Ex-Stevenage manager, Graham Westley, is expected to become manager of Rushden and Diamonds this week.
Caretaker manager Tony Godden has said that he wants the situation clarified.
"I have said to the board that the situation has to be sorted out this week one way or the other," Godden told BBC Radio Northampton.
Rushden and Diamonds were backed for many years by Max Griggs, who made his fortune from selling boots, but since he took a back seat, the club has gone down hill back into the Conference.
The Northampton Evening Telegraph says that Westley 'seems certain to be confirmed as Nene Park's new owner and first-team manager'
'Current chairman Helen Thompson confirmed this morning that the club are expecting to issue an official statement over the manager's job on Wednesday when the contracts have been signed.'
Later it was suggested by Rushden Today that the deal that will take Westley to R&D is being backed by Colin Hill brother of Weymouth manager Garry Hill.
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Monday, November 20, 2006
Westley expected to go to Rushden
Peters rallies his squad
Faced with the prospect of being dumped out of the FA Cup tomorrow by Hereford United, Gary Peters, the Shrewsbury manager, has spoken to the Shropshire Star about their current situation.
Shrewsbury lost 2-0 at MK Dons last Saturday and have only scored twice in their last five games. The lie 14th in League Two whereas Hereford are 10th. And as well as their visit to Edgar Street tomorrow evening they have another local derby against Chester on Saturday.
"We have to get back on the bike and carry on riding. We are a resilient and hard working team and when things are going badly I want to fight more. This group of players are the same and we are fighters not quitters."
Meanwhile Graham Turner, the Hereford United manager, has implied that the League comes before the FA Cup this season.
"The FA Cup certainly provides a lot of interest for supporters but the League is the bread and butter," Turner told BBC Hereford and Worcester.
"We said before we want to make sure we are a League Club this time next year."
Finally Walsall manager Richard Money praised Hereford after Saturday's game.
"Hereford gave everything and more and that's the way it's been from opposing sides recently.
"It was our best away performance this season. Hereford are in good form and played well but we were strong and resilient and could have won by more."
Postscript: It appears that Edgar Street was on the edge of a power cut that affected parts of Hereford including Widemarsh Street last Saturday. The power went off around 4.30pm. Amidst premises cut off was the Hereford Journal office.
Loan Deadline On Thursday
The deadline for loan transfers ahead of the busy Christmas period is this Thursday.
No loan transfers will be allowed afterwards until the January transfer window opens, but free agents can still be signed providing they have not played for another club subject to the transfer window during the current closed window.
The Bulls have two in on loan, with both loans expiring before the January window kicks in. John Eustace will remain with the Bulls until 12th December at the present time, with Neil Mackenzie due to leave on the 26th November after the weekend game at Boston. If Graham Turner sees fit, he will have to extend their loans or find replacements before Thursday as neither player will currently be available for four games, Mackenzie for six, over Christmas.
Mackenzie's future at Scunthorpe still remains in doubt with no permanent manager in place, though caretaker boss Nigel Adkins was adamant that the player was not to be cup tied by the Bulls suggesting that the player has a future at Glandford Park. Scunthorpe, however, reported a £300,000 loss for the last financial year as they increased spending on wages to ensure League One survival and may need to offload peripheral players to help balance the books with the club showing a 28 man senior squad on their official website.
Eustace is widely expected to be returning to Stoke at the end of his loan, and Stoke are likely to be keen to have the well regarded player back to bolster their own squad over the Christmas period.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Turner sets out his stall for Hereford
Whilst Graham Turner admitted to the Times that he was disappointed with losing to Walsall on Saturday, the paper notes that as chairman of Hereford United as well as manager he has to look at the bigger picture.
"Our first aim is to be a league club next year, our second is to be in the top half of the table," Turner said.
"We were out of the league for nine years and, on and off the field, we've lost a lot of time. A massive thing is the redevelopment of the ground. We lost our youth policy, we were over £1 million in debt, but we survived. We are stable now and we think we can move it on a bit."
Sills looks forward to Cup replay
Tim Sills is looking forward to Tuesday's FA Cup replay with Shrewsbury Town.
Disappointed with his side not getting a point yesterday against Walsall, the Hereford United striker told BBC Hereford and Worcester that the side hadn't got long to pick themselves up.
