With Hereford FC playing at Torquay on Wednesday, albeit against Truro, every excuse to look back at a story which was first published in May 2012 after Hereford United had entertained Torquay at Edgar Street.
Is Tall Paul Still In The Barrells?
Quite
a nice story about a visit to Edgar Street last Saturday by a couple of
Torquay supporters has appeared on this is South Devon. Here's part of
the article.
It is a ground that has hardly changed since the 1970s, and it is a joy for people who like their stadia from the old school.
It has two terraced ends for home and away supporters, although the standing parts of the away end have been closed down now and replaced by a couple of temporary grandstands.
It has standing areas along the sides with a 'shelf' of seats above.
You can stand there and almost hear a faint echo of Van McCoy's The Hustle coming through the speakers.
You open your programme and half expect a copy of the Football League Review with Peter Marinello on the cover to fall out.
This is the place where they once paraded a prize bull around the touchline before home matches.
It was the club mascot, and a reminder that Hereford is maybe not the best place in the world to be a vegetarian.
But it is a welcoming place to go and watch football.
In the town centre fans of Torquay United and Hereford United mingled happily and without a hint of conflict.
We found our way to a pub called the Barrels, which came very highly recommended and more than lived up to its billing.
We met old friends from previous away-days, had a pint with Tall Paul and Woodbine.
Tall Paul was best man at our wedding many years ago, but he now lives in Hereford and supports his hometown club.
He spun his remaining swallow of rich, golden Dorothy Goodbody beer in the bottom of his glass, looked down into the liquid and rued the dark days of winter and a season that had led his beloved team to the position in which they found themselves on Saturday.
Even a win, it transpired, would not be enough to keep them in the Football League
Woodbine spun his remaining beer in perfect unison with Tall Paul and rued the missed opportunities which meant that even a win would not have been enough to get Torquay promoted.
We all walked back through town to the ground together before going our separate ways at the burger van.
One day the club will probably move out of town to a shiny new stadium with lots of glass and red brick, and probably a statue cast in bronze of a prize Hereford bull, and the old ground will be replaced by furniture stores and expensive drive-in restaurants.
But until then it is a place every football fan should visit at least once. The spirit of lower league football is strong at Edgar Street.
We met Tall Paul and commiserated. If it was a disappointing day for Torquay it was a wretched one for Hereford. We got back into the car and listened to the FA Cup Final on the radio all the way back to Bristol.
Tall Paul said he was going back to the Barrels. For all we know he may still be there...