Test

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

News Round Up

Lewes face a 10.30am winding up petition over an unpaid debt to Portakabin for the toilet blocks at their stadium. Midfielder Michael Standing has told the press the team are training on a third of a pitch, with under-10 and under-12 sides taking the other spaces. He has payed the £30 a week cost out of his own pocket for the last two weeks.

Ex-Bull Andy Ferrell will miss two months due to knee surgery. Kidderminster hope to have him back for the play-offs, if they make it. Last night's attendances were some of the worst of the season. Eight of the 18 home teams in Leagues One and Two recorded season lows. Cheltenham youngster Marley Watkins has signed a two year professional deal with the club.

Crewe have told midfielder Michael O'Connor he can leave after a disciplinary problem. He is alleged to have had a bust up with a teammate on the coach to a match, and has not played for the club since.

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Results Round Up

Thanks to postponements and results going the right way there was very little movement in the bottom four, and the Bulls now hold at least two matches in hand on all but Brighton with four points now the gap to safety.

Swindon's 2-2 draw with Cheltenham moves them up to 19th after Crewe lost 2-1 at home to Carlisle, with the winner scored by ex-Bull Joe Anyinsah. Peterboro beat Leyton Orient 3-2 to move themselves into the automatic spots after MK Dons' match at Northampton was called off midway due to a waterlogged pitch. Leicester drew 1-1 with Stockport to see their lead cut to 12 points, with Scunthorpe drawing 1-1 at home to Walsall. Millwall beat Southend 1-0 to move up to fifth, while Huddersfield are six points short of the play-offs after drawing 2-2 with Colchester. Hartlepool beat Tranmere 2-1 to ease their drop fears.

Bottom of League One:

17 Northampton 32 -1 37
18 Yeovil 33 -16 37
19 Swindon 33 -8 34
20 Crewe 33 -18 34
21 Leyton Orient 34 -16 33
22 Brighton 32 -15 32
23 Hereford 31 -16 30
24 Cheltenham 33 -35 22

In League Two Brentford's 1-0 win at Grimsby puts them four points clear while the Mariners drop into the relegation spots after Bournemouth's 2-0 win over Aldershot. Chester's 2-0 loss to Wycombe means they are now just four points clear of relegation having played a game more. Shrewsbury drew 1-1 with Exeter thanks to a Grant Holt goal, with Moses Ashikodi being replaced by Nick Chadwick on the hour.

In the Conference Kidderminster's match with Woking was abandoned midway due to a waterlogged pitch, while Forest Green ground out a 1-1 draw at Stevenage. Oxford continued their late storm towards the play-offs with a 3-0 win at Eastbourne, but are six points adrift having played two games more than fifth placed Torquay.

Match had to be postponed

There was no option than to postpone this evening's League One game at Huish Park. Very heavy rain from around 5pm left the ground completely waterlogged.

Although there had been some rain, the conditions at 3.30pm were such that no inspection was planned. By this time most, if not all, of Hereford United support would have been en-route to Somerset.

The decision to postpone was taken about 6.25pm. The Hereford United team coach arrived at the ground around that time. The only reasonable complaint against Yeovil was that they took much too long to inform the media.

BBC Radio Somerset was still telling their listeners the game was on as many Hereford United supporters were on their way back from Huish Park. In fact it was about 25 minutes after the game was called off that the station relayed the news.

The game is now expected to be played on Tuesday April 21st.

Supporters are reminded to keep their tickets from this evening's game. However anyone can not make the rearranged date will probably have seven days to return their tickets for a refund after the date is confirmed.

Meanwhile had the game gone ahead, one group of supporters might have missed the start. The FUNBUS encountered mechanical problems and had to keep to the slow lane going down the motorway.

Spencer staying at Cheltenham

Despite saying that Damian Spencer was to leave Whaddon Road, Cheltenham chairman Paul Baker appears to have changed his mind.

It is thought Spencer was on his way to rivals Yeovil Town but his wages might have been a problem for the Somerset club.

"We received an approach from another League One club to take Damian on loan until the end of the season but turned it down," said Barker as reported on Ciderspace.

