling has been released from his trial at Crewe, but Mat Bailey remains at Gresty Road for now.

News Round-Up

Bradford have signed forward Nialle Rodney on a one year deal. The 20 year old former Nottm Forest trainee had a three game loan spell at Burton towards the end of last season without scoring. Northampton have released striker Billy McKay by mutual consent. The 22 year old wants regular first team football after being used only sporadically by boss Gary Johnson last season.

Wrexham's Supporters Trust has called on Glyndwr University to explain it's intentions after they made an offer for the Racecourse ground and surrounding land. The University's status means it cannot bid for the club. Grimsby chairman John Fenty says Alan Connell will not move to Luton despite Hatters boss Gary Brabin telling the press that the player's agent has told him he wants to move.

Southend are to open contract talks with trialist Rohan Ricketts after the former Spurs man scored a hat-trick in their friendly last night. The 28 year old has racked up clubs in Germany, Moldova, Hungary, and Canada since leaving Barnsley three years ago. Hartlepool will be charging just £100 for their season tickets after selling over 1,000 in two days to pass their 4,000 target.

Plymouth have announced that, just days after agreeing a contract, striker Liam Dickinson has left the club by mutual consent for 'personal reasons'. Morecambe midfielder Paul Scott is to undergo knee surgery today in a bid to cure the problem that has dogged him since his move from Bury last summer. He made only ten appearances before the injury last September, and may not play again until 2012.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Guy Ipoua at Ludlow

There was one spectator at Ludlow on Tuesday evening that caused some distraction from the game. Former Bulls hero from the promotion game at Leicester, Guy Ipoua, was spotted watching from the far side of the fencing.

Ipoua said that although he had no players currently with The Bulls he did have a couple of players he would like to introduce shortly. Guy now spends his time scouting for a number of clubs and regularly attends matches in Europe

Ludlow Town 0 Bulls 5

The problem with going to Ludlow for an opening pre-season friendly is that you keep bumping into dozens of people that you haven’t seen for around two months. The result, of course, is that you miss two of the goals completely and spend the biggest part of the evening discussing the signing of Harry Pell and scandal mongering about the trialists.

Having said that, it was great to be back at a football match after the break and when Delroy Facey opened the scoring barely five minutes into the game with his first ever touch in a HUFC shirt you could almost hear the rattle of coins landing on counters of bookmakers. Trialist, Ian Morris, who had already impressed with an early feed to Fleetwood, slotted a through ball to Facey and the debutant finished calmly from just inside the box.

Although the remain part of the first period failed to produce further goals, it was, as they say, a useful workout as The Bulls probed through Lunt and Pell who both showed fine control and positional awareness in midfield. Facey led the line well and demonstrated his ability to win balls in the air as well as some good chest control to enable him to bring others into the game. The hosts provided determined defence albeit a bit robust on occasions and a willingness to break quickly when the opportunity arose. For The Bulls, Morris was particularly threatening while at the back; Green, Stam, Townsend and young Kyle McCarthy at left back were all solid.

The second period saw plenty of changes and a more purposeful Bulls team in attack. Former Bull, Danny Williams joined the fray along with Rob Purdie and youngster Tom (?). Ian Morris scored a couple of fine goals, one absolute corker from 25 yards and another clinical finish when he got on the end of a teasing cross from Rob Purdie. Danny Williams got the first of the second half goals, and to be fair, could have had another soon after and Janos Kovacs also powered a header in to round of the scoring.

Fleets was a bit quiet during his first 45 excursion but, as with several of the regulars, it seemed that they were running on less than all cylinders. By comparison, the youngsters and trialists of the second 45 probably had a bit more to prove.

A comfortable start and we now wait a week before checking on the suntan and football improvements at Estadio Pegasus on July 21^st.

Can someone please bring me a stick of rock from Molina Segura?

Bulls Open With 5-0 Win

The Bulls opened their pre-season campaign with a 5-0 win over Ludlow Town tonight.

