Earlier today AFC Halifax published 'ten things' about Hereford United. In truth it looks as though they took their 'things' from BN's archive site.
So it's given an excuse to post the full list of interesting records which was originally published over ten years ago.
Hereford
United have some interesting records to
reveal...
- The BBC's first live FA Cup match was shown in November 1952 between the amateur clubs Leyton and Hereford United.
- The record attendance between two non-league sides was set in an FA Cup Second Round match in 1953. 24,526 people saw Wigan Athletic beat Hereford United by four goals to one.
- Hereford still hold the record of the biggest win by a non-league club over a league club. They beat QPR 6-1 in round two of the FA Cup in 1957.
- Hereford United are the second most shot-shy club in the Football League ever! Loughborough Town scored 1.076 goals per game, and Hereford scored 1.208 goals per game. At the other end, Liverpool scored 1.714 goals per game.
- Hereford United have only won 32% of their Football League games.
- Hereford United have provided only one international. Brian Evans, a winger (and a good one, so I'm told) signed from Swansea, played for Wales against Poland on 26th September 1973 whilst at the club.
- George Heslop, a Bury player, competed in a match at Edgar Street in December 1972 whilst wearing a hair-piece to promote his company's product.
- In 1974, Hereford were the only league club outside the top division to have two cantilever stands.
- Hereford's 1976 Division Three match against Luton Town at Kenilworth Road was watched by Don Revie and the England squad.
- In the 1980's, Hereford United were the 8th worst league club, equal to Darlington. Rochdale were bottom!
- From 1990 to 1997, Hereford United were the 3rd worst league side. Six of the bottom nine were relegated. Aldershot (2nd), Halifax Town (3rd), Hereford United (4th and Doncaster Rovers (joint 5th), Maidstone United (9th) and Scarborough (7th). The other three, Northampton Town (8th), Colchester United (joint 5th) and Gillingham (4th) were promoted!
- Terry Paine, the legendary Southampton and Hereford United player, accumilated 824 league appearances over his career. It is a record for an outfield player, and only Peter Shilton has surpassed it.
- Since 1950, Hereford United have met Welsh side Newport County six times in the FA Cup, and have lost every game.
- Steve Ritchie, the former Bulls striker scored in a Scottish FA Cup Final. His goal for Aberdeen could not stop a 2-1 defeat to Rangers in 1978.
- In 1990, Hereford played Ian and Gary Bowyer in the same side. They became the first father and son to play in league football since David and Alec Herd for Scunthorpe United in 1951.
- Hereford were the first club to win Division Three and finish bottom of Division Two in the following season. A proud record!
- John Jackson was the oldest league player to star for United. He was 40 years and 6 days young when he played Darlington on 11th September 1982.
- In Hereford United's non league career (pre 1980's), the beat eight league clubs, a joint 6th with Peterborough United. Since the 1997 relegation, Hereford have also beat Brighton and Hove Albion and Colchester United!
- But in the league period, Hereford United lost FIVE times to non-league opposition, including to Hitchin Town in 1994!
- Hereford United have only reached the 4th round six times, the third worst in LEAGUE football. As they are now non-league, it doesn't seem such a poor record!
- Bobby Moore's last match was against Hereford United in the FA Cup at Upton Park. A tackle by Eric Redrobe meant he went off injured on the half hour mark.
- Hereford United also played against Bobby Charlton. He was player manager of Preston when the Bulls played them in October 1974.
- United scored more away goals in 1976/77 (Relegated) than when they were promoted in 1972/73.
- Three Hereford United players have joined the police force in the 1990's. Andy Reece, Howard Clark and and former boss Greg Downs all became police officers, whilst Alan Jones became a prison officer and Eric Redrobe became a bailiff!
- Hereford scored 95 penalties in the Football League, but only 29 of them were away from home.
- Between 1955 and 1997, Hereford appeared in every FA Cup First Round draw. This was stopped in 1998, as they lost to Newport (Isle of Wight) in the third qualifying round. Between 1973 and 1996, Hereford were a league side, and automatically entered round one, which makes the record less amazing!
- Hereford United installed floodlights in March 1953, before some large sides such as Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea. They were first used in a match against Merthyr Tydfil.
- Hereford have never beaten Lincoln City at Sincil Bank, but they have won eight times in the league at Northampton Town.
- David Icke, the legendary goalkeeper of the club, never lost a match at Edgar Street.
- Mel Pejic holds the record league appearances for Hereford United. He played for eleven years at Edgar Street, playing 412 games.
- The fastest league goal at Edgar Street was scored by Peter Heritage against Lincoln City on September 28th, 1991. The time - fourteen seconds.
- Steve White is one of the Football League's highest scorers, and he scored 30 goals for Hereford United in 1995/96, before moving to Cardiff at the end of the season.
- Out of all 75 league clubs Hereford played, they scored against 73 of them. The survivors - Luton Town and Portsmouth.
- When two Hereford United fans found out that they had signed Ian Wright, they were ecstatic, and put £10 on him to score thirty goals in the upcoming season (1998/99), at odds of 250/1. When they found out he was a defender from Hull City, they were very disappointed, and asked for their money back from the bookies. They said No (not surprisingly), and the fans went home downhearted. They should have tried Hereford's highest scorer for the season. He scored nine, and was the top scorer at the club!
- In 1982/83, Hereford used seven goalkeepers for their first team, and that doesn't include Drew Brand who left before the season began.
- When Chris Pike scored a hatrick against Colchester United on 16th October 1993, each goal was scored against a different goalkeeper.
- Hereford United play in white because, after the war, they wished to represent peace as Hereford was then an important military area. However, they ran out of white material so the shorts were made from old blackout curtains from the war and Hereford have kept to their black and white colours ever since!
- As an April Fool's Day joke in 1995, Torquay wore the colours of local rivals Exeter City against Hereford at Plainmoor to confuse the Bulls. It didn't work - United won 1-0.
- Sixteen year old Paul Burton became the youngest Hereford hatrick scorer in October 1989 as the YTS man netted three as United beat Connah's Quay 9-0 in the Welsh Cup third round.
- Former Hereford United coach Dick Bate was sacked after his Southend team lost in an 8-1 humiliation at Gillingham. He joined Hereford soon after.
- The semi final second leg of the Welsh Cup in April 1989 between Kidderminster and Hereford at Edgar Street was drawn 0-0. The main entertainment was when a duck appeared on the pitch and held up play!
- Hereford were playing so badly in the spring of 1978 that then-boss Tony Ford appointed hypnotist Romark to boost results. His spell at Edgar Street lasted seven games as United were relegated, and Romark quit saying: "he has not received the co-operation that is neccessary."