Yeovil Game Off

Tonight's match at Yeovil has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

Very heavy rainfall during the afternoon has made the Huish Park pitch unplayable. The Bulls currently have only three midweek spaces left to fill, with the match likely to be played on either March 31st or during the final two weeks of the season.

It is not the only casualty of the weather, with Bristol Rovers' match with Brighton also off along with two matches from League Two.

Yeovil Bring In Defender

Yeovil have brought in young Spurs defender Danny Hitchins for tonight's game.

The 19 year old Academy full back has half a dozen appearances for Spurs' reserves after progressing through the age groups at White Hart Lane.

The bookies are receiving a steady stream of bets on the Bulls for tonight's match. While still available at 3/1 for the match with the Tote, eight bookies have cut odds on a Bulls win today although Yeovil remain 6/5 favourites with 12/5 the draw.

Bad weather today in Somerset has claimed it's first casualty, with the beer tent used by home supporters for a pint at the ground being closed due to the wet weather.

News Round Up

Last night's League One match saw Leeds draw 1-1 at Oldham. The Latics wore a pink kit to support a local cancer charity. Leeds have sold over 8,000 season tickets for next season already, 70% of last season's total. Huddersfield's highly rated teenage goalkeeper Alex Smithies has signed a four year deal with the club. The 19 year old has been a virtual ever-present since breaking into the side in December.

Ex-Bull Keith Downing is on a month-to-month contract as Port Vale assistant boss. Weymouth bidder Stephen Beer hopes to complete a £300,000 takeover of the club this week. Beer is described as an 'occasional fan' of the club. Ebbsfleet's board will present options to their MyFC owners next week to bridge the £250,000 shortfall that the lack of membership renewals has brought for next season.

Brighton have signed Watford midfielder Al Bangura on loan for the rest of the season. The 21 year old has been rarely used since winning the case to prevent his deportation to Sierra Leone as an illegal immigrant. Accrington have had to return loanee John Paul Kissock to Everton as they cannot afford to extend the loan.

Dean Windass has told Oldham he will not be returning to the club after being given just three minutes of last night's match. He wrote on his ITV blog that the club had broke an agreement to play him, but his short involvement last night was his only action in 180 minutes.

Skiverton Wants First Win

Yeovil's rookie boss Terry Skiverton wants to record his first win in tonight's match with the Bulls.

Speaking to the Football League website he said: "That first win is very important because it's what we're fighting for. I wanted to get a couple of early results and start doing the things I want to do, playing the way I want to play, but that's not happened so we've got to re-assess the situation.

"It's about us working harder, getting fitter and stronger mentally as well as physically. To be fair to the players there's been a lot of change at the club and the majority of them are trying, but they've got to bring other attributes as well. They know what they've got to do to stay in the team and for us to stay up. It's going to be tight right to the end of the season, but we need to start putting in performances and that's my main focus."

Yeovil have recorded just one point from the four matches since Russell Slade's departure, and have failed to score in three of those games. Skiverton acknowledged in his Monday press conference that a striker is needed:

"We need to bring in people who are ready to play and start. I don't see this happening before (tonight's) game, but never say never. I think now Prijovic has gone back, that is something that we have been missing and that is one area that I'm looking at. But there are two or three other areas that I'm looking at where we need to strengthen, just for cover, because if we do pick up knocks then we are very very light."

Unconfirmed reports claim that Yeovil and the Bulls are fighting over the loan signing of Cheltenham forward Damian Spencer. The powerful striker was the subject of a six figure bid from Crewe in January 2008 but failed a medical, and has missed much of this season with injury.

Willo slight doubt for Yeovil Game

Andy Williams is said to be a slight doubt for this evening's game at Yeovil. He picked up an ankle injury whilst playing against Leyton Orient last Saturday.

Otherwise no fresh injury concerns have been reported.

Graham Turner appears hopeful of three points from the game

“The three wins out of four games gives us the opportunity to go into this match with a certain degree of confidence,” said Turner as reported by the Worcester News.

“Yeovil, in contrast, can’t seem to win with their current form and we will try to take advantage of their fragile confidence.

“We had them watched last week against Crewe and they had some decent spells — the results are just not going for them.”

Whilst nothing has been announced as yet, Turner appears confident that the loan spell of young striker Febian Brandy from Manchester United will be extended.

