Mansfield Chasing Purkiss

Today's Non-League Paper claims that Mansfield want out of contract Bulls defender Ben Purkiss.

The paper says Purkiss, who only signed a short term deal at Edgar Street following his release from Oxford, will replace right back Luke O'Neill who is expected to complete a move to Burnley shortly.

Purkiss, 28, played regularly for new Bulls manager Martin Foyle at York but it is currently unclear whether he is in Foyle's plans - or even able to fit into the reduced wage structure at Edgar Street.

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Waitrose Deal Agreed

Waitrose have signed a deal to build a new supermarket on the former livestock market site close to Hereford United's Edgar Street ground.

The agreement was signed last Friday.

Waitrose are the first major retailer to commit to the site.

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Macmillan Car Park Open Today

The Macmillan Car Park at the Hay Festival is open again today.

The field has dried out enough to park a fair number of cars.

   

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Gateshead Confirm Bartlett Signing

Gateshead have confirmed they have signed Adam Bartlett.

Manager Ian Bogie told their official site: "Bartlett is a player we have tracked for a long time so I am delighted that we have finally got him. He had a very good first season in the Football League at Hereford and on the back of that signed a two-year deal.

"He is a another local lad and a very good keeper who was named Conference Goalkeeper of the Year in his one season at Kidderminster Harriers in 2008/9. He is highly regarded and will bring undoubted qualities to the club, and after James Brown this is another top quality signing for Gateshead."

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Bartlett Says Goodbye

With an expected move to Gatehead in the offing, Bulls keeper Adam Bartlett has just tweeted the following message:

All the best to hereford united for the future.....best wishes to the staff, players and fans for next season

The club has confimed in a statement that Bartlett has been released by the club in order to "return north for family reasons":

'The Club would like to wish Adam well for the future and place on record their thanks for his performances and effort whilst at Edgar Street.'

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Bulls 25/1 For Conference Win

The Bulls are now available at 25/1 with two bookies to win the coming Conference season.

Both BetVictor and bet365 offer those odds on a Bulls triumph at the first attempt with ten bookies now offering odds. The Bulls are 10/1 sixth favourites with Ladbrokes, but are ninth on bet365's list. Fellow newcomers Macclesfield are also available at 25/1.

Luton remain favourites at 7/2, ahead of Mansfield and Wrexham with no significant early movement in the market.

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Final Week Of Discount Season Tickets

The early bird period of season ticket sales at Edgar Street closes next Friday, June 15th.

It is believed that the club has been hugely encouraged with the hundreds of renewals and new purchases since the discount period began. Renewing season ticket holders can save up to £30 on their tickets if bought before the deadline.

With two cup matches also included in the ticket, Adult admission can be as low as £9.36 per match, with Juniors (under 14's) as low as £2 a game.

Full details of the offers available are on the official site here.

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News Round-Up

Ex-Bull Darren Jones has confirmed he is to leave Aldershot this summer after turning down their offer of a new contract. The former Bristol City trainee is their current Player of the Year and rumours are linking him with a move to Shrewsbury. Grimsby say they have made a 'fair and accurate' offer to Barrow for striker Andy Cook, but Barrow boss Dave Bayliss has called the offer 'derisory'.

Kettering have reported £1.2million of debt in their CVA proposal. The largest creditors are major shareholders Imraan Ladak and Ray Khan, plus acting chairman George Rolls. Also on the list are Blackpool, Crystal Palace, and the Child Support Agency. A board member of Newport's Supporters Trust has resigned over a 'lack of communication' after details of hefty price rises for the coming season were revealed. Tickets for their first season at Rodney Parade will be £25 more than at Edgar Street.

Tamworth have made midfielder Paul Green 'the best deal anyone has been offered in the history of the club' to keep him with the Lambs, but boss Marcus Law admits that offer is only mid-level wages for other Conference sides. Stockport have signed striker Tom Collins on a two year deal after he left Hayes and Yeading earlier in the summer. The 20 year old scored eight times in 35 games last term.

