So, three 4-3 Houdini acts in
eight years. It really isn’t good for your ticker, supporting this football
club! But wow…just wow. The adrenaline’s still pumping, and the admiration for
that performance is as strong as it was at 10:30pm on Wednesday.
Tomorrow afternoon we’ll see if
it really is the springboard everyone’s hoping it’ll be in terms of an upturn
in league fortunes. The Bulls host Spennymoor Town at Edgar Street, kick off
3pm, with new head of football Tim Harris finally formally ensconced in the hot
seat. The players should therefore be well up for the challenge, knowing the
importance of making a good first impression. It’s also safe to assume that the
midweek Cup match has given everyone a big confidence boost, even Harry White
despite his now long forgiven and forgotten penalty miss!
Given the changes to management teams,
squads, starting XIs, benches and formations of late, I won’t bother attempting
to guess any of it here ahead of the match. The only things for certain are
that the aforementioned Mr Harris will be ‘heading football’ and the bench will
have a less youthful look to it. Gareth Davies may or may not be gesticulating
wildly like a Radnorshire dervish on the touchline, Ryan Green may be a/ player-managing,
b/ just playing or c/ having a rest on the bench, and everything else is up for
grabs. It’s all made even more complicated by the fact that Eliot Richards and
Calvin Dinsley return from the naughty step after their suspensions, and it
would be surprising if Richards at least doesn’t start, but hey, what do I
know?
Rumours that Gareth Bale has been given international clearance unusually
quickly by the Welsh FA and goes straight into the team are just that, rumours.
Spennymoor face a bit of a trek
down from Durham, and with a bit of luck will arrive with the same travel
sickness that seemed to afflict the Bulls for the first half hour on Wednesday.
Hereford FC’s fortunes against clubs from the northeast have been mixed in its
short history so far, with an opening day win against Blyth this season, but
that little hiccup down in fancy London against Morpeth is still reasonably
fresh in the memory.
Moors have started the season
very brightly, and currently sit in fifth place having won four of their last
five league games, as opposed to Hereford who’ve lost four of their last five.
They did, however, get dumped out of the Cup on Saturday to Witton Albion. They
haven’t lost away since 14 August.
Last season they missed out on
the final play-off spot to Bradford PA on goal difference, and we know the job
Bradford did on the Bulls when they visited Edgar Street a few weeks ago, so
despite there being reasons to be positive for the home side, it’s certainly
not going to be plain sailing.
A win and a draw from the next
two back-to-back fixtures (it’s Chester on Tuesday) would offer reasonable evidence
that the rot’s been stopped and the play-off push is back on. If that’s the
case, this season could be a very exciting one.
Here’s hoping for a nice, calm,
controlled win with no need for dramatic comebacks, for the sake of my heart as
much as anything.
COYW