"It's probably a good thing that we can focus on Tuesday," said Sills.
"It's a fanastic competition for players to play in and there's always that carrot of the Premiership clubs coming into Round Three.
"It's a dream of anyone at this level to get that far.
"The tradition of the FA Cup with Hereford is shown every year and I think that maybe I need to strike like Ronnie Radford's at the moment to get past the keeper."
Sills is back in the starting eleven since Fleetwood is out with a virus.
"It's nice to get back in as much as I feel for Stuart. I hope he gets over his problem as soon as possible."
Unhappy Walsall fans wanted refund
Several Walsall supporters tried to gate crash the players entrance after yesterdays match at Edgar Street.
They were said to be unhappy at having been delayed whilst queueing to get into the game and were hoping to obtain a refund.
The supporters asked to speak to a Hereford United club official but were refused by stewards at the door.
They then became 'aggressive' as the doors were closed on them. 'Clenched fists were seen' according to a witness.
Meanwhile the Vital Walsall website has printed this comment about the organisation at Hereford yesterday:
Last weekend Hereford suffered some logistic problems at Swindon, however they seem to have took out there frustrations on the 1173 saddlers who turn up to fill the away section.
The fact only two turnstiles were open caused a massive queue. On a Hereford site fans have stated that the state of the problem was clear to the local fans at 2.10, so why oh why couldn't the club, or stewarts have seen the problem. The result of this was that no other turnstiles were opened and some saddlers fans took it upon themselves to locate themselves in the home sections....this could have been a recipe for disaster.
Hereford you need to take a close look at yourself.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
A Walsall view of the delays at the turnstiles
Reports that some Walsall supporters had a long wait to get into Edgar Street this afternoon have been backed up by a report on Walsall Mad.
Here is what they have said (written by Zidane):
Walsall Fans were badly let down by both Hereford United and the Police on Saturday. With 15 minutes to go before kick off it was blatantly obvious to the most simple minded individual that the 500+ Walsall fans still in an orderly queue outside the away end, would not gain entry into the stadium in time for the kick off.
Rather than Hereford do the honourable thing and delay the kick off, the game kicked off at 3pm. The Police decided to tell the fans that the game's kick off had been delayed for 15 minutes to allow the fans to enter the stadium. This was a total lie.
As game kicked off the Walsall fans learnt that the game had started regardless. This lead to understandable frustrations from the Walsall faithfull, after being fed lies by the Police (presumably to maintain order). However this tactic only works until people find out the truth.
When some fans got to the turnstile at 3.20pm they were still made to pay full entry fee.
I think this customer service stinks and that Hereford United made the statement that they do not give a toss about away support. No appology was relayed on the tannoy at half time or on their website following the game from either the club or police.
Bulls News would like to point out that earlier this week Hereford United had been informed that only 400 Walsall supporters had purchased tickets for the game. Tickets had been sent to Walsall well in advance but it appears many Walsall supporters came to the game without pre-purchased tickets. Possibly a little more co-operation between the clubs might have resulted in Hereford being better prepared for the large following Walsall brought this afternoon.
Development update from Turner
Graham Turner has updated supporters with the latest news on development plans for Edgar Street.
"We have been in talks this week with the Council, the Edgar Street Grid Board, Planners and Developers over possible development of the ground," Turner told Bullseye.
"Things are moving albeit slowly.
"We have also had a meeting with the people frtom the football foundation who were represented by amongst our former left back Murray Fishlock.
"We now have a broad picture of funds available from the Football Foundation to redevelope parts of the ground. There will be a maximum of £750,000 with different projects attracting different percentages of costs.
"Each project must be put before a Football Foundation committee who then decide on the appropriate grant available."
Blackfriars opened for Walsall supporters
The crowd of over four thousand watched an entertaining game at Edgar Street this afternoon helped by good refereeing by Paul Melin.
Although the stewards seemed unprepared for quite so many Walsall supporters, a sensible decision to open the Blackfriars End was taken and this helped create a good atmosphere. Some Walsall fans did miss a few minutes at the start of the game. A dozen or so got into the Hereford end but were soon escorted to the away end. 
Was that right Mr Lino? - The Walsall bench talks to one of the officials - Picture by Andy Compton of the Hereford Journal
The PA stats from the game show that the Bulls had just five attempts on goal, two of which were on target, whereas Walsall managed eleven of which five were on target.
