Purdie and Stanley in English Thirty

Hereford United have two players in the initial squad of thirty for the England National Game's next International against the Italian "serie C" side in November. The match will be played in the Stadio Communale Gino Pistoni, the home of Serie C2 side US Ivrea.



Rob Purdie and Craig Stanley have both been selected by Paul Fairclough who manages the squad.



The 30-man squad, which is selected at Under 23 level, will be reduced to sixteen by Fairclough who is also the Barnet manager. His initial selection according to Confguide is:



David Stockdale (York City)

Nikki Bull (Aldershot Town)

Craig Holloway (Farnborough Town)

Andrew Ralph (Northwich Victoria)

Peter Cavanagh (Accrington Stanley)

Chris Blackburn (Morecambe)

Ismail Yakubu (Barnet)

Simon King (Barnet)

David Perkins (Morecambe)

Simon Jackson (Woking)

Dean Moxey (Exeter City)

Luke Oliver (Woking)

Kieran Charnock (Northwich Victoria)

Ian Craney (Accrington Stanley)

Dean Sinclair (Barnet)

Scott Kerr (Scarborough),

Charlie Mapes (Crawley Town)

Ben Surey (Gravesend & Northfleet)

Stuart Thurgood (Grays Athletic)

Craig Stanley (Hereford United)

Les Afful (Exeter City),

Chris Senior (Scarborough)

Anthony Elding (Stevenage Borough)

Danny Carlton (Morecambe)

Karl Hawley (Carlisle United)

Aaron McLean (Aldershot Town)

Lloyd Blackman (Farnborough Town)

Rob Purdie (Hereford United)

Andrew Bishop (York City)

George Boyd (Stevenage Borough)



At present it is unknown on which date in November the game will take place. However Paul Fairclough will be able to have a closer look at both Purdie and Stanley as Barnet face Hereford United at Edgar Street on November 6th.

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Turner may start with 4-4-2

Graham Turner has told the Evening News that he could start tomorrow's game against Woking with the same formation as against Accrington.



Turner saw enough positive signs to give the new 4-4-2 formation another go against the Cards who boast an impressive record at Edgar Street with four wins from seven trips.



He said: "Up to a point, I thought the formation worked well against Accrington but there were certain aspects that disappointed me.



"We will need to improve on our crossing techniques and the final ball in to the box because that's what was missing. We have been working on that in training and hopefully that will improve."



Asked if he was worried about recent performances, Turner added: "I'm not that concerned. I was after the Dagenham game but there was a big improvement to our overall game at Accrington. I thought we played reasonably well at times, we had plenty of good breaks, but we should have produced more clear-cut chances.



"Woking are one of the better Conference sides and I don't expect them to come here just for a point. They play good football and they know they can beat us, they did so last season."

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Tom Smith to miss Woking game

Tom Smith will not be available for tomorrows game with Woking.



He has a stomach bug according to the Official Site.



Graham Turner, the Hereford United manager, could recall Mark Robinson.



Meanwhile Turner told BBC Hereford and Worcester that Jamie Pitmam is well on the way to recovery from his injury.



"It was a real bad knock in the back against Aldershot that has kept him out since. But he is making steady progress and it won't be too long before he is fit again."

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Pitch Invasion Tomorrow

There will be a pitch invasion at Edgar Street tomorrow in support of the Kick Racialism Out Of Football campaign.



At half-time in the Hereford United versus Woking game, pupils from several local schools are to participate in a skills session to publicise what the campaign is aiming to acheive.



Meanwhile former Hereford United player Wayne Dyer is back on international duty after this weekend's game for Hinckley United against Mossley in the FA Cup as he takes part in the Preliminary Round of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.



Dyer is captain of Montserrat who are ranked 205 in the lastest FIFA rankings and he'll be hoping for an improvement on his countries last outing when they were beaten 20-0 on aggregate by Bermuda in the World Cup qualifiers.



Dyer, who made his debut for Hereford United in November 1998, is expected to be back in England in time to play Stafford Rangers in the FA Trophy on 6th November.

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United need to extend home run

Hereford United desperately need to return to winning ways against Woking tomorrow afternoon. United haven't won in three, but will be intending to make it four home games without defeat when the Cards visit Edgar Street.

Jamie Pitman is set to miss out once again for Hereford and Tamika Mkandawire serves the last game of a three match suspenion. Rob Purdie and Ryan Green came through the game at Accrington with no reactions to their injuries and are both fit enough to start again tomorrow. Graham Turner needs to make the difficult decision of who to play in the Bull's attack. Lee Mills and David Brown have been preferred in recent games, but top scorer Adam Stansfield has already proved that he is worthy of a starting place.