While it was only 1-0 at half time with Delroy Facey scoring an early effort, the Bulls turned on the pressure in the second half to net further goals through trialists Ian Morris and Danny Williams, and the transfer listed Janos Kovacs.

Full report later.

News Round-Up

Shrewsbury goalkeeper coach Paul Gerrard has quit the club to take up a full time role with Oldham. The veteran keeper was working part-time with both clubs. Plymouth's players are to sign a deferment of wages for an eighth successive month with the club's takeover yet to be ratified by the Football League.

Southend are trialling former Barnet and Wycombe winger Darren Currie, former Cheltenham loanee Jake Thomson, Welling captain Jack Parkinson, and former Plymouth defender Ryan Leonard. Northampton chairman Dennis Cardoza has confirmed that the club are deliberately targeting fans of Rushden to come to Sixfields instead. In addition to offering free season tickets to any fans that had already bought Nene Park tickets, they are running free buses to their ground.

Northampton have allowed striker Tadhg Purcell to trial with former side Darlington in the hope of sealing a loan deal. The Irishman started only one game for the Cobblers before suffering serious knee damage, and appears to be out of boss Gary Johnson's plans. Gillingham are expected to sign Dover striker Adam Birchall after both Wimbledon and Swindon admitted defeat in their chase. Wimbledon are said to have made Birchall 'the biggest offer in our short history' to become their player.

Macclesfield have signed striker Tom Fisher on a one year deal after he was released by Stockport. The 19 year old made six starts and 22 sub appearances for the relegated Hatters last term, scoring once. Rotherham have signed Leicester keeper Conrad Logan on a six month loan deal. The 25 year old ended last season on loan at Bristol Rovers.

Gillingham have confirmed the signing of striker Adam Birchall on a three year deal. He is reported to have cost £75,000 after averaging close to a goal a game for Dover over the last two years. Former Bulls loanee Nicky Nicolau has signed for Lincoln on a one year deal. The 27 year old was previously reported to have signed a new deal for the coming season with Boreham Wood.

Bristol Rovers have agreed terms with former manager Paul Trollope over the remaining term of his contract. It has taken them seven months to reach agreement after he was sacked in December.

Monday, July 11, 2011

News Round-Up

Port Vale have left for their tour of the US without midfielder Gary Roberts. The former Crewe and Yeovil man failed to get a visa due to his history. Macclesfield have signed Guinea-Bissau international Arnaud Mendy on a one year deal. The 21 year old was released by Derby after just one senior game in three years, and spent time on loan last season at Tranmere.

Northampton have signed Chelsea goalkeeper Sam Walker on a season long loan, and handed a one year deal to defender Ashley Corker. 6ft6in Walker, 20, ended last season on loan at Barnet while Corker, also 20, was released by Middlesboro in May after spending last season on loan in the Northern Premier League.

Bulls Off To Ludlow

The Bulls will open their pre-season campaign with a trip to Ludlow Town tomorrow (7.30pm).

The Bulls are expected to travel with their sixteen contracted players plus a number of trialists. The names of those trialists have been kept quiet so far by the Bulls management, with only Danny Williams identified from the carefully selected images from training put on the official site last week.

Fans will get a first view of new striker Delroy Facey in a Bulls shirt, with the other three 'new' additions all enjoying loan spells at Edgar Street last term.

Admission will be £5 for adults, and £3 for concessions. Parking at the ground is also available for £2.

Afterwards, the Bulls will fly out to Spain on Saturday for five days before returning to Hereford to face Pegasus at their Old School Lane base next Thursday.

Sneekes wants Attractive Football

Richard Sneekes, Hereford United's new coach, wants the team to play attractive football, something that's been sadly lacking since Richard O'Kelly was coach at Edgar Street.

"I don't expect us to play like Barcelona but what we are going to do is play attractive football," Sneekes told BBC Hereford and Worcester.

"The size of the pitch suits it and the boys are enjoying themselves so hopefully the fans will flock back and enjoy the brand of football that we are playing.