However their stats seem hard on the Bulls with just John Eustace receiving an eight. For Walsall, Mark Kinsella was given a nine for his efforts and both Clayton Ince and Scot Dann got an eight.
Young supporters can watch for £3
Although the experiment of allowing children under 10 into games at Edgar Street for free has ended, Hereford United have announced a further offer which they hope will keep youngsters watching games.
"We are keeping our prices down for the under 10's to £3 for the remainder of the season," wrote Graham Turner in today's Bullseye.
"To take advantage of this offer, tickets must be pre-bought with a full paying adult."
Meanwhile the club have announced that Wayne Brown will be starting a Goalkeeping School, which will be on Wednesday evenings, in the New Year.
This will be for boys and girls from 6 to 11 years old and also for 12-16 years old.
More details from the club. Those interested must apply by 20th December.
Sills hopes to fit for Tuesday
Tim Sills suffered a nasty head wound in the second half of this afternoon's game but hopes to be fit for Tuesday's Cup tie.
"I managed to get a pretty nasty head injury," Sills told BBC Hereford and Worcester.
"I ran in, didn't feel too bad, a lot of blood was pouring out at the time so I knew I had to get stitches.
"With two or three stitches I was ready to come back out but the gaffer decided to make a substitution which with hindsight, the way I'm feeling at the moment, wasn't the worst decision in the world.
"We'll see how it is in the morning. Hopefully there won't be too much of a lump, or too much bruising or concussion or anything like that."
Before his injury Sills had an excellent header well saved by the Walsall goalkeeper.
"The header the keeper saved for them was possibly one of the best saves I've ever seen.
Clayton Ince saving Tim Sills' header - picture by Andy Compton of the Hereford Journal
"As soon as I got it - it was perfect contact. Exactly where I wanted it to go and I was almost off celebrating. Doesn't seem that my luck is in too much at the moment.
"We'll pick ourselves up and get ready for Tuesday."
Saddlers scrape through
Walsall were more than fortunate to escape from Edgar Street with all three points as Hereford United went to battle with the league leaders this afternoon. The return to league action allowed the midfield duo of Neil MacKenzie and John Eustace to return in the only two changes in Hereford's side following their cup game last weekend.
Played in front of a bumper crowd of 4,462, the largest to date this season at Edgar Street, and helped by a mass away following of 1,173, United and The Saddlers failed to create too much in the way of goal scoring chances, though the game had a good atmosphere.
The first fifteen minutes were uneventful to say the least, it wasn't until target man Hector Sam slid a pass through to strike partner Martin Butler that a defence was really called upon, and Phil Gulliver was on hand to get a good block in.
Clayton Ince in the visitors goal was made to work a couple of times before the break, firstly after a good pass and move involving Alex Jeannin and Gulliver. It was the Frenchmans whipped cross that brought about the danger, and Ince theatrically threw himself airbound, and tipped the ball over his own cross bar. The Bulls almost grabbed the lead before the break as Tamika Mkandawire met MacKenzie's deep free kick with his head. Ince had come out to claim, but was beaten to the ball and it took a clearance from Scott Dann to keep the scores level.
The game was injected with some energy after the interval, as Walsall looked to grab an opening goal. Sam shot wide before Dean Beckwith made an awesome last ditch tackle to deny Butler, who'd broke through the middle. However, Hereford's best chance came soon after, and Ince was the saviour for The Saddlers. Alan Connell released Jeannin down the left, who delivered a stunning cross to Tim Sills at the far post. His diving header across Ince looked destined for the back of the net, but, somehow, Ince stretched out an arm and diverted the ball just wide.
The resulting corner went out off the cross bar, via the head of Mkandawire, while his team mate Beckwith made a good block at the other end, to deny Butler. Disaster struck for The Whites though with sixty three minutes on the clock. A corner was headed back to the taker who, with the defence still staying in, whipped the ball back in and defender Chris Westwood headed high into the back of the net in front of the travelling fans.
Mark Kinsella went close for Walsall before Graham Turner took off the injured Sills and put Gareth Sheldon on in attack, leaving Connell in the midfield. Hereford still pushed forward and Mkandawire headed on a Eustace corner to Andy Williams, who fired wide at the back stick, before Wayne Brown was forced into his only notable save of the game as Walsall countered. Mark Wright, a first half sub, found some space on the right, but Brown was more than equal to the powerful effort, which he palmed away.