United will also have to decide which formation to play. They reverted to a 4-4-2 formation on Monday night, dropping Mark Robinson and Tom Smith. It will be interesting to see if Graham Turner goes back to the 3-5-2 formation that served United so well last season. If he does choose the latter option, it is likely that Smith will be selected in the back three.

According to the Official Woking Website, Glenn Cockerill, the Cards manager, may be tempted to revert to playing Justin Richards as the sole striker, with a five man midfield, switching to three in attack on the break. The return from injury of Karl Murray gives Cockerill another option if he wants to have more of an attacking edge in midfield and Amos Foyewa?s display after he came on as a substitute against the Shaymen will encourage Glenn to bring him on if we go behind.



Woking were the last team to defeat Hereford last season before the Bulls went on their amazing winning streak. The Cards will certainly be no pushover and may be quietly confident about getting a result at Edgar Street considering their success last season.They should travel in a reasonably confident mood after their come-back against Halifax (they defeated the Shaymen 2-1) and their encouraging record on their visits to Edgar Street. However, United really need the three points to keep the pressure on the teams above them. Should be a good game.

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Bulls help Macmillan Relief

Two Hereford United players are featured in a new calendar being launched this evening at Chadds in Hereford.



Ryan Green and Tony James stripped off with only a football placed in front of them for the shoot.



The calendar featured male models who are featured in "witty poses".



The idea is to highlight male cancer. The calendars cost £5 each and 2000 have been printed free of charge by Printplus who are responsiple for the Hereford United programmes.All proceeds go to the Hereford Macmillian Nurses Appeal.



Copies will be available from Chadds, Andrew Morris Estate Agents, Photogenix and Sandown News in Bobblestock.

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United defeat Harriers in Reserve fixture

Hereford United's Reserve team won 2-1 last night against Kidderminster Harrier's Reserves. The team consisted of several players on the fringes of the first team including Ben Scott, Danny Carey-Bertram, Andy Williams and Mark Robinson.

Carey-Bertram gave United the lead in the tenth minute after a good run by Williams and a cut back where Carey-Bertram knocked the ball over Steve Parker at the far post. Ben Scott then kept United in the lead at the other end saving well with his legs from James Olsen.

Jermaine Hollis got to the byline on the right and found the run of Frederic Advice-Desruisseuax who tucked the ball inside the near post for the equaliser. Hereford were back in front within a minute though, thanks to Williams. A corner wasn't cleared properly by Harriers and a ball into the area found Williams who had the easy task of slotting the ball beyond Parker.

Scott helped keep Harriers at bay in the second half when he was forced into making several saves as Kidderminster dominated. Harriers skimmed the bar in one of many attempts of beating Scott. Late on, Matt Barnes-Homer could have killed the game off, but he dragged his shot across the face of the goal and Andy Williams was substituted due to a back injury.



Hereford United: Ben Scott

[2] Lewis Jones

[3] Mark Robinson

[4] Dave Hart

[5] Mark Smith

[6] Sam Gwynne

[7] Matthew Barnes-Homer

[8] Mark Briggs

[9] Daniel Carey-Bertram

[10] Andy Williams

[11] Dave Carney

Subs:

[12] Matt Collins

[14] Kane Kahaki

[15/35] Adam Ding

[16] Dean Jordan

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Will he go or will he stay?

It is by no means certain that Jonathan Gould will stay with Hereford United after the middle of November.



His loan spell with the Edgar Street club was renewed last week for another month but can not be extended afterwards as it would breach FA rules.



Graham Turner told the Hereford Times that it was "in the balance" whether Gould would be with the Bulls when the current loan spell ends.



Meanwhile Turner has said that Adam Stansfield needs to improve his "combination play" if he is to start for the Bulls.



"Adam must wonder what he has to do to get a starting place but I think that in the build up play at Accrington both David Brown and Lee Mills did very well. Adam is more of a finisher and can improve on his conbination play with other players".

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Marketing man exits Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury Town Football Club can not afford to continue employing marketing manager Mark Peters. Mr Peters is leaving the club at the end of the month.



Only last February the club created the position of marketing manager. At the time they said that his role would involve him being responsible for generating additional revenue for Shrewsbury Town through non football activities and trying to attract bigger crowds to home matches.



Club bosses told the Shropshire Star that they had been hit by a capping system which was introduced into the Football League last season and had to focus their attention on ensuring Shrewsbury Town stayed in Coca Cola League Two.



Mr Peters today said he was disappointed at the news, but understood the board's decision.



Shrewsbury are 23rd in their league with only Kiddermister below them.