Mansfield have signed Kidderminster defender Luke Jones on a free transfer. The 25 year old was out of contract at Aggborough and turned down a new deal to return to Field Mill, where he spent a season in 08/09. Portsmouth have offered their creditors just 2p/£ of their debt in their CVA offer. The only offer on the table is from former owner Balram Chanrai with the Supporters Trust still to secure sufficient backing. Chanrai's offer means that unsecured creditors holding £40million of debt would get an initial £500,000 between them.

Wycombe are to shut their Centre of Excellence as they say the club is 'no longer able to sustain youth development at any age level'. A statement cites the new EPPP rules voted in last year that limit income from selling youth players in preference of higher handouts from the Premier League.

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Bulls News Charity Hay Festival Car Park Closed Today

Bulls News Car Park has had to be closed today due to wet conditions. Hopefully open again tomorrow.

In the meantime, there is parking at Clyro Court with a shuttle bus to the festival site. Parking costs £5 per day (£3 after 6pm) and includes free use of the Richard Booth’s Bookshop Bus on the day of parking for driver and up to three passengers. Please retain your parking ticket if you wish to use the bus.

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Foyle Busy In The Office

Bulls boss Martin Foyle is expected to face the fans at a fans forum once he has assessed the club and prepared the pre-season schedule.

The new manager is understood to be busy arranging a pre-season programme - both in fixtures and training - and acquiring his backroom staff, as well as meeting the existing players and speaking to potential new signings, but he intends to meet the fans in a forum likely to be near the end of the month.

Today's Hereford Times carried a surprisingly low amount of coverage on the Bulls, but it is understood that Foyle has asked for time to familiarise himself with the surroundings before embarking on the drive for the new season.

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Cabaret Evening Saturday - Cancelled

The cabaret evening set for Saturday night in the Starlite Rooms has been cancelled.

The official site reports 'unforseen circumstances' for the cancellation with the club hopeful of rearranging the evening for later in the year.

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Bulls To Remain Smoke Free?

The owners of Wrexham's ground, Glyndwr University, are to make the Racecourse smoke-free for the coming season.

One of the few rules of the Conference that are different to the League is that smoking is still allowed in stadia. So would people want a return of smoking inside Edgar Street? 

All Conference clubs bar smoking in parts of their stadia, usually the main stand and family areas. Few are smoke-free entirely with most having at least some small areas within grounds where smoking is allowed, or the ability to allow fans to nip out at half time.

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News Round-Up

Hyde have made their  first signing of the summer, bringing in Chester midfielder Alex Brown. The 27 year old started out as a trainee at Crewe but has spent most of his career so far in the second and third tiers of non-league. Mansfield have dropped the prices of under 16 season tickets following a campaign by fans. The announcement of hugely increased prices was the 'final straw' that saw four directors quit the club.

Ebbsfleet have lost the services of top scorer Calum Willock after the 19 goal striker turned down a new deal to sign for Conf South side Dover instead. The 30 year old was also top scorer in their promotion year the season before. Luton chief executive Gary Sweet has urged former manager Gary Brabin to appeal his conviction for a public order offence, warning that it could lead to further managers and players being hauled before the courts.

Lincoln manager David Holdsworth says the club has already spent the entirety of it's £400,000 playing budget for the coming season, so there will be no more new signings. Holdsworth has 21 players signed up including five first year professionals. Newport chairman Chris Bright told fans at a forum at their new home last night that their playing budget will be lower than last season. They will base this season's budget on last season's average attendances of 1,400 after pinning last season's number at 1,900.

Southport are to sign winger Chris Almond from NPL side Skelmersdale United. The 25 year old will command a four-figure fee and is to sign a two year deal. Macclesfield have signed right back Ryan Jackson following his release from Wimbledon. He was part of the Wombles squad that won promotion to the League.

A war of words has broken out at Forest Green over Trevor Horsley's resignation yesterday. Horsley told the BBC that decisions about the club were being made in the Ecotricity boardroom of club chairman Dale Vince. Vince, who some fans have nicknamed 'AbramaVince' claims Horsley hasn't been to a board meeting in 2012 and chose to drift away from the club himself.