“There is a possibility we might be able to extend Febian’s stay," he said.

Yeovil manager Terry Skiverton will not be available to play himself as he continues to struggle with an ankle injury, but Huddersfield loanee Jon Worthington has agreed a second month with the club and should play.

GT Up For Manager Award

Graham Turner is one of the nominations for February's Manager of the Month.

He is joined on the list by Crewe boss Gudjon Thordasson, Walsall manager Chris Hutchings, and Southend's Steve Tilson. Crewe won four of five matches in the month, as did Southend, Walsall earned 11 points from 18 including three straight wins, while the Bulls won three of their four matches.

The winner will be announced on Thursday lunchtime.

Hooper valued at £750,000

A valuation for a player is one thing, getting that price in the current climate is something else. However one football pundit has valued a former Hereford United striker at £750,000.

In his Guardian column, Steve Claridge has revealed that he watched Gary Hooper at Roots Hall recently. He admitted that going back to his old club wasn't the easiest game for the 20 year old but came away with this impression.

"I still left Roots Hall with the definite impression that Hooper is a genuine goalscorer. This was a hunch borne out by the brace he got away to Leeds on Saturday, which took his tally to a more than impressive 24 for the season. If he improves his all-round game then there is no doubt in my mind that Hooper can progress to a higher level," wrote Claridge.

And that £750,000 valuation - time will tell.

Monday, March 02, 2009

Match Commentary from Yeovil

BBC Hereford and Worcester will have full match commentary from Huish Park on this evening's League One clash between Yeovil Town and Hereford United.

It is reported that Ricky George will be joining Keith Hall at the dispatch box.

The commentary will only be available around Herefordshire on the 94.7FM frequency.

Currently there is a 30 day free trial offer with Yeovil OS, so that would be another way to listen to the match.

Meanwhile the weather forecast is suggesting that a band of wind and rain will pass through Somerset later today.

The terrace at Huish Park is uncovered.

News Round Up

Brighton defender Jimmy McNulty is in intensive care after being diagnosed with a ruptured kidney. The recent signing from Stockport was forced off after an hour on Saturday with what was originally thought to be a rib injury, but he is now unlikely to play again this season. The Seagulls have added Colchester defender Matt Heath to their ranks, joining earlier loan signing Lloyd Owusu.

Leicester have signed Fulham keeper David Stockdale to replace departed loanee Mark Bunn. The 23 year old joined the Cottagers from Darlington in the summer, but his only first team action since was a two month spell at Rotherham. Darlington are to shut one stand at their ground and increase programme prices in a bid to make the club more viable. They will also limit the amount of free tickets given out for matches.

Two former Bulls in TOTW

Two former Hereford United players feature in this week's League One Team of the Week.

Firstly a place for Tamika Mkandawire, who played for Leyton Orient against Hereford United last Saturday. Although on the losing side he did score their only goal.

Secondly Gary Hooper is picked after another decent display for Scunthorpe. He scored twice in their game at Leeds which was one by the home side 3-2.

Meanwhile K A Friend is set to referee next Saturday's game at Gresty Road where Crewe will play Hereford United.

Finally, belatedly, the goals from Saturday's game at Edgar Street are available to watch on Virgin Media.

The Physios have swapped sides

Hereford United travel to Yeovil tomorrow for another League One match and whilst there are no links on the pitch, off the pitch is a different matter.

Yeovil's physio is former Hereford United physio Wayne Jones, whilst Jamie Pitman, now the Bulls' physio, used to play for Yeovil.

Jones moved to Huish Park earlier this season and within hours Jamie Pitman was on his way to Edgar Street from Forest Green where he had been assistant manager to Jimmy Harvey, who used to play for the Bulls.

Jones's move appeared to come out of the blue. He had been at Edgar Street for four seasons when the physio position at Yeovil became vacant. He took the job saying that it was nearer to his home which is in Kent.

However Jones knew then manager Russell Slade. The two had worked together at Notts County when Slade was manager for a short period in late 1994.

Reportedly as soon as Jones left, Graham Turner was on the phone to Pitman who had expressed his wish to return to Edgar Street if an opportunity ever arose.