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The season so far

With thirteen games played Hereford United are fifth in the Conference. Last year at this time the Bulls were in the number one position. The statistics suggest that it's lack of goals that is losing the Bulls points. However looking at the performance both at Accrington and Dagenham, it could be said that the defence seems to be leaking goals.



The facts are that last season at this stage Hereford had played 13, won 10, drawn 2 and lost 1. This time having also played 13 games, Hereford have won 7, drawn 2 but lost 4.



The goal difference tells us that last season Hereford had scored 37 and conceded 16 giving a goal difference of 21. This season they have scored 24 and also conceded 16 giving a goal difference of only 8. In effect the Bulls have scored one less goal per game to date.



The big difference is the number of goals scored at Edgar Street, which have gone down from 19 last season to only eight this time. Six home games had been played in both seasons.



Last season the Bulls had occasional problems at the heart of the defence. After Andy Tretton was injured at Burton in the middle of September, several different players were brought in to partner Tony James. Firstly Tamika Mkandawire came to Edgar Street, then Anwar Uddin and for the last four Conference games Mkandawire returned.



Tretton only came back from injury in late February and it was then that James, Mkandawire and Tretton formed a partnership which was very successful. In the following six games, with Matt Baker in goal, the Bulls only conceded twice.



Admittedly Hereford had a great run at that time, but the fact that the defence is largely unchanged from last season suggests that the players themselves may not be the obvious reason for the poor form recently.



However how can it be explained that at Dagenham last week the Bulls conceded 18 corners? There was no game all last season when the Bulls conceded anywhere near 18 corners.



Looking at the midfield last March, one player, Scott Willis, was brought in as cover for Ben Smith. The ex-Lincoln player fitted in well alongside Jamie Pitman. The Bulls won every match that Willis was involved in. Rob Purdie was preferred to Danny Williams and Michael Rose was also picked for every game. Either Ryan Green or Simon Travis, who had just joined the Bulls, completed the middle.



This season Craig Stanley has taken Ben Smith's place and with Travis and Green, now he has recovered from injury, making up the line. Graham Hyde is currently holding Pitman's place whilst he recovers from his back injury. However the midfield is not pushing the ball forward as it did last season. And it is interesting to note that since Pitman has been out the Bulls have only gained four points from four games whereas when he was fit they amassed nineteen points from nine games. A much better return. And every virtually game when Pitman, and also Stanley, has started so has Stansfield!



The Bulls miss Steve Guinan. Lee Mills is not a direct replacement. If Mills was fit it might have worked, but he isn't and doesn't look likely to be. Why he was not subbed on Monday is unknown.Stansfield was brought on very late in the game, too late to have any time to make a contribution to the result. There must be a reason why Graham Turner and Jon Trewick decided not to use him, but it was not obvious to the supporters. Why leave your top goalscorer on the bench, unless he is carrying an injury?



It is noticable to fans that the Bulls are not playing the passing game as much this season. On times it's back to the high ball senario. Whilst Mills is on the field, most are directed at him but he is often being marked out of the game and so it is too easy to lose possession.



And what is more worrying is the number of times the midfield are passing the ball backwards as opposed to forwards. Hyde seems a particular fan of this, but he is not the only one. On one occasion in the Accrington match the ball was passed backwards from Simon Travis, who was midway in the Stanley half, through three or four others back to Johnathan Gould. Probably some fifty to sixty yards in distance and when Gould kicked it back out the Bulls lost possession.



One of the exciting parts of last season was the attacking football Hereford United played. The Conference was full of praise for this approach, the attendances were superb and the results were excellent.



This season the team has, on times, given up that approach and reverted to the formula used before Richard O'Kelly came to coach at Edgar Street. What seems odd is that Graham Turner appears to be going along with that type of play. If at the end of the season it is proved to have worked then supporters will be happy. At present many are questioning tactics. Only time will tell.

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Collymore's shirt for auction

Any Hereford United fans who also follow Liverpool will have the chance to buy their own Liverpool FC memorabilia at a charity auction this Saturday. The shirt worn by Stan Collymore when he scored two goals in Liverpool's classic 1996 victory over Newcastle will come under the hammer alongside a shirt signed by the 1970's European Cup winning side and Bob Paisley's book "My 50 Golden Reds". All signed by the winning teams and top Liverpool players, this is an exciting opportunity for football fans in Hereford.



These are just some of the many and varied items that will be available on Saturday at Our Lady's Church Hall in Belmont Road, where viewing will start at 6.30pm. The auction is timed to allow Hereford supporters a chance to go to the event after the Woking game at Edgar Street.



