Pre-match press articles

Several pre-match articles about the Hereford United vs Leeds United game appear this morning.

Here's one from the Daily Telegraph:

Former FA Cup winners Leeds United appear in the first round tonight for the first time in 82 years, at Hereford, with manager Dennis Wise banished to the stands.

Wise starts a three-match touchline ban, for remarks made to referee Danny McDermid at Gillingham, so his new assistant, Dave Bassett, will be in the dugout, a week after filling the gap left by Gus Poyet's departure to Tottenham.

Wise said: "We will chop and change this year. Sometimes I will sit in the stand, with Dave down in the dugout. He sometimes sees games slightly differently to me and it's good to have an older head around."

Leeds won the trophy for the first and only time in 1972 thanks to Allan Clarke's header against Arsenal. They have been knocked out at the third round stage in five of the last six seasons.

Hereford, Graham Turner's in-form League Two side, will provide tough opposition but Wise is considering making changes from the team which won 3-1 win at Bournemouth on Tuesday.

"Some of our players have had a lot of games, so it may do them good to have a rest," said Wise. ''It is an opportunity for one or two to come in and show what they can do."

Captain Alan Thompson could return in midfield after missing four games with a torn hamstring.

And here is what the Sun has to say:

DENNIS WISE will be banished to the stand at Hereford tonight as 1972 winners Leeds appear in the first round for the first time in 82 years.

Boss Wise starts a three-match touchline ban so new assistant Dave Bassett, 63, is in the dugout.

Wise said: "We'll chop and change this year. Sometimes I'll sit in the stand with Dave down in the dugout.

"He sometimes sees games differently to me.

"It’s good to have an older head around."

Finally The Times:

Leeds United should be backed at 8-11 with Coral to continue their fine start to the season by beating hosts Hereford in the first round of the FA Cup, sponsored by E.On, on Friday evening. The match will be shown live on Sky.

Leeds, of Coca-Cola League One, have bounced back in some style from a 15-point deduction at the start of the campaign and are now just five points off the leaders.

They have won six of eight starts on the road, and although Hereford have caused some memorable Cup upsets, Leeds should be too powerful for their League Two opponents.

Hereford are 9-2 with Stan James to create an upset, with the draw a general 12-5.

In an interesting aside, both sides feature strikers from non-league club Wealdstone. William Hill make Jermaine Beckford, of Leeds, 13-8 to score, while Hereford’s Theo Robinson is 4-1 to strike.

For those backers keen to take a longer view, Leeds are 150-1 with Hills to win the Cup. The same firm have them at 11-4 to exit in round one, 5-2 round two, 2-1 round three; 7-2 round four, 9-1 round five, 20-1 quarter-final, 33-1 semi-final, 66-1 losing finalists.

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