"We'll work from a solid back four where we don't give away a lot and then in the attacking third we've got to have flair.

"The players have got to have the desire to express themselves and entertain people more than anything."

Swindon Blame Wage Cap For Ticket Prices

Swindon have confirmed that they will charge £25 to watch fourth tier football this season, and have placed the blame on the wage capping rules.

Chairman Jeremy Wray told the press that, despite offloading a string of high-earners in the summer, they had little choice but to increase ticket prices in a bid to beat the wage cap:

“We’ve had to review all the pricing, not least because we’ve been subject to a wage cap in League Two. We’ve had to do some very careful analysis in order to try and comply with that."

Wray has hinted they will offer promotions to home fans to try and drop ticket prices through the season, and confirmed he was specifically targeting away fans:

“If you’re asking me who I’m conscious of hitting or supporting then obviously I’m going to say I want the Swindon fans to bear as little of the brunt of this as possible.”

Home fans are not only being offered discounts through the season, but casual visitors will also be able to get an immediate £6 discount by choosing the home-only terrace option.

Currently the Bulls offer both terracing and seating to away supporters. Maybe it's time they adopted the attitudes of other clubs and offered the more expensive seating option only.

News Round-Up

Stockport have confirmed that former manager Ray Mathias has opted not to take the assistant role to new boss Dietmar Hamann. Long serving coach Peter Ward has also left the Conference side. Bradford are trialling former Macclesfield and Walsall keeper Jonny Brain and former Wolves trainee keeper Billy Lumley.

AFC Wimbledon are to hold talks with Dover striker Adam Birchall, with both them and Swindon reported to have tabled £75,000 offers, but are likely to sign trialist Bas Savage instead if they are beaten to the former Barnet man by Swindon. Savage, 29, spent most of last season with Dagenham, scoing just three times in 38 games. The Wombles are to sign released Dagenham defender Gareth Gwillam after he cancelled his Daggers contract by mutual consent to seek regular first team football.

Bristol Rovers defender Gary Sawyer is expected to miss the start of the season as he needs surgery on a groin problem. Oxford have signed MK Dons midfielder Peter Leven on a two year deal. The 27 year old played 45 times for the League One play-off challengers last season, but turned down a new deal amid claims of a move to a Championship side.

Plymouth are trialling former Barnet keeper Jake Cole and French midfielder Ladjie Soukouna. Cole played for Gillingham on trial last week, while Soukouna has been playing in the French third tier. Josh Gowling is trialling with Crewe following his departure from Gillingham. Oldham's Boundary Park was broken into over the weekend. Thieves stole equipment and a club car, which was later found abandoned without it's wheels.

Hartlepool have sold another 600 season tickets since telling fans a week ago they would cost no more than £150. They had already sold nearly 3,000, and are now less than 500 shy of dropping the price to £100. Gillingham have had a bid accepted for Dover striker Adam Birchall this lunchtime after matching the other accepted bids. Dover say the fee will be paid upfront rather than a previous offer of staged payments.

Bristol Rovers have signed Salisbury forward Kayne McLaggon. The 20 year old, who had an unsuccessful trial at Edgar Street last summer, has signed a one year deal. Gillingham are trialling Shane Defoe, the half brother of England striker Jermain.

Meadow End to Sponsor Facey's Away Kit

The Meadow End forum have agreed with Hereford United to sponsor striker Delroy Facey's away kit this coming season.

It will be the first time the ME have sponsored a player.

Last season the Bulls Banter forum sponsored Kenny Lunt, but so far they haven't agreed anything this time.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Name game

Three photos from this afternoons Adam Stansfield Charity Cricket Match at Eastnor.

How many can you name?

The teams were labelled The Invitation XI and HUFC XI with the Invitation XI running out comfortable winners. Batting first, they scored around 230 in their 35 overs with the HUFC XI managing just 80 all out. Jamie Pitman top-scored for HUFC with 15. Chairman Keyte took 1 for 39 in his five over spell.