There will be something to interest everyone and proceeds will go to the Parish of Our Lady's.

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Excellent Bulls following last night.

According to Accrington Stanley, 150 Hereford United supporters made to trip to the Interlink Stadium last night.



For a Monday night match covered by Sky, this is an excellent figure.



The total attendance was given as 1481. Last year when the fixture took place on a Tuesday night in November the gate was 1824.



Meanwhile a look in the archives for Graham Turner's comments after last seasons game shows them to be very similar to yesterdays.



"There was a bit more desire about the Accrington side. We had a chat in the dressing room about things and possibly we have to go back to some of the basics." Turner said last November.



"We were firing early season. We were working hard as a side. We were playing quite well. A lot of that has now gone. The fluency has gone out of the side and we have probably got to steer our way back into doing the basics right, defending right, starting to keep a few clean sheets and then using that as a base to go from."



Perhaps Hereford United have hit poorer form a month or so earlier this season than last. Hopefully it will soon come right again that much sooner.

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Report from Accrington Site

Below is a report on last nights game from Accrington Stanley's official website.



"Accrington Stanley has bouncebackability" read one of the banners as Sky Sports watched the Reds beat Hereford with two goals from Paul Mullin.



The first goal came straight after kick-off and as Paul Mullin sprinted away celebrating his strike, which was scored after several players had had shots blocked in a desperate goalmouth scramble, fans were still on their way into the ground.



If there were any doubts about how Jon Kennedy's replacement Danny Alcock would perform in his full debut they were shortened just a few minutes later when Hereford looked to have equalised but for a superb save by the former Barnsley man.



Mullin could have doubled Stanley's lead if he had connected with a McEvilly cross which 'keeper Jonathon Gould, on loan from Preston, missed and Mullin had another good chance when a good move involving Steve Jagielka, Lutel James and Mullin ended with Mullin's shot being blocked by the legs of a visiting defender.



Jon Smith, whose name was greeted with roars of delight when the starting line-up was read out, came close with two great headers but he was forced back most of the time as Stanley struggled to cope with the visiting attacks.



Hereford had most of the possession and the equaliser was inevitable and it came on 28 minutes with a great volley by the Hereford forward (David Brown - ed) but Stanley could have scored with another goalmouth scramble but this time the Reds' shot was cleared off the line by a defender.



Lutel James came close with a good volley but that was the last attack of the first half as the referee, who had been biased towards Hereford all night, blew for the end of the two minutes added time.



A good attack after the break saw Stanley earn a corner but and Jon Smith connected but his header went agonisingly wide and Craney, who was a constant menace to the Hereford defence all night, were denied by a fantastic Jonathon Gould save minutes later.



Ian Craney missed what was undoubtedly the best chance of the match when he was clean through on goal with just the goalkeeper to beat but his poor shot rolled wide but his next shot was on target and when Gould spilled Mullin was there to tap in and give the Reds the lead again.



Rory Prendergast, on for McEvilly, had a long run but his shot lacked power and that was one of the last moves of the match and the Reds were deserved winners.

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We are conceding goals

Graham Turner told Sky that his team had played with a lot of effort tonight, but thought his side may need a bit of tweaking to ensure they create the chances.



"Whether it is a change of personal in the side, or a little change of emphasis in the way we play," noted Turner.



"We are conceding goals. We have done again tonight but I felt we had a lot of the ball and should have done better with it. We had some good breaks, some good passing movements and it wasn't so much that we missed chances, we didn't play the final ball, the final cross in to create chances and that was a disappointment.



"I thought for periods we outplayed Accrington. I thought we broke ever so well and passed it in good areas. It was just that final ball.



"After the start when we went a goal down in thirty seconds or so, it sets you back and I thought we did well to weather that little bit of storm and come bouncing back. The disappointment then was that I didn't think we would concede, I thought we looked fairly solid at the back.



"It's another case of a goal late on that has cost us dearly."



Talking about possible promotion Turner continued: " It's a long way to go yet and we've got to start to turn the amount we've had into goals. And one or two clean sheets wouldn't go amiss."

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We have to do better.

David Brown seemed very frustrated with the performance of Hereford United this evening. Interviewed on Sky after the game he admitted that the team was disappointed to lose.



"I think the defending has been pretty poor. We have got to do better than that. I think we were a bit sloppy to start and they caught us by surprise. A long ball in the box. It was disappointing to concede so early on.



"I think we did enough to get back into the match, especially first half when we played some good football and we had quite a few chances and maybe we should have been in front by the break.



"We didn't really get started in the second half. It was very disappointing.



