Hereford FC are quickly back in
action tomorrow afternoon, kick off 3pm, away at Darlington, following
Tuesday’s home loss to Southport. Whether it’s a good thing to have little time
to dwell on another battering remains to be seen, but the hardy souls making
the trip in support, and Bulls fans following the match around the world, will
be hoping that, somehow, the visitors come away with the points.
Older supporters will
undoubtedly fondly recall nail-bitingly exciting seasons in which the Bulls and
the Quakers battled it out for the right to finish 17th in Division
Four. Heady days.
Danny Greenslade will be available for selection as his suspension doesn't kick in for seven days after he was sent off in the first half on Tuesday, which
along with the resultant converted penalty left the remaining ten players with
a mountain to climb. However, it became apparent that a certain Mike McGrath,
resplendent in his stylish purple boots (presumably that colour to at least
partially mask the blood stains), is the best left back at the club anyway, so
could potentially slot in there again. Parellels here somewhere between John Lennon's response to whether Ringo was the best drummer in the world by suggesting he wasn't even the best drummer in the Beatles, and that unfortunate 'best left back in non-league' label.
Up front, it’ll be interesting
to see whether Marc Richards persists with the Lloyd/Roberts partnership, a
partnership which has been bouncing off rock solid defenders of late in a ‘thou
shalt not pass’ kind of way, or whether Mike Symons gets a start alongside
James Roberts. It’s unlikely that he’s yet got 90 minutes in him following his
recent injury absence, but at least if he starts he can provide a base camp in
the opposition half from which to launch some of the young whippersnappers
running off him, and maybe give the team a foothold in the game. Maybe instruct him
to give it his all for an hour, and when the performance analyst’s software
starts bleeping and flashing carry him off on a stretcher to make way for Harry White, who
still seems impressively enthusiastic when he comes on, and can himself provide
a bit of physicality.
It would be refreshing for the
opposition defenders, at the final whistle, to have been worked sufficiently
hard by our front players to feel like they’ve been in a game at least. The
four slabs of granite at the back for Southport on Tuesday glided through the
match utterly serenely, and it’s not often you see granite glide serenely in
any walk of life. There’s no lack of effort up front, just a physical mismatch.
With Ryan Green missing
Tuesday’s game due to what appear to be a variety of niggling aches, pains,
stresses and strains, it’s to be hoped that a week’s rest will mean that he can
somehow drag himself onto the pitch to marshal the defence.
Darlo finished 12th last season,
and have stabilised as a club over the last few years following that period of utter
craziness during the George Reynolds years and the 25,000 all-seater ego trip. They’re unbeaten in five, which can only mean they’re
due a defeat, surely?
There’s not much point going
into Hereford’s recent form as it’s too depressing, and repeated reference to
it presumably contravenes some sort of Geneva convention on the torture of
football fans. Indeed, it may be better for all concerned to pretend the last
couple of months hasn’t happened, and start tomorrow with a completely clean
slate.
I reckon there are enough straws to clutch at to build a case for a Bulls win. A scrambled opener followed by
a 25-yard wonder strike from Tom Owen Evans to seal it.
COYW