Hereford United Preview

If there was any justice in football, then perhaps Hereford would have been gearing up for a League Division Two meeting against Swansea, and not a friendly. Finishing only a point by champions Chester, Hereford entered the playoffs lottery with their first fixture against Aldershot – a sided that had accumulated some 20 points less over the course of the season. In true football style, Aldershot progressed on penalties and Hereford were left contemplating another season in the Conference.

Hereford had previously been a league club for some 25 years, and were elected into the Old Fourth Division in 1972 under the management of ex-Swansea manager Colin Addison (who had taken over from Sir John Charles). Hereford gained immediate promotion after finishing runners up to Southport, before winning the Old Third Division just three seasons later. Unfortunately, two successive relegations then lead to Hereford having to apply for re-election on three occasions, after finishing bottom three times in four years.

1996/97 became Hereford’s last full season as a league club, when they eventually found themselves relegated on the last day of the season. Brighton, who had looked doomed for much of the campaign, enjoyed a fantastic revival and played out a tense and dramatic 1-1 draw at Edgar Street and ensured their survival.

The club is currently managed by Graham Turner, once of Shrewsbury, Aston Villa and Wolves. Turner joined Hereford in 1995 and was present during the Bulls’ relegation into the Conference just two years later. However, Turner’s position at Hereford is fairly unique, seeing as he also holds the position as club chairman after buying shares from former directors. It is no wonder he’s still manager then!!

The Football League has now been without Hereford United for some seven seasons. Recent years have been dominated by financial uncertainty and “The Bulls” will be hoping that they can finally re-gain that elusive league status soon. However, a number of Hereford’s outstanding performers have left over the course of the summer, including top scorer Steve Guinan (joined Cheltenham) and goalkeeper Matt Baker (Wrexham).

Players to Watch…

So who are the players to watch in what is likely to be a fiery encounter on Saturday?

Defender Tony James is one of three Hereford players still at the club who were selected in the Conference “team of the year”. James will be starting his sixth season for Hereford, after joining from the West Brom reserves and was labelled by Peter Shreeves as the “best defender in the Conference” last year.

Michael Rose and Ben Smith were also selected in the “team of the year” during last season’s successful campaign. Defender Rose is an ex-Manchester United trainee and a constant member of the National Game XI, while midfielder Smith enjoyed recent spells at Yeovil and Southend after leaving Arsenal as a schoolboy.

Hereford also have a record-breaker in their side, with Ryan Green being the youngest ever player to represent Wales at senior level, aged 17 years and 226 days. This cap against Malta was added to by another friendly against Tunisia, but five years later, Green is looking to getting his career back on track, after spells at Millwall, Sheffield Wednesday, Cardiff and Torquay.

Turner has also made a couple of signings over the course of the summer, with Tamika Mkandawire, Adam Stansfield and Andrew Tretton all joining from league clubs. The club have set their sights on promotion to the league this season, and after the last 12 months, the supporters will probably not settle for anything less.

Will Kenny Jackett’s side maintain their 100% friendly record, or will Saturday’s match at Hereford be one trip too far? Can Dennis Oli steal the headlines again, or will Adrian Forbes finally grab his first goals in a Swansea shirt? No doubt, Saturday’s fixture will be a tough one and should Swansea win, they will be feeling very confident as they approach the Dutch tour.

Look out for the full report and independent opinions after the final whistle on Saturday!!