"I think it was last Tuesday that we first had a phone call from Yeovil to say that Wayne was going to them. We hadn't got an inkling that anything, in that respect, was happening," said Turner at the time.

"But then Wayne did tell me he had been offered the physio roll there and was going to go as it was closer to home which is in Kent.

"So we needed a physio very quickly.

"Jamie - it's perhaps ironic that when I last saw him in the boardroom we told him we weren't offering him a new contract but I was sure that some time in the future we would work together and he would come into the club as physio because I knew he had his qualifications. Two, three years later he is back with us."

Pitman has had his fair share of work this season with injuries to players. Ever Bull has missed a League game with injury this season with the exception of Toumani Diagouraga.

Meanwhile Slade has been linked with the vacant manager's job at Brighton which Stockport's Jim Gannon turned down last week.

Robins To Be Toothless As Vultures Swoop

Cheltenham expect strikers Lloyd Owusu and Damian Spencer to depart on loan, and they may not be the last departures.

With the club virtually hoisting the white flag and accepting relegation the two powerful strikers, who have scored between them almost as many as the rest of their current squad, will depart to slash the wage bill after the whole squad was offered up for loan last week. Chairman Paul Baker told the Gloucestershire Echo:

"Martin [Allen] doesn't want to lose these players, but I have had to overrule him because we have to be a lean, mean machine that is fighting fit for next season. Administration is not a realistic threat, but things are still very tight. However, I am feeling very positive about next season and we will be in a better position than a lot of other clubs."

Fans have vented their fury at Allen in recent matches, blaming him for overspending in offloading unwanted players while signing far too many new faces. Since his arrival in mid-September he has signed sixteen players on loan and permanent contracts, but Baker defended him when speaking to BBC Radio:

"He's had some really unfair criticism at the moment that this is all down to him. Ultimately the board sanctions all the expenditure at this club, not the manager, and therefore it is the board that has got itself into this situation and not the manager."

Bookies have virtually written off Cheltenham's hopes of survival, with Bet365 offering 1/100 on them being relegated and 1/16 on a 24th placed finish for the club.

UPDATE: Lloyd Owusu has joined Brighton on loan until the end of the season.

Guinan On Make Or Break Week

Bulls striker Steve Guinan has spoken to the PFA's Givemefootball website about the week ahead:

On his hat-trick against Oldham: "I had a bit of stick as they were all from close range but I was very pleased as it was the sixth hat-trick of my career but my first true one. I scored with my left foot, right foot and a header and the win was a massive confidence boost as they were third at the time and they couldn’t handle us on the day."

Beating Leeds and Cheltenham back-to-back: "They were our first back-to-back wins of the season so it was a long time coming. It was a vital win at Cheltenham in possibly the most physical game I have ever played in during my career. Two of our centre halves were injured by half time and then another was off before the end too! I wouldn’t have liked to be one of our centre halves that day as they smashed it up to their strikers and it took me back years. However, we had to be strong and we came back from 2-1 down to win with players playing out of position and that was arguably another turning point for us."

A big week for the Bulls: "This is the biggest week of the season for us. We started well enough on Saturday with a win over Orient but we now face two more of our relegation rivals in Yeovil and Crewe. We have nothing to fear as we are playing well and as long as we are still in touch next Saturday then I genuinely believe we can sneak out of the relegation zone. This is definitely a make or break week for us."

The site lists Guinan as being 36. The full interview can be seen here.

Yeovil Predictions

Hereford's first trip to Huish Park in six years takes place tomorrow evening and the Bulls News Prediction League is running for the game as per usual.

To enter, send in your final score and attendance predictions to bullsnewspredictions@hotmail.co.uk. Remember to include your username.

The deadline for the game is at 7.00pm on Tuesday 3rd March. Should you want to, you can also predict for Saturday's trip to Crewe Alexandra.

Leicester Match All-Ticket

The visit to Edgar Street of Leicester City on April 11th has been declared all-ticket, the club have announced.

No ticketing details have yet to be released, with the game a possible promotion sealer for the Foxes. If they maintain their current 14 point promotion cushion through to April they will come to Edgar Street needing a draw to seal a return to the Championship.