Mkandawire had another header saved by Ince before the end, but United couldn't force an equaliser even with four added minutes. Brown even took it on himself to get forward for a succession of corners and free kicks, but nothing came of them.
Wayne Brown helping out in attack - picture by Andy Compton of the Hereford Journal
Hereford can't be too hard on themselves following this defeat, as their recent form against some very good opposition has been much better than probably expected. They may also feel slightly hard done by with this result also; it was just one defensive lapse that cost them against the team topping the table.
HUFC: Brown, Gulliver, Beckwith, Mkandawire, Jeannin, Purdie, MacKenzie, Eustace, Connell, Williams, Sills. Subs: Thompson, Rose, Webb, Ferrell, Sheldon.
WFC: Ince, Westwood, Roper, Dann, Fox, Wrack, Dobson, Kinsella, Keates, Butler, Sam. Subs: Bossu, Wright, Bedeau, Taylor, Demontagnac.
League Two Round Up
With Walsall remaining top after their win at Edgar Street, their lead is now six points after Lincoln (2nd) lost at home to Darlington 3-1, and Wycombe (now 4th) could only manage a 1-1 draw at home to 10-man Grimsby. Swindon moved up to third after a 1-0 win at Torquay.
MK Dons remain fifth after a 2-0 win over Shrewsbury. Notts County beat Wrexham 2-1 to remain sixth, and Peterboro beat Mansfield 2-0 with Aaron McLean getting his first goal for the club.
Hartlepool won at Accrington 2-1, Barnet beat Rochdale 3-2 with Tresor Kandol scoring a hat-trick, and Bristol Rovers won at Bury 2-0. Boston won the battle of the bottom two with a 3-2 win at Macclesfield, watched by just 1895.
Ex-Bulls Watch
John Grant bagged a brace for Aldershot in their 2-2 draw with Southport, taking his tally to nine for the season. Danny Carey-Bertram came off the subs bench and scored a last minute penalty for Cambridge, but it was no more than a consolation as they lost at home to Morecambe 3-1.
At Dagenham, Anwar Uddin kept David Brown quiet on his debut for Burton with the Daggers winning 3-0. Adam Stansfield was restored to the starting line-up for Exeter but failed to score as they drew 1-1 with Kidderminster. Mark Beesley got only his fifth start of the season for Forest Green as they beat Northwich 2-1.
Tony James made his first appearance in a month following injury for Weymouth as they lost at home to York 2-1. Ryan Green provided the cross for the first but was later subbed injured for Bristol Rovers as they beat Bury 2-0.
Saddlers Tame Bulls
The Bulls lost today's League Two clash with Walsall 1-0, but were unlucky to leave with at least a draw.
The Bulls hit the woodwork twice and forced several fine saves out of 'keeper Clayton Ince as they gave as good as they got in an end to end game. The result sees the Bulls slip to tenth.
Full report later.
Good crowd expected for Walsall clash
A good attendance is expected at Edgar Street this afternoon when Hereford United play Walsall.
Car parks and turnstiles will be busy and fans are encouraged to get to the ground in reasonable time.
Walsall manager, Richard Money, expects a large following to back his team at Hereford.
"It's not a long journey and I'm sure we'll have 1,000 or 1,500 supporters there. It should be a great atmosphere and to have the fans in good voice will be a great fillip to the team," said Money.
Meanwhile John Trewick, the Hereford United coach, has told the Western Daily Press that he is pleased that both on-loan midfielders, John Eustace and Neil MacKenzie, are likely to feature.
"John and Neil are both quality players and have been very important to us in recent games," said Trewick.
"Walsall have a good record so far this season but we are now unbeaten in five and are showing a lot of good qualities.
"We survived one or two scary moments against Shrewsbury but we defended well with a lot of determination and guts.
"I think the match against Walsall is all set for another great game."
Warm welcome for Rob at Torquay
There must be times when riding a cycle on a wet and windy day isn't the most pleasant task but Hereford Unbited supporter Rob Powell appears to be coping well.
Rob, who is hoping to visit some 61 clubs in an effort to raise money for the Hereford MS Society, arrived at Torquay football ground yesterday afternoon.