Wycombe are to remain under a transfer embargo until the takeover of the club by the Supporters Trust is complete. The club are still to file accounts due in March and will not be able to do so until the sale is complete. Luton midfielder Keith Keane has turned down a new contract with the club and signed for Preston instead. The 25 year old debuted for the Hatters as a 16 year old.

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Watch The Euro2012 Games In Addisons

Addisons will be showing all of the Euro2012 matches over the next month.

For England games Stowfords, Tetley, Carlsberg, and Butty Bach will be £2.50 a pint starting with their first match with France kicking off at 5.15pm on Monday.

Meanwhile, the club are looking for feedback on the matchday programme and are asking fans to respond to an online poll (link) so they can improve the programme further for the coming season. The poll closes at 10am tomorrow.

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FA Trophy Final Brought Forward

The FA have announced that the FA Trophy final for the coming season will take place on March 24th, nearly two months earlier than usual.

All the round dates have also been moved up the calender, with the First Round now in November rather than December. The Conference season proper ends on April 20th, with the Play-offs finishing on May 12th.

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Cabaret In Starlite Rooms Saturday

On Saturday June 9th, the Starlite Rooms are hosting another Dinner, Dance, and Cabaret.

Entertainment is from Comedian and Ventriloquist Paul Levent, and Singer Amy Lee. Tickets are £20, available directly from the club (08442 761939). 

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VP Club AGM Tomorrow Night

The Vice Presidents Club has it's AGM tomorrow night, starting at 7.30pm.

The meeting is open to existing members, with plans for the coming season being discussed with representatives of the club's board.

Meanwhile, the opening bids have been registered for the Fans vs Legends game on July 22nd. Bids close on July 13th with eight of the places already receiving bids, with the update on bidding here.

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Edgar Street "Best Away Day"

Independent website. The Two Unfortunates has named Edgar Street as the best away day of the 2011/12 season and laments its loss to The Football League. The site is run by footy fans from across a range of leagues. It comments on the regrettable moves to out of town meccano sheds citing Shrewsbury’s move from The Gay Meadow as being an example. Edgar Street is described: -

Its sad then to recount that Football League fans will be deprived of the chance to re-enact our 2011-12 Best Away Trip next season for a TTU jaunt to Hereford United wins the accolade. Edgar Street is marvelously quirky and old-fashioned of course but its city centre location allows one to enjoy the pleasing half-timbered lanes and alleyways, one of Britain’s finest cathedrals and a clutch of excellent pubs. Most prominent among these is The Barrels – a Chaucerian den that drags the whole community of this county town together.

The Bulls also get an honourable mention in the “best ground” section.

The site can be found at http://thetwounfortunates.com/ttu-awards-2011-12-best-away-trip/

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News Round-Up

Grimsby have announced the signing of Barrow striker Andy Cook on a two year deal. The 21 year old scored 17 times in the past season with the two clubs now negotiating a fee. Former Bulls winger Michael D'Agostino is eyeing up a return to the UK. The Canadian never played for the Bulls after signing a short term deal in early 2009, and has been playing in Germany where he is now reported to be an attacking full back.

Southend's new stadium is a step closer after the local council lifted planning restrictions over the number of car parking spaces at the Sainsburys store destined for Roots Hall. The store will have a larger footprint, and fewer car parking spaces, than originally intended. Newport have appointed a new full time General Manager and operate as a full time club for the coming season.

The Conference AGM is this coming weekend. The event is being held at Celtic Manor. Luton Technical Director Lil Fuccilo says defender Curtis Osano was wrong to leave them for AFC Wimbledon, saying that the Hatters would have made him a better player than he can be with the Wombles. Manager Paul Buckle has confirmed he has made an offer to striker Jon Shaw.

Cheltenham chairman Paul Baker has called League Two 'an accident waiting to happen'. Baker is concerned at the 'crazy amounts of money' being offered for players in the division so far. The England 'C' team lost 4-0 yesterday in their International Challenge Trophy match with a Russian u23 side that featured players that have played in the Champions League.

Forest Green have announced the departure of long serving board member Trevor Horsley. The former club chairman bailed the club out several times during the 'noughties', and spent over 20 years on the board. His departure follows that of long serving Club Secretary Colin Peake. Former Wolves trainee Adam Proudlock has turned down a new contract with Telford, but the club say they are still in negotiations.