Bulls Announce Myrie-Williams Departure

Hereford United have confirmed that winger Jennison Myrie-Williams has gone back to Bristol City after his month long loan spell expired.

The loan expired last week but the announcement has only come this morning. The reasons behind the delay are unclear, with John Trewick suggesting in his post match comments on Saturday that the player was still with the club.

Yesterday it was speculated on Bulls News that a loan extension was being delayed to allow Myrie-Williams to be eligible for all the remaining matches, but that would have been the case if it were extended today so the announcement of his departure appears to have ended his involvement with the club after six games and one goal.

The Bulls can loan further players until March 26th.

News Round Up

Cheltenham have announced that Peterboro have recalled defender Chris Westwood from his loan spell at the club. Peterboro have decided not to extend the loan of Man Utd midfielder James Chester. Hartlepool have signed Huddersfield striker Keigan Parker on a months loan due to their striker injury crisis.

Crewe have dropped midfielder Michael O'Connor due to a disciplinary matter. He was not considered for Saturday's game and will not feature on Tuesday. Southend have sold 15 year old youth team winger Ferni Orenuga to Everton. Brighton hope to have a new manager in place by tomorrow night's match with Bristol Rovers. Paul Ince, Aidy Boothroyd, and Alan Pardew are claimed to be the front runners.

Carlisle have signed Doncaster's veteran striker Gareth Taylor on a months loan with the Cumbrians short of options due to an injury crisis. Macclesfield have dropped Adult admission prices to £5 for their coming home match with Accrington in an attempt to boost attendances. They will give free programmes to season ticket holders.

Leicester have lost the services of goalkeeper Mark Bunn after Blackburn recalled him due to their own injury problems.

Yeovil plan changes for Hereford Match

Yeovil Town are expected to make changes to their starting eleven for the visit of Hereford United tomorrow evening.

Their new manager, Terry Skiverton, is hoping to sign a striker to bolster his squad but that might not happen before the visit of the Bulls.

Yeovil were defeated at Walsall last Saturday by two goals to nil and Skiverton wasn't pleased.

"I feel there will be changes," he told the WDP

"I have been giving people a chance and we can't afford to wait five or six games for people to find a bit of form. We need to find a way to play and a way to compete.

"At the moment I feel we are a little bit lightweight, especially going forward. Their two forwards were holding the ball and winning a lot of flicks. We hardly won one flick so that needs to be addressed.

"I thought we looked a bit toothless again and that is a worrying sign for me because that is not the way I want to play.

"I also want to be a little bit more dynamic and not just pass it around in front of them. They had a centre forward go into centre half and he (Michael Ricketts) still had quite a comfortable game and if I was playing up front I would have found that an insult."

Sunday, March 01, 2009

Yeovil Travel

Yeovil Town v Hereford United
Football League 1
Tuesday 3rd March 2009 KO 7.45 pm
Huish Park
Lufton Way
Yeovil
Somerset
BA22 8YF
Phone 01935 423662

This will be the second of a three game series against teams in the lower regions of League 1 giving an extra edge to this fixture against our old Conference foes. Many Bulls fans still harbour ill feelings from the time when "The Glovers" were able to cherry-pick the United squad in times of financial difficulties at Edgar Street. Tuesday's match provides an opportunity to reap a little revenge. As the excellent "Ciderspace" site points out, "they don't like us and we don't like them". The rivalry between the Clubs goes back to the old Southern League days when both teams earned reputations as FA Cup giantkillers. Recent years have seen the drinkers of sub-standard cider maintain a higher standard of football with the aid of former Bulls Tony Pennock, Murray Fishlock, Jamie Pitman, Tony Pounder, Adrian Foster, David Norton, Michael McIndoe and Gavin Williams.

The famous slope of The Huish is long gone as they now occupy one of the partly finished Lego grounds that offers no roof for visiting fans. Huish Park has been their home since 1990 with visiting fans accommodated on the Copse Road end terrace which holds around 1750 supporters. Admission is believed to be Adults £17, Concessions £12, Under 16's £7 although a £2 saving can be made by purchasing advance tickets which are available from the HUFC office until 12.00 noon on Monday.