"I think it is one of those spells we will have to ride out. I think we are playing decent football but defending isn't the best at the minute. We've got to work on that and start keeping some more clean sheets."

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Defending lets United down again

Hereford United were on the wrong end of a 2-1 score line at the Interlink Express Stadium this evening in front of Sky TV cameras. The Bulls have now gone three games without a victory and are starting to fall away from the top of the table.

Graham Turner decided on a change of formation for the game meaning a couple of changes in personal. Mark Robinson and Tom Smith were dropped from the defence and Ryan Green was handed a start which was a little bit of a suprise following his long term injury. Rob Purdie played on the left wing and Danny Williams on the right. Adam Stansfield was left on the subs bench.

Hereford couldn't have got off to a worse start as they found themselves behind after just fourty three seconds. A long throw in should have been easily dealt with but Lutel James turned, Lee McEvilly forced a save out of Johnathan Gould and then Paul Mullin knocked the ball in from close range.

David Brown almost replied instantly, but his header from Graham Hyde's cross was brilliantly tipped wide by 'keeper Danny Alcock who was making his debut. Following a corner Brown again went close with a shot over the bar from the edge of the box. Williams and Craig Stanley wasted a free kick that set up a counter attack for Accrington. Mullin was through on goal, but Tony James was back in time to make a crucial challenge. Ian Craney shot just wide from twenty five yards on the half volley as Accrington looked to add to their lead.

Ryan Green started off a good move that resulted in the equaliser for United. His long ball from the defence was knocked down by Lee Mills and Williams played a good pass into Brown who found space to shoot across goal and into the bottom corner after twenty eight minutes. Hereford then started to play some fast attacking football. Williams had a shot blocked after a good move and then Simon Travis shot over from long range. Purdie was very unlucky to see his first time, left footed drive, that Alcock left standing, go just wide after a brilliant Bulls attack.

Stanley almost took the lead again a minute before half time after more poor defending by United. Tretton was forced to concede a corner when Gould failed to collect a ball in the area and the corner caused mayhem in the box. James had a shot blocked before Gould made an excellent point blank save. TV cameras showed that Travis also made a goal line clearance in the scramble.

Hereford seemed to have upped the tempo for the second half, but they failed to create many chances infront of goal. Johnathan Smith headed the first chance of the half just wide from a corner after sixty minutes. Craney then forced a diving save from Gould as he tipped the ball wide before Williams hit a free kick over at the other end. Craney had a good chance to put Stanley in front after seventy four minutes, but after latching onto a through ball he poke the ball wide when one on one with Gould.

Hyde got a lucky break off a defender and was through on goal, but he decided to cross the ball when a shot on goal seemed the sensible option. His pass was hooked away. Hereford made their first change after seventy nine minutes, Purdie was replaced by Danny Carey-Bertram. Brown hit a shot just wide from twenty yards in the eighty sixth minute before Accrington broke. James received the ball and found Prendergast on the left. He threaded a pass into the area where Craney hit a low shot that was palmed away by Gould, but into the path of Mullin who seemed to be unmarked and tucked the ball in with ease.

With some very difficult fixtures in the forthcoming weeks, Hereford will have to sort out their defence if they want to push back up the table. The defence was once again poor and with a bit more communication it is quite possible that both goals could have been prevented. Woking are the visitors to Edgar Street next Saturday and it will be another test for the Bulls who will need to bounce back from this defeat.

HUFC Team: Gould, Green, Tretton, James, Travis, Purdie, Stanley, Hyde, Williams, Brown, Mills. Subs: Smith, Robinson, Scott, Stansfield, Carey-Bertram.

ASFC Team: Alcock, Cavanagh, Smith, Flynn, Butler, James, Jagielka, Brannan, Craney, McEvilly, Mullin. Subs: Howarth, Cook, Prendergast, Williams, Tuck.

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Piearce moves to Solihull

Southern League Premier Division club Solihull Borough have snapped up former Hereford United striker Steve Piearce.



Solihull manager Guy Russell said: "Steve has been out of football since leaving Hednesford Town last season owing to new work commitments."



Piearce came to prominence at Halesowen Town where he proved to be the Southern League's top marksman, forming a formidable partnership with Rob Elmes.



Graham Turner took the pair to Edgar Street in 1999, but Piearce was plagued by injuries. He only made 33 appearances for the Bulls in his three years with the club. During that time he scored twelve goals



Russell added: "Steve's a proven goalscorer and keeps himself extremely fit.



"He has already trained with us and I would have no hesitation slotting him straight into the side."

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Green saw specialist in Manchester

Ryan Green, Hereford United's former Welsh international full-back, could be included in the squad for tonight's Nationwide Conference clash at Accrington Stanley.



