Text at top (next game etc)

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

Wednesday, April 05, 2017

First Time Behind Closed Doors


Hereford FC historian Ron Parrott has been looking through the archives since the news that the abandoned match at Didcot is to be played behind closed doors.

So have Hereford ever played behind closed doors before?

"The short answer to the question is no, apart from a few obscure friendlies, it has never happened competitively," Ron told BN.

"We did come close once though, back in 1929/30 when we had crowd trouble at home to Oakengates in the semi-final of the Birmingham Senior Cup. The referee incurred the wrath of the crowd when he sent off our left-back and former Oakengates player Gordon Biddulph for punching an opponent who had kicked him and this provoked a crowd invasion at the end of the game. 

"It was alleged that the referee was kicked and the Birmingham FA took a very dim view of this and closed Edgar Street for 14 days, meaning that United had to find an alternative ground for the next Birmingham league match against Willenhall. It was transferred to Ledbury Town’s Biddulph Arms ground and the Great Western Railway Company ran a special train from Hereford to the match, picking up at Withington and Stoke Edith, and the return fare was 1s 3d (6-1/2p) and the result was a 1-0 win for the “home” side. Now what wouldn’t I give for a programme from that game......... "