"I arrived on time to a warm welcome. The receptionist got me a cup of coffee and said that 2 players would be here soon. Chairman Chris Roberts came down and greeted me. They had a signed football for me and tomorrow's programme. Adam Murray and Jordan Robertson arrived and we had our photographs taken in the ground by a Torquay sign which was from HMS Torquay the WW2 ship which helped sink the Bismark," said Rob.
The next stage of his itinery takes him along the South Coast to Bournemouth and Southampton.
Readers can keep up with Rob's progress by visiting his blog at http://www.backtotheleague.blogspot.com
Friday, November 17, 2006
Money Wary Of Bulls Form
Walsall boss Richard Money is wary of the form of the Bulls coming into tomorrow's game and also explored the possiblity of changing the misfiring strikers.
Speaking to the Walsall Observer, Money said: "Hereford are on a very good run. In fact our next four league games are against sides in the top nine. At the moment we always seem to be playing teams in form.
"It will be a tough game. In recent weeks Hereford have won at Milton Keynes and Swindon, which are excellent results. But we have come through similar tests this season. I'm always considering the options but whenever you make changes you have to be very careful not to affect what is working well.
"As a team we defend from the front. If you make a change you've got to consider the effect it will have on the whole unit."
Walsall should be a cracking game says Turner
In his interview with BBC Hereford and Worcester this morning Graham Turner said that tomorrow's game with Walsall is one to look forward to.
"It's a challenge that I feel, with the mood we are in at the moment,we can go and meet head on.
"I think we can go into the game with a lot of confidence with the results that we've had particularly against MK Dons and Swindon.
"It's got all the makings of a cracking game, all the makings of one we can look forward to and if we meet the challenge head on we've got every chance of taking three points out of it."
The Wright Book
Another new book by an author who follows Hereford United was launched last night. However this book is all about the great players who have worn a West Bromwich Albion shirt.
Simon Wright, who contributes to Bulls News, has toiled for several months on the project.
"Within Cult Heroes are the lives and times of twenty men who, between them, left behind French classrooms, trenches, coal mines, leaking roofs, unpaid bus fares, full dustbins and Bobby Gould to play for the famous West Bromwich Albion. All will be eternally respected for doing so. Hundreds of hours work in dimly-lit libraries have turned up so many fascinating nuggets. For most of those men, I believe "Cult Heroes" offers the most comprehensive account ever written. Some of the tales and some of the pictures have never been previously published," said Simon.
At the launch of "West Brom's Cult Heroes" last night.
Simon hopes to be at Edgar Street to watch the Shrewsbury Cup replay next Tuesday. Anyone wishing to purchase the book can do so direct from Simon - his e-mail is swdl06301@blueyonder.co.uk
Fleetwood to miss several weeks
BBC Hereford and Worcester have reported that Stuart Fleetwood, who has scored six times so far for Hereford this season, could be out for up to several weeks. The virus has taken its toll on Fleetwood, who has reportedly lost close to a stone in weight, and it could take a while for the Welsh Under 21 striker to gain full fitness.
Graham Turner told the station that Fleetwood would have to build up his strength and fitness before he can take his place in the first team.
"He spent last Friday night in hospital on an antibiotic drip and didn't look too well when he came back into the club.
"We've got to make sure he gets the right food and builds his muscle bulk back up, because he was looking very powerful and very quick."
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Brown moves on-loan to Burton
David Brown is moving to Burton on-loan from Accrington Stanley.
The deal is for a month.
The former Hereford United striker hasn't had many starts for the Milkmen this season.
The Walsall guide to Hereford
This edited guide to Hereford and Edgar Street comes from Up The Saddlers.
Geordie's Pub Guide To Hereford
Hereford is another on of those old school "big turnout" away games and as such there can be a bit of an atmosphere in the town centre when we visit.
That said it's a lovely town, and the ground despite its ramshackle appearance has some redeeming features. Its only 5 minutes from the station, has a bar that on my previous visits has admitted away fans, and wait for it?an away end with a roof!
Heading away from the station towards the ground down Commercial Road there is a half decent Wetherspoons called the King's Fee, and a quiet bar/restaurant in The Merton Hotel if you fancy something a bit more salubrious.
