Following Tuesday’s predictable defeat to Brackley, the third loss this season to that one club, Hereford FC face another difficult assignment tomorrow, making the long trip to Brewery Field, Spennymoor, kick off 3pm.
The Bulls’ much-vaunted
six-game unbeaten run and relatively healthy position in the form table always had their
foundations built in sand, with the three wins and three draws all coming during a
freakishly unusual run of ten games all against teams in the bottom half of
the table. The consequence of that run of fixtures is that the club now
faces a tough run-in, with a handful of points still needed to put any
lingering relegation fears to bed, so if the club can go on another unbeaten
run between now and the end of the season it will be an impressive achievement
indeed.
Tomorrow’s opponents made short
work of the home team in a 3-0 win when the clubs met at Edgar Street last September,
with the Bulls players still reeling at the time from the board’s decision to
sack Pete Beadle after a start to the season seemingly deemed unacceptable. The
Moors have had an excellent season, consistently in and around the top three,
but have recently stuttered as the likes of Stockport and Brackley have
overtaken them in finishing the season like express trains. They haven't won in five (having lost just three home games this season) but despite the wobble will still be optimistic of a tilt at promotion via the play-offs.
Hereford’s last trek to the
northeast was a happy one, with a 3-2 win at Blyth, and another win tomorrow
should ensure that the board can start focusing on a rebuilding exercise safe
in the knowledge that the club will still be playing in National League North
next season.
I’ve seldom known a flatter Edgar Street (in terms of atmosphere rather than gradient, the slope looked the same as ever) than on Tuesday night, and a general sense of being resigned to defeat, so presumably a long, hard look at matters from the top to the bottom of the club will be needed to arrest what has been such a rapid and sharp decline in momentum and paying customers. Those missing supporters are still out there, some of them very out there, waiting for signs that the board are serious in their stated intention of being competitive at this level, rather than bumbling along in the bottom six.
I’ve seldom known a flatter Edgar Street (in terms of atmosphere rather than gradient, the slope looked the same as ever) than on Tuesday night, and a general sense of being resigned to defeat, so presumably a long, hard look at matters from the top to the bottom of the club will be needed to arrest what has been such a rapid and sharp decline in momentum and paying customers. Those missing supporters are still out there, some of them very out there, waiting for signs that the board are serious in their stated intention of being competitive at this level, rather than bumbling along in the bottom six.
The Bulls go into this one with
a worrying doubt over the fitness of influential captain Josh Gowling. New
loanee Louis Ezewele replaced Gowling at half time on Tuesday looking adequate
enough on debut, and will presumably start tomorrow, but Gowling’s possible absence is
nevertheless a big worry.
With Jak Hickman again looking
sharp against Brackley, Keiran Thomas’s return from suspension may see him
slotted back in to the midfield role he’s done well in since being moved from
right back. This may mean the crablike James Wesolowski, or perhaps Tommy
O’Sullivan, must start on the bench.
Lance Smith, along with the
aforementioned Hickman, was one of the few bright sparks on Tuesday, playing
with energy, occasional invention and that endearing passion he seems to have
for the club, which of course doesn’t go unnoticed among supporters and is
richly appreciated. He’s surely earned the right to retain his starting place.
With Cardiff loanee James Waite apparently restricted under orders from his parent club to 30-minute substitute appearances as he recovers from injury, it appeared earlier in the week that a frustrated and exhausted-looking Mike Symons would partner Smith in this one, but of course the management team have played a blinder in bringing exciting new striker Rowan Liburd to the club. There seems to be little doubt that Liburd will start tomorrow. A very warm welcome to the club Rowan - we've been waiting for someone like you to come along for a while! He's certainly a signing who could put a few hundred back on the next home gate. Credit must also go to the board in sanctioning the move, and greasing its wheels in whichever way was necessary. Exciting.
With Cardiff loanee James Waite apparently restricted under orders from his parent club to 30-minute substitute appearances as he recovers from injury, it appeared earlier in the week that a frustrated and exhausted-looking Mike Symons would partner Smith in this one, but of course the management team have played a blinder in bringing exciting new striker Rowan Liburd to the club. There seems to be little doubt that Liburd will start tomorrow. A very warm welcome to the club Rowan - we've been waiting for someone like you to come along for a while! He's certainly a signing who could put a few hundred back on the next home gate. Credit must also go to the board in sanctioning the move, and greasing its wheels in whichever way was necessary. Exciting.
For
whatever reason, recent signing Cameron Ebbutt hasn’t seemed to be considered
worthy of the opportunity to give Symons a rest recently, which is something of an
indictment on the poor lad's ability given the Beast’s apparent lethargy - that must be some sore thumb he's suffering from.
Marc Richards suggested
recently that the team is set up to do better against the better teams, without
really elaborating on why. This didn’t seem to be the case against Brackley,
but plenty more opportunities are coming up to put that theory to the test,
starting tomorrow.
COYW