Green has missed Hereford's last six games due to a suspected hernia problem and will face a fitness check before manager Graham Turner decides on his starting line-up.



Turner told the Western Daily Press: "Ryan saw a specialist in Manchester recently and was advised to start training again and he has come through okay.



"There is a possibility he will be available for the game at Accrington."



Meanwhile the Hereford United under 19 side was defeated 4-0 by Rushden and Diamonds last Saturday.

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Stansfield Conference Player of the Month

Adam Stansfield has been voted Conference Player of the Month for September.



The Hereford United striker polled 68% of the vote with nearest rival Giuliano Grazioli of Barnet on 19%.



Nationwide's Chris Hull said of Stansfield's superb play in September: "Adam has been particularly sharp in front of goal and the former Yeovil man gets into lots of good areas inside the penalty area. He is a very mobile striker and is an old fashioned poacher of goals. His month included a brace in the 4-3 victory at Leigh RMI when he came off the bench to win it for the Bulls."



It is understood that 4,000 supporters of Nationwide Conference football voted for the prestigious Nationwide Player of the Month Awards.

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Changes poised for Accrington trip

Hereford United are expected to make a few changes to put right the wrongs from last Tuesday night's game at Dagenham & Redbridge when they travel to Accrington Stanley tonight. A switch of formation is possible for the Bulls and maybe some changes to the starting line up as they aim to jump up to third position in the league.

Accrington, who have never been beaten by United at the Interlink Express Stadium, are currently seventh in the league and three points behind their opponents. Stanley have lost their last two home games and haven't won in four league matches. Manager John Coleman has hinted that he may make some changes for the visit of the Bulls.

Johnathan Smith is in contention for a starting place after scoring when he was subbed on against Tamworth and Rory Prendergast, who is soon to have a hernia operation, may be rested. Coleman also has midfielder Steve Flitcroft avaliable to him now as he has finished his loan spell at Barrow. The news that John Kennedy has broken his leg is a huge blow for Accrington. The 'keeper was linked with a possible move to Hereford in the summer following Matt Baker's departure from Edgar Street.

Tamika Mkandawire is still banned for the Whites and Jamie Pitman is injured. Lee Mills was subbed at Dagenham due to a head wound, and may be slight doubt. However, other than Pitman United have no major injury worries. Therefore, Graham Turner will almost have a full squad to choose from and may well make changes to the side that lost 3-1 to Dagenham. He is also pondering a change of formation for the game.

"We might change one or two things," he told BBC H&W.

"It adds a bit of spice when the Sky cameras are there for a live match. We lost quite badly up at their place although the score was only 2-0 and I don't think they had too many other chances. We just didn't play very well with the ball. Never created anything, so we need to go there and make sure we put on a performance."

"We know that they will get tight. We know that they are a very physical side. If we are going to create any space and time to pass the ball we've got to work hard to do it. They won't give us anything so it's another occasion where we are going to have to be bright when we have got the ball. Everybody has got to take responsibility for getting hold of it and keeping it and see if we can get our passing game flowing."

"It's been stuttery so far this season but this gives us an opportunity against decent opponents, although they've not done too well over the last three or four matches. I would rate them as decent opponents. I would think we have got to work hard for a victory up there. We're more than capable of it."

"We're more than capable of putting right what happened at Dagenham and taking all three points from the match."

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Dolan criticises Moules and Turner

Eamonn Dolan, who has just finished as Exeter manager, has spoken to the Non-League Paper about Exeter's survival battle.



Last season Exeter were close to being docked ten points for going into adminstration. Eventually the Conference chief, John Moules, backed down. But Dolan still thinks Moules should have handled the situation differently.



In particular, Dolan said that the story put about that other Conference clubs would have to contribute to the Conference expenses should a court case have been needed to sort matter out was a myth.



"That was totally untrue but it was perpetrated for political reasons," said Dolan.



At the time it was suggested that Exeter's actions might cost other Conference clubs around £25,000 each and Graham Turner, manager of Hereford United, was not too pleased as the Bulls were just getting back on their feet after a long fight against possible closure.



However Dolan slams Turner in the interview.



"Hereford were very vociferous in their attacks on Exeter when they were in a CVA situation themselves. When Exeter went into a CVA I wasn't the manager and none of the directors at the time were responsible for the club's situation.



"But the irony is that when Hereford went in there were people there who had been with the club a long time and they were having a go at us."



Moules commented that Dolan should stick to football and keep out of politics.



The story by Graham Nickless contains several debatable quotes from Dolan. for example the suggestion that when Hereford went into a CVA there were people who had been with the club a long time is incorrect.