Former Bulls midfielder Stephen O'Leary has signed for Southern League Premier side Hemel Hempstead Town after leaving Kettering this summer, with the club saying they beat off interest from Conference sides to land the 27 year old. Nuneaton boss Kevin Wilkin says he wants both a new assistant manager and a coach, but the club only has budget for one wage.


Macclesfield boss Steve King expects to announce two more new signings before the end of the week. He intends to build a 20 man squad for the coming season, and expects some of the currently contracted players to leave the club. Crewe have apologised to defender Carl Martin after he learned of his release from the club through their official website. The Railwaymen say that a glitch in the automated system released the news before it was intended.

Gateshead have signed forward James Brown on a one year deal. following his release from Hartlepool. The 25 year old played 175 times for the monkey hangers after graduating from their youth policy but has been dogged by knee injuries.

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From the Archives - Turner Builds His Squad

A look back to early June 1999, when Graham Turner had started to build his squad for the forth-coming season.

 
GRAHAM Turner has his sights on the left-back and central midfielder he believes can make Hereford United a promotion-chasing force reports the Sports Argus.

The Bulls boss declared himself delighted with the summer additions of Steve Piearce, Leroy May and Rob Elmes, while youngsters Craig Hanson and James Wall are set to link up from Derby County.

Hanson, a striker, and Wall, a central defender, both impressed in a couple of trial games with Hereford and will officially sign forms for the Bulls at the start of next month when their deals with Derby expire.

With midfielder John Snape following Mark Taylor in signing new deals to stay at Edgar Street, Turner is, forgive the pun, Bull-ish about the prospects.

The fans have already expressed their anticipation of the good times returning to the club relegated from Division Three in 1997 with £30,000 worth of season tickets being sold up of the end of May.

"On the face of it, I believe we are stronger now than we have been for the last two seasons in the size of the squad and the variety within it," said Turner.

"We've got a few young players but we've also got experience."

He added: "We are in need of a couple of players, a left-back and central midfielder, but I'm happy with the way the squad is coming together.

"The wave of optimism around the club has been reflected in the season ticket sales which are up compared to his time last season."

The Bulls' financial restraints, which have prompted the sale of players like Richard Walker and Richard Leadbeater in mid-season, have yet to be fully overcome but Turner says there is now a base to go forward.

"Financially it is still tight but we are gradually turning the situation around," he added.

"But now the priority has got to be the playing side. In football you've got to speculate a bit.

"We want the side to do better than they did last season - and I think the potential is there to do well."

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League Agrees To Promotion Talks

The Football League has agreed to talks during the course of the coming season regarding another promotion place for the Conference.

The fifth tier has been campaigning for a third promotion spot for some time, with the matter raised at the FL AGM with FL board member Tony Kleanthous strongly in favour of an increase.

Burton chairman Ben Robinson told the NLP: "We would support three-up, three-down. But I am a realist and I think it will take a lot of hard work to convince the majority of clubs, unless a pot of money can be produced as a form of financial compensation."

The second promotion place was only agreed after the Conference devised a plan to subsidise the 'parachute payments' through revenue earned from the play-off final.

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Cornell Looks For Another Loan Deal

Dave Cornell, who came to Edgar Street last season on loan from Swansea, is looking for another loan deal to gain further experience.

"Preferably that would be in League One but we will have to wait and see what happens next season." he told the South Wales Evening Post.

 

Cornell is still only 21 and, in goal-keeping terms, is still 'a baby'. He feels his time with Hereford has helped him.

"It's been good personally, I played 28 games which for me is great.

"I've got league experience now.

"Being at the wrong end of the table for most of the season, I had an awful lot to do. For a goalkeeper that's what you want.

"I was one of the key characters in that team because it's a smaller club and that's helped me.

"I enjoyed myself and had good write-ups in the paper.

"It's just a shame that Hereford went down."

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Euro 2012 Fantasy Football

There is just four days until the start of Euro 2012, and the Bulls News Euro 2012 Fantasy Football League! There has been a tremendous response so far but please ensure that you enter before Friday to be in with the best chance of landing a new Hereford United shirt.

