The Bulls entertain Bradford City in a League Two match on Saturday.
The two sides hadn't met in 25 years until the Bantams slipped into the basement division in 2007, and their woes have continued at Edgar Street with the Bulls picking up two wins and a draw on their home patch. Last time out, in April, a late Stuart Fleetwood free kick secured a point and the Bulls' Football League safety after the Bantams had led through a penalty. Overall, the Bulls have eight wins to the Bantams' six, with four draws.
The Bulls can lift themselves out of the bottom two with three points against one of their fellow strugglers. This match, and next week's game against Barnet, could shape the season and give a real indication of the ability of the side. So far the Bulls have played three quarters of their games against sides in the top half of the table, including six of the top seven teams. Saturday will be the first game where the new Peters and Pitman partnership will have to make a decision on which five of their seven loanees will participate in the matchday sixteen. David Cornell and Will Evans come back into contention after being unavailable for the previous game and while Cornell is expected to return in place of Russell Hoult, Evans is likely to be one of two excluded.
Bradford picked up their first win of the Phil Parkinson era against the odds last weekend, beating Torquay with just ten men despite some heavy pressure. Parkinson and predecessor Peter Jackson have used 26 players so far this term as injuries and formation changes bite and, like the Bulls, they have had to rely on inexperienced younger players as financial constraints bite. Crashing striker James Hanson leads the goalscoring chart with four goals, while recent signing Craig Fagan netted last weekend.
Hereford United vs Bradford City, Edgar Street, Saturday 15th October, 3.00pm.