Turner is the only director from that era still with Hereford and he did not buy his shares and take charge until after the CVA agreement.



Perhaps the author should have checked his facts before allowing Dolan's thoughts to be printed.



Meanwhile the NLP has printed a short article suggesting that Chester City could be on the verge of going into a CVA.

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Dazzo supported by Welsh

Dazzo Williams will be supported by several Welsh fighters at the Hereford Leisure Centre on November 5th.



Local hero and Hereford United supporter Dazzo Williams, who is currently training in a warmer climate, heads the Matchroom promotion in a British featherweight defence against Scot John Simpson.



Supporting Dazzo's fight will be two Welsh brothers. Damian Owen, a knockout winner in his debut in Bristol last weekend, will be back in action.



And namesake Ricky, also from Swansea but no relation, will take his first steps in the paid ranks on the same show.



Ricky, aged 19, signed up with Matchroom boss Barry Hearn after an amateur career which brought him a clutch of junior honours, including two Four Nations gold medals. This year he romped to the senior Welsh ABA bantam title.



Damian, a mere three days older, was a Welsh schools and youth champion and blasted out fellow first-timer Darren Payne at Ashton Gate to make an impressive entry into the pro game.



Joint top of the Hereford bill is IBO lightweight champion Jason Cook, facing a challenge from dangerous South African Phillip Ndou, while two unbeaten Welsh prospects also feature: Pembroke Dock's Scott Gammer and Aberystwyth super-middle Alan Jones.

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Mills sets target

Lee Mills, the much travelled centre-forward now with Hereford United, has already scored five goals for his new club but insists he can score more.



"I've probably had more clubs than Jack Nicklaus. And at all my previous clubs, I've always aimed at scoring one goal in every two games. I've set myself the same target here but it could be difficult this season because I know I'm not going to be playing every game," Mills told the Evening News.



"The club has a few good strikers and Adam (Stansfield) and David (Brown) started the season up front with me on the bench. I've started four or five times and I've been happy with my return in that respect. I'm aiming to get a long run in the team and determined to repay the manager's faith in bringing me here.



"The lads have been doing well and we were unbeaten in the last six games up to Dagenham. That was our fourth game in 12 days and we had extra time against Scunthorpe in the LDV Trophy. I did think the lads were a little bit tired towards the end of the game. Dagenham were up for it given the club's result against Hereford last season.



"We will be there or thereabouts in the top five come the end of the season, which will give us a guaranteed playoff spot. Then anything can happen, I never predicted Shrewsbury to have gone up from last year's playoffs."

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Injury situation eases

The injury situation at Hereford United has eased with confirmation by Graham Turner that Ryan Green is in contention for a place in the squad, maybe as soon as Monday for the Accrington match.



Only Jamie Pitman is out from injury.



"Rob Purdie now looks as though he is fully fit. He has had two parts of games against Burton and Dagenham, so he is ready to be considered for a starting place.



"Everybody else is okay," Turner told BBC Hereford and Worcester.

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Gould extends stay

The loan signing of Johnathan Gould for another month has been confirmed by Graham Turner to Wyvern FM. It will be the third month that the Scottish goalkeeper has spent at Hereford, and maybe the most difficult. United have several difficult fixtures upcoming against the likes of Carlisle and Barnet.

Gould will be speaking to his employers at Preston North End about making the deal permanent in the next couple of weeks as he is understood not to want to leave things until the last minute, in case the deal falls apart. Graham Turner also mentioned that should Gould not sign on then his current understudy, Ben Scott, may be given a chance to impress.

There is some good news on the injury front. Ryan Green has began training again, as reported by Bulls News earlier this week. There is an outside chance that he might be fit enough for the trip to Accrington Stanley on Monday night. Jamie Pitman, though, will be out for at least a week as he is struggling with a back injury.

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Exhibition honours John Charles

An exhibition honouring one of Wales' greatest sporting legends opened this week. John Charles, who played for Hereford United towards the end of his career, died earlier this year.



The Gentle Giant, John Charles, and the Future of Football commemorates the life and career of the man remembered as much for his outstanding record of fair play as for his footballing talent. Throughout his 18-year career, which saw him represent Wales on 38 occasions, he was never once booked.



The exhibition, backed with £50,000 of National Assembly funding, opened in Wrexham last Monday, then tours Aberystwyth, Newport, Swansea, Cardiff and Merthyr Tydfil.



Assembly Sports Minister Alun Pugh, who will carry out the official opening on October 15, said, "John Charles is a real Welsh legend. His remarkable talent combined with a natural modesty and generosity means he is still widely considered one of the greatest players football has known. This exhibition will provide a fitting testimony to a great man."