To enter the league, follow this link www.dreamteamfc.com , create a team and then join the Bulls News League. The league pin is 110856 and the mini league password is hereford.

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News Round-Up

Barrow have made defender Matthew Flynn their first signing of the summer. The 23 year old former Macclesfield and Rochdale man ended last season on loan at Altrincham. Grimsby are reported to be chasing Barrow striker Andy Cook. The former Carlisle trainee, 21, was the top scorer at Holker Street last season with 17 goals and is reported in the press to have verbally agreed a new deal with the Bluebirds.

Luton Technical Director Lil Fuccilo says the club are interested in departed Gateshead striker Jon Shaw, but several League One and Two sides are in the hunt and they expect to lose out. Fuccilo wants a bigger striker in their side, suggesting that Stuart Fleetwood and Andre Gray are too similar. Former Bull John McCombe has agreed to a new two year deal at Port Vale, saying he had several League Two sides interested in signing him.

There will be no implementation of plastic pitches in the Football League after talks drew only limited support. Only two League One sides and a handful of League Two clubs backed the plan.

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Imps Set £400k Budget

In a Q&A with fansite Vital Lincoln, Imps Chief Executive Steve Prescott says they will have only around £400,000 for players wages this coming season.

He told fans that the club would employ 18 senior professionals along with five first-year graduates from their youth section, with the break-even budget set at 2,000 attendances.

Prescott expects the club to record a loss for the current year, with the club having had to make a number of staff redundant to reduce costs, with the Imps, like the Bulls, struggling to cover costs over the summer months.

Meanwhile, Newport have announced that defender Gary Warren, the club's captain, has turned down a new contract with the Exiles and will be signing for a Scottish Premier League side in the next week. He is the second high-profile departure this week after midfielder Sam Foley left for Yeovil.

However the Exiles have signed keeper Alan Julian following his release from Stevenage. Julian, 29, started only two League One games for the Boro last season after rejoining them from Gillingham.

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Parslow Remembers Attacking Football

York defender Danny Parslow has told the Non-League Paper about Martin Foyle's impact on the Minstermen:

"When he came in we were really struggling for goals and with Martin being an ex-striker, he immediately sorted that out.

"And the next year he got us playing really attacking football. He was brilliant for the strikers and Richard Brodie will be the first to tell you how important Martin has been for him. 

"But it was also his personality. From day one he was approachable and if you had anything on your mind he would listen and try to help."

Gateshead manager Ian Bogie, a former teammate of Foyle's at Port Vale, added to the cause: "I'm sure he's surprised that nobody gave him a chance sooner. He's got a network of contacts with players and managers. He'll bring a lot to the table for Hereford."

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Foyle Has A Couple Of Players Lined Up

Today's Non-League Paper carries an interview with new Bulls boss Martin Foyle.

He tells them he had a stint coaching with Dave Penney, his boss at Bristol Rovers, in Kurdistan and had an offer to return there, and another job in America, before opting to join up with the Bulls:

"I was all set to go to America when I got the call to meet Hereford last week. I met the Chairman and I thought about it over the weekend. This is where I want to be. I know the Conference and know what it takes to build a club back up again."

The paper reports that the budget Foyle will work with is less than half that of last season: "The budget is tight and we're going to have to build a club from top to bottom.

"Sometimes that's good though, because you can get a lot of satisfaction from that and as we've seen with York, you have a cup run or sell a player, and suddenly you can kick on even more."

"It's hard to say what expectations are because I've got no strikers at the moment. Gary Peters is away so we'll speak when he gets back and see who becomes available. There's already a couple we've got lined up.

"The chairman has said mid-table, which is fair enough. But you always want to do better than that."

The Non-League Paper is available from most newsagents, and their digital edition can also be subscribed to on their website here.

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News Round-Up

Three of the directors who quit Mansfield earlier in the week have announced plans to form a new 'AFC Mansfield' club, which they have nicknamed 'The Bulls'. They have already agreed to groundshare with nearby Forest Town FC, but say they are not trying to rival the Stags. Former Bulls midfielder Jamie Tolley has confirmed to the press that he left Wrexham for Mansfield as the Stags offered him a longer deal.