Coaches - HUISA Departs Edgar Street at 2.45 pm. Fare £15 (members £14). (08442 761939)
FUNBUS Departs Wetherspoons (Hereford) at 3.30 pm Fare is expected to be £11. (Full)
HUMADS - Cancelled

Car - The primary route is via the M5 so use whatever route suits you best to reach it. Leave the M5 at J25 and at the roundabout, take the A358 (sign Yeovil). After about nine miles, at the Southfields roundabout, take the A303 (sign Andover). Then, at the Cartgate roundabout, take the A3088 (sign Yeovil, Dorchester and Weymuff). Follow the road approximately 8-9 miles until you reach a roundabout on the outskirts of Yeovil with the Westlands Airfield directly in front of you. Take the first exit left here, pass straight on over another roundabout and the crematorium on your left before you reach yet another roundabout. Take the first exit left here and follow the road around until you reach the football club on your right. There is a sizable car park at the ground, which costs £2 and plenty of street parking. Distance is around 120 miles and you should allow two hours and thirty minutes. Postcode is BA22 8YF.

Alehouses - Being an "out of town" stadium, Yeovil does not offer a particularly good choice of Pubs close to the ground. The Bell on Preston Road is one of the closer ones, as is The Arrow on the Abbey Manor housing estate next to the ground. As an alternative, you may wish to make the small detour into Stoke-Sub-Hamdon as you approach Yeovil on the A3088 where you will find the Half Moon, the Fleur-De-Lys, the Kings Arms and the Phelips Arms. The local 'Spoons is The William Dampier at 97 Middle Street.

Enjoy

New Loan Deal for Myrie-Williams Possible

Jennison Myrie-Williams' initial loan spell at Edgar Street finished last week. The young Bristol City winger was not in the squad for yesterday's match against Leyton Orient after having played in all six games since his loan began on January 23rd.

Had Myrie-Williams' loan spell been extended as soon as the initial period of 31 days expired he would have missed the final match of the season.

With Andy Williams needed yesterday, as cover should Steve Guinan been unable to play for ninety minutes, it's plausible that Myrie-Williams isn't currently under loan contract, and has 'technically' gone back to Bristol City.

A new loan could be announced as early as tomorrow. Then he would be eligible for all the remaining games.

It's similar to what Graham Turner did with a certain Tamika Mkandawire when he brought in Anwar Uddin in for a month to be able to have Mkandawire loaned back in for the run-in.

Preview: Yeovil vs Bulls

The Bulls travel to Somerset on Tuesday night to take on old foes Yeovil Town in a League One match.

It will be the Bulls' first League trip to Huish Park after several battles there in the FA Cup and Conference. The last trip there was in 2003 as the promotion bound Glovers hammered a nine-man Bulls side 4-0, with former Bulls - and current Bristol City trio - Chris Weale, Michael McIndoe, and Gavin Williams all in their side. Earlier this season Yeovil won 2-1 at Edgar Street, but that game will have little reflection on Tuesday. Only four players on each side that started that game started for their teams on Saturday.

With the fans in uproar against the board over the departure of Russell Slade, the team haven't reacted positively to the change. The four straight wins that ended the Slade era have been replaced with a solitary point from four attempts for new boss Terry Skiverton, with the team failing to score in three of the games. Top scorer Gavin Tomlin has seven goals this season and is just as often on the bench as in the starting XI, with his goals against Oldham in the last home match his first at Huish Park since the opening day of the season.

With Febian Brandy joining Man Utd teammate Sam Hewson as one of the four joint second top scorers with three each, he indicated a desire to remain at the club for the rest of the season. Winger Jennison Myrie-Williams is expected to have extended his loan deal after missing out in the loan player shuffle at the weekend. A win on Tuesday may take the Bulls level on points for safety, but it would take an unlikely hammering of Swindon by Cheltenham to put the Bulls into 20th place.

Yeovil Town vs Hereford United, Huish Park, Tuesday 3rd March, 7.45pm.

Oldham Call For Salary Cap

Oldham Managing Director Simon Corney believes that the Football League need to introduce a salary cap across the board to prevent clubs from overspending.