The town centre has more pubs than you could shake a stick at, but if I had to pick a couple I'd go for The Litten Tree also on Commercial Road, and turning right and heading away from the ground at the bottom of Commercial Road The Victory, a splendidly eccentric establishment that serves its own brews under the name "Spinning Dog Beer".
I would personally not bother with the rather soul-less Kerry (formerly Farmhand and Firkin) although it's also handy for both station and stadium.
At the ground there is The Oxford pub which can be a bit tetchy as it's predominantly a home bar, but I've never experienced any problems apart from slow service!
I would definitely recommend the club bar underneath the main stand as you can watch the players warm up through the window, although it's a fair trek to the away end, and a few stragglers were known to give the match a miss during the dark days of the early 90's. Surely not now though with such compelling away performances, I'm sure everyone will down their pint, stop moaning and get behind the lads at 2.58 pm sharp.
Another time change for Bulls
First it was Wrexham, then Shrewsbury (twice), Notts County and now Chester who are changing the time of kick-off for their next game with Hereford United.
The Bulls have already brought forward the times of two games at Edgar Street.
This from the Official Chester City Website:
At the request of the Cheshire Constabulary, we have to announce that our game against Hereford United on Saturday 10 February 2007 will now kick off at 12 noon.
The game had originally been a 3pm start.
Games with early starts:
Saturday Dec 16 Shrewsbury Away 12 noon
Friday Dec 22 Notts County Away 7.45pm (Brought forward from Saturday)
Tuesday Dec 26 Bristol Rovers Home 12.30pm
Saturday Dec 30 Wrexham Home 12 noon
Saturday Feb 10th Chester Away 12 noon
Walsall will be a tough game says Trewick
John Trewick, the Hereford United coach, is well aware that Walsall come to Edgar Street with a good record.
"Walsall are top of the league so it will be a very tough game for us," he told the Worcester News.
"Walsall have a very good record so far this season but we are unbeaten in four matches.
"We are showing a lot of qualities but know we have two great games in three days to look forward to - and I am really looking forward to it."
Meanwhile the last time the two teams met at Edgar Street was in August 1994 when the result was 0-0. But previously in October 1993 an Evan Wright brace helped give Walsall a 2-2 draw.
On Saturday his son Mark is expected to feature and he is hoping to score.
"I don't remember the game but fair play to my dad, it would be nice if I could go there and grab a goal but it would be even better if I could do that and we win this time!" Mark told the Official Walsall website.
"It's something of a derby and those type of games are always difficult. I'd imagine it'll be played at a high tempo and we won't get much time on the ball. We're going there expecting a battle and we've got to be up for the challenge.
"We're top of the League and there to be shot down but we have a strong dressing room and we're fully-focussed on the task at hand - three points on Saturday."
News Round Up
Bristol Rovers have transfer listed captain James Hunt after he reacted badly to being dropped last week. Midfielder Hunt, 29, has only recently completed his 100th game for the club. Rovers have signed West Brom's young striker Stuart Nicholson on loan. The 19 year old has scored twice in two League Cup starts this season, but is yet to start a league game.
Lincoln have told ex-Hucknall striker Danny Bacon he can leave after 18 months of injury problems at Sincil Bank. The striker helped Hucknall in beating the Bulls in the FA Trophy but has suffered numerous injury problems since returning to the league. Mansfield have completed the signing of Redditch full back Asa Charlton on a short term deal. The 28 year old has had a string of Midlands non-league sides since being a trainee at Kidderminster.
Torquay are set to offload winger Martin Phillips to Exeter, where the player started his career before a six-figure move to Man City. Phillips, 30, left St James Park 11 years ago but failed to live up to the £500,000 tag. Torquay have also lost out on a loan move for Cardiff defender Joe Jacobson after Torquay's new Chairman, Chris Roberts, refused to sanction the deal. Shrewsbury have allowed loan winger Joe Keith to return to Leyton Orient two weeks early after the player refused a permanent deal at the Gay Meadow. Shrews skipper Chris Hope will miss the weekend game at MK Dons after failing to recover from a thigh strain and is likely to miss the FA Cup replay at Edgar Street as well.
Macclesfield have enquired about the availability of Stockport striker Adam Proudlock. The former Wolves striker scored his first of the season last weekend after a series of injuries hampered his return to football. Boston have allowed on-loan midfielder Jason Kennedy to return to Middlesboro after an illness in his family. The club hope to have him back after the weekend.