Worcester are considering a groundshare offer from Kidderminster for the 2013/14 season. They must leave St Georges Lane next summer and say the offer made by Harriers is affordable. Darlington have submitted their appeal against their grading to the FA, but have been unable to get Raj Singh to contribute to the matter. The Police have submitted input, saying that some NPL grounds may not be able to cope with the levels of support the Quakers could bring.

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News Round-Up

The Football League have voted to return to seven substitutes for next season at their AGM in Portugal. The reversion of last summer's late switch to five subs comes after complaints from several Championship sides. FL Chairmen have also voted in favour of urging fair play during games, with clubs committed to telling players, managers, and coaches to cut out diving, feigning injury, and time wasting. Meanwhile, the Carling Cup will now be known as the Capital One Cup after the FL sealed a four year sponsorship deal with the debt mongers.

Newport have confirmed that they will play matches at Rodney Parade next season after sealing a deal to play at the rugby ground. The agreement covers the next three seasons after the Exiles became disgruntled with their council-owned Spytty Park ground, but allows a break after the first season if the move does not work out. Northampton hope to have agreement from the local council to develop land around their Sixfields home within the next two weeks.

Port Vale say they have rejected an approach from Gillingham to speak to manager Micky Adams, but the Gills' chairman Paul Scally has called the claim 'complete rubbish'. Keith Ryder's takeover of the club has been delayed after the Football League asked for more information, and they hope to make a decision when the League's board meet again in three weeks. Former Bulls loanee Mat Bailey has signed a contract to stay with Nantwich Town next season. Mark Beesley has also signed for Jimmy Quinn's side after spending the second half of the current season with Hednesford.

Former Bulls midfielder Jamie Tolley has quit Wrexham in favour of signing for Mansfield. The 29 year old was only offered a six month deal at the Racecourse, opting instead to sign a full years contract at Field Mill instead. Also signing on at Mansfield is Hednesford midfielder Chris Clements, who scored 17 times in the past season.


Kidderminster have also raided Hednesford, taking defender Cheyenne Dunkley on a two year contract. The 20 year old is a former Crewe trainee and is subject to a fee yet to be agreed. Cambridge have signed former Yeovil winger Billy Gibson on a one year deal. The 21 year old has Conference experience after ending the season on loan at Braintree.

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Legends vs Fans Match At Edgar Street

A host of former Hereford United players will be returning to Edgar Street on Sunday 22nd July to take part in a Legends vs Fans game.

The game kicks off at 3pm and tickets to watch the game will be £5 adults and £2 concessions with family fun and activities planned for the day.

There are also a limited number of tickets to attend a post-match meal in the Starlite Rooms, priced at £10 they include entrance to the game and a buffet meal.

Funds from the day will go towards Hereford United Youth Development, with a bucket collection on the day raising money for the Mayors Charities, Haven and Robocap.

Bulls supporters will have the chance to line up opposite famous faces from the past with the likes of Steve Guinan, Gareth Davies and John Snape already confirmed!

Supporters will be able to snap up their place in the Fans team by auction.

There will also be the chance for three lucky Bulls fans to line up alongside their heroes in the Legends team, again those three prized places are available via auction.

We'll release more names over the coming weeks.

HOW TO GRAB YOUR PLACE IN THE TEAM

Bulls fans will have the opportunity to line-up alongside and opposite their Hereford United heroes by bidding for their place in the team.

The price includes a pre-match meal and you'll also get to keep your kit!

Simply email your bid along with your name and position you'd like to play in. There will be regular updates on latest bids on the Official site.

STARTING BID PRICES ARE AS FOLLOWS;

Legends Team Place 1 - £85
Legends Team Place 2 - £85
Legends Team Place 3 - £85

GK - £50
LB - £50
CB - £50
CB - £50
RB - £50
LM - £50
CM - £50
CM - £50
RM - £50
CF - £50
CF - £50

SUB1 - £35
SUB2 - £35
SUB3 - £35
SUB4 - £35
SUB5 - £35
SUB6 - £35 

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