He also confirmed that the Assembly Government has contributed £5,000 towards Swansea Council's campaign for a statue of John Charles at the city's new sports stadium.



"John Charles was always extremely proud of his Swansea roots, so I am pleased to be able to help his home city honour him with a lasting memorial," said the Minister.



As yet there appears to be no news of any memorial to John Charles from Hereford United. However there are mentions of, and pictures from, his time at Edgar Street in the exhibition.

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Auction for Local Charity

BBC Hereford and Worcester are holding a charity auction this Saturday to raise money for several local causes including St Michaels Hospice just outside Hereford. The top prize is tickets to see Manchester United play Arsenal on Sunday October 24th and as Hereford United do not have a game on that day there is every excuse to take part in the auction.



The following story about the auction appeared on the UK Radio site.



This Saturday (9th October), between 7am and 2pm, BBC Hereford and Worcester are putting a host of fantastic items under the hammer, live on-air and also online, to help raise money for the BBC Hereford and Worcester Money Marathon 2004 Hospice Appeal.



Items to be auctioned include, two VIP tickets to Manchester United versus Arsenal on 24th October, the use of a £14000 sports car for a long weekend and a rare chance to see an edition of BBC Radio 4's Archers being recorded at BBC Birmingham's brand new state of the art studios at the Mailbox.



The auction begins this Saturday at 7am during Nathan Turvey?s Breakfast Show and continues through Greg Dukeson's Mid-Morning Show and into the Lunchtime programme between 12pm and 2pm.



All funds raised will go to four Adult Hospices across Herefordshire and Worcestershire -Kemp Hospice in Kidderminster, Primrose Hospice in Bromsgrove, St Michaels Hospice in Hereford and St Richards Hospice in Worcester.



The auction is part of a series of fund-raising schemes aimed at raising a grand total of £20,000. Last week four BBC Hereford and Worcester presenters raised £1700 between them doing a variety of challenges, including Dave Bradley doing his show from a bath full of compost!

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Tributes paid to former Hereford youth coach

Both Graham Turner and Joan Fennessy have paid tributes to Steve Bennett who has recently died.



Turner told the Hereford Times: "When I first arrived at the club there were a small group of dedicated coaches who gave their time freely to help our youngsters at our centre.



"Unfortunately, when regulated we lost our licence to run a centre but I always appreciated the coaches work. Steve met his death in tragic circumstances on a golfing holiday in Tenerife. My condolences go to his family."



Joan Fennessy added:" He made a big contribution with the youth set-up. He was a northern lad and would do anything for us. He was very, very helpful."

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Turner praises Fundraisers

Hereford United has learnt just how much the CVA final payment including the supervisors fees will cost. The bill will be paid as soon as possible in order to release the club from the stigma of being in the CVA.



Graham Turner is releived that with a better financial position at Edgar Street the account can be settled and in his column in this morning's Hereford Times he praises those who have helped to keep the club alive.



In particular, he mentions the attitude of main sponsor, Sun Valley, and kit supplier Mark Ellis.



"Never for a moment did their commitment to the club falter and without their help it would have made survival even more difficult."

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Hereford still fancied despite poor spell

Carlisle are emerging as the bookies favourite for coming top of the Conference this season. Their odds are as low as 11/10 at Totesport. In general they can be found at 6-4. This price is much lower than any other club at present.



Despite being defeated at Dagenham last Tuesday, Hereford United are still second favourites. But their price has drifting out a little to average about 9-2 at present. Best price for the Bulls can be found at Totesport who are offering 11-2. Several others now offer 5-1 including Sportingodds, Sportingbet and Stan James.



Barnet are available at an average of 5-1, with their best price of 11-2 found at Totesport,Coral and Stan James. Aldershot are nearer 6-1. Their best price of 8-1 is at William Hill.



Bar the above four, no club is currently on offer at odds less than 14-1.



Odds are now available for the Conference League Cup as follows: Carlisle (15/2), Hereford (15/2), Aldershot (10/1), Morecambe (10/1), Barnet (12/1).



And for the FA Trophy: Carlisle (10/1), Aldershot (12/1), Hereford (14/1), Canvey Island (16/1), Exeter (16/1), Barnet (20/1)



As for top goalscorer, SkyBet have Barnet's Giuliano Grazioli at 9-4 , Carlisle's Karl Hawley at 13-2, and Lee Boylan of Canvey Island at 9-1.



Hereford United's Adam Stansfield is fourth favourite at 11-1. David Brown is now at 20-1 and Lee Mills at 33-1.

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