Darlington have reinstated Director of Football David Jones after being suspended four weeks ago. He was implicated in the reasons behind the sacking of manager David Hodgson, but has now been cleared to return to work.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Fleetwood - uncertain for Saturday
Although Hereford United's injury worries appear to have eased, Stuart Fleetwood remains a doubt for Saturday's game against Walsall.
Fleetwood missed the Cup Tie at Shrewsbury last week with a virus and according to the Hereford Times was 'hospitalised last Friday'.
There were worries that he might have caught glandular fever but the paper says that tests have came back negative.
Meanwhile with Simon Travis and Martyn Giles back in training and with John Eustace and Neil MacKenzie available again, Graham Turner will have a strong squad to choose from for the Walsall game.
The cost of chasing a footballer
Research released today by Virgin Money suggest that girls chasing a League Two football player, such as someone playing for Hereford United, may need to spend a lot more than when chasing someone in Non-League. But that figure is nowhere near what it might cost to score with a Premiership player.
An article in this morning's Western Mail looked at the research from a Welsh angle. It said that if a girl thought 'hanging out in the trendiest night clubs and wearing a skirt the size of a belt was all it took to win the heart of a Premiership footballer such as Ryan Giggs or Robbie Savage, think again.'
'Scoring such a man will cost you more than £50,000, according to research out today. That's £28,815 on looking good enough to catch his eye in the first place, and a further £21,855 to keep him from straying during the first year of the relationship.'
Virgin Money said that the initial outlay includes '£5,570 on a breast enlargement, £7,050 on a designer wardrobe, £2,490 on being seen in the right places and £2,710 on accessories.'
In return most WAGs hope their spending will bring access to the players credit card, exotic holidays and a hugh diamond ring.
Moving down from the Premiership, the research says that 'getting your hands on a Championship player - such as someone from Cardiff City, who are currently at the top of that division - will cost an estimated £31,400, while a League One player from a team such as Swansea will need £15,250 investment. A League Two player such as a Wrexham player (or presumably Hereford United) will cost £5,140.
And if that's still too expensive, a mere £512 is all it takes to bag a Conference player.
Money can't buy goals at present
Walsall, who play Hereford United at Edgar Street next Saturday, are finding goals difficult to come by at present. They have only scored once in their last three goals.
However the Saddlers manager, Richard Money, does not appear to be worried about the situation.
"It's not a concern at all," he told the Walsall press. "We have scored 29 goals in the league.
"Teams go through periods where their end product is not what they would like. We are just having a little spell like that. The good thing is we are still able to pick up results - and that's important.
"No team is going to flow all season and keep producing chances and scoring lots of goals. It doesn't happen that way."
Although not scoring goals, the Walsall defensive record is impressive having only conceded eight goals in seventeen league matches.
One of their forwards, Martin Butler, has not scored in his last eight games.
"We still look really solid at the back and don't look like conceding. But in terms of creating chances we don't seem to be doing that too much at the moment. Hopefully, that will come back soon," said Butler.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Swindon after Cheltenham
Hereford United supporter Rob Powell started his cycle journey to raise funds for the Hereford MS society yesterday staying at Cheltenham last night. After visiting the ground this morning he cycles onto Swindon.
Rob preparing to set out yesterday - photo used with Rob's permission
After he arrived at Cheltenham he spoke to BBC Hereford and Worcester.
"I've just started cycling today and come thirty miles down to Cheltenham. A bit wet but otherwise okay. It's November!
"The task is to go around all the Division Two League clubs and try and raise money for Multiple Sclerosis at the same time.
"When I looked it was about a thousand miles so I thought I might as well do all the Premiership clubs as well. I've ended up with sixty-one clubs including a few others I pass on the way."
Asked by Malcolm Boyden if he was a keen cyclist he replied that he wasn't.
"I did cycle from Lands End to John O'Groats but I not exactly the fittest speciman. I didn't even get on a bike for about a year after the John O'Groats. I'd seem enough of the bike thank you."
Asked about the Charity for whom Rob is raising money:
"My wife Eunise has got MS. You feel so helpless when somebody close to you has got that sort of problem.
"All the money, every penny - I'm paying my own expenses - is going to the Hereford and District MS Society."
You can support Rob at www.justgiving.com/backtotheleague