Text at top (next game etc)

Next Game: Banbury Away On Friday March 29th Kick-Off 3.00pm

Monday, September 26, 2005

Goal Haul Is Worst For Four Years

Hereford's goal haul this season, 11 in 10 games, is equally the worst scoring start the Bulls have made to the Conference. It is matched by the 2001/02 season start, when the Bulls finished a miserable 17th. That season, Rob Elmes and Gavin Williams top scored with nine Conference goals apiece.

The first 10 games last season produced 22 goals, with a constantly changing front line, and the season before 28 with one first team striker, David Brown, injured.

The need for Graham Turner to rectify the goalscoring problems is urgent. Over 700 home fans have drifted away since the opening day of the season, and gates are down over 20% on the same stage last season. This can be blamed on the lack of creativity and entertainment from a team that is looking increasingly shot-shy. These drops in gates equate to around £10,000 a match in lost revenue.

Adam Stansfield has missed three games and is likely to miss four more, while Guy Ipoua's Hamstring injury could be months rather than weeks if the injury has been aggrivated. Turner chose on Saturday to replace Ipoua with Rob Purdie - suggesting that he feels that neither Andy Williams or Graham Evans are ready for Conference football. It is now two weeks since Turner began looking for a loan striker and with two Championship forwards rejecting approaches for various reasons it is being suggested that Turner is aiming his sights too high and that maybe he should seek out a striker with a record of scoring goals at the lower levels.