Only in League Two is a cap mandatory, with Oldham's owners currently ploughing £50,000 a month into the club. But with the owners' own businesses struggling, costs must be cut for next season with Corney telling the Oldham Chronicle:

"Having a salary cap is something which we have favoured for some time as we believe it is the only way football clubs can survive. From our conversations with officials from other clubs, many are struggling. Unless something is done soon, I can see one or two folding in the next year. The salary cap would be based on gate receipts so the bigger clubs would have more to spend. There is too much pressure on chairmen to do silly things, and this would remove that danger and, hopefully, help all clubs to survive.

"Lord Mawhinney has been very receptive and has a good understanding of the needs of clubs. I have every confidence that he will come up with the right solution. We [the owners of Oldham] have had to downsize and make redundancies. Whereas we employed 300 at our peak, we are now down to around 90. We are going to have to adopt a more pragmatic approach to the football club and there is no way we will be able to put in sums like £500,000, £600,000 or £800,000 each year as we have been doing. Our spending is at a manageable level, but now we have to get it down to a practical level and it is up to us to be smarter in the way in which we run things."

The introduction of a salary cap across the board is one of the topics likely to be up for discussion at this summer's Football League AGM.

News Round Up

Luton fans are to display a giant protest flag at Wembley to show their anger at the FA and the points deduction given to the club. Northampton have signed winger Ikechi Anya on a short term contract. The former Oxford and Wycombe trainee has recently been with Halesowen Town.

Stockport have a second consortium interested in buying the club. The group comprising two former board members and a number of local businessmen have called on the Supporters Trust to vote to relinquish their ownership of the club. Weymouth are to be investigated by the FA after it was revealed they made an £11,270 payment to a company who lists Rushden chairman Keith Cousins as a director. The company specialises in finding investment for football clubs, and the club say they've done nothing wrong despite the subsequent scoreline between the two sides.

Uphill Task after Two Goals says O's Boss

Leyton Orient manager Geraint Williams made these comments after yesterday's game at Edgar Street which the Bulls won 2-1.

"We were disappointed with the start we made," said the O's boss.

"We spoke about the need for a bright start, and it looked as if we were going to have one when we had the shot cleared off the line early on.

"But going two behind in the first 15 minutes gave us an uphill task and it proved just beyond us in the 90 minutes.

"To be fair to Febian Brandy, it was a fantastic turn, swivel and shot for the first goal.

"I didn't think he was going anywhere for the penalty decision. It was a wrap up of legs and could be accidental, but the referee said he was goalside and gave the penalty. We have to live with that.

"We had three or four very good chances in the second half. The keeper's made a couple of good saves and we've missed the target too.

"I thought the players were magnificent second half, but we gave ourselves too much to do with that start."

Another Profit for Hereford United

Graham Turner has confirmed that Hereford United have made a profit for the year ended May 31 2008.

Writing in the match programme, Bullseye, the Hereford United manager talked about 'three significant announcements this week'. Those being the massive losses at RBS, Darlington going into administration and the amount football agents take out of the game.

Turner then contrasted the situation at some clubs who might be on the brink with Hereford United.

"Our latest accounts are due for signing off in the next week. These will be for the period up to last May, obviously our promotion season.

"We are pleased to announce that for the fifth consecutive year we will have traded in the black."

Below is a list of the results for the past six years:

2007/08: In profit
2006/07: £162,190
2005/06: £7,914
2004/05: £291,880
2003/04: £292,162
2002/03: -£14,840

Penn set to referee at Yeovil

Andrew Penn will be in charge of Tuesday's League One game at Huish Park where Hereford United will be the visitors.

Director of a Plastics Moulding Company 35 year old Penn commenced refereeing in 1986when aged fourteen. Ten years later he had made his way through local and CL football to join the National List of assistant referees. He was a panel referee from 1998 until 2001 when he was promoted to the National List of Referees.

Hereford United have seen Penn twice this season. He was in charge of the first game of the season which was an away game at Leyton Orient back in August. There were no bookings in that match but Orient won 2-1.

His second game was on Boxing Day when Tramere were the visitors to Edgar Street. The result was a 2-2 draw and Penn booked two Tranmere players.

To date he has officiated in 23 games this season and has given out 49 yellow and 3 red cards.