Aaron Birch on the ball during Rob Purdie's testimonial
Former Hereford FC player Aaron Birch is confident the club
can progress further despite a disappointing season.
The popular midfielder – who now plays for Halesowen Town – returned
to Edgar Street last weekend for Rob Purdie’s testimonial.
“I’m a West Brom fan, so the first results I look out for
are theirs, but the second I look out for is Hereford’s,” said Birch.
“I have followed them ever since I left and it’s amazing the
success the club has had.
“They deserve it from what happened in the past.
“It’s a shame that this season hasn’t gone as well, but they’re
still at a very good level, they survived relegation and there’s no reason why
they cannot go on and progress more.”
Birch was player of the season during 2015/16 as Hereford
won three trophies, as well as reaching the FA Vase Final at Wembley.
However, after starting the next campaign in Southern League
Division One South & West, Birch felt he needed a break.
“There were a number of things [why he left], I wouldn’t
pinpoint one specifically,” said Birch.
“The travelling didn’t help. We went into the South &
West and it was a massive commitment with travelling and working full time.
“After such a high the season before and having so much
success, it’s hard to get that back and I felt, mentally, I wasn’t in the right
place.
“I wasn’t playing very well, and I just felt I needed a
fresh start and a break from the game, which I did have.
“I had about three months off and then got back to it.”
Birch said he loved playing for Hereford, particularly lining
up alongside Purdie in central midfield.
“People were writing us off in that season, even though we
were such a big club because we were starting again,” said Birch.
“There would have been teams that would have fancied their
chances and we blew them away.
“It took a long time to get over it [the Wembley defeat] but
when you reflect back on it, it was a massive achievement personally and
collectively and to win the treble was phenomenal.
“It was a dream come true [to play in Purdie’s testimonial] because
I never really got to say my goodbyes when I left and it was like my last game,
a bit like Purdie.
“It was a brilliant day for him and a great turnout of
1,500.
“I loved playing with him in the middle and I don’t think
there’s been another player who had quite the same wavelength as he had. And as
a person in the dressing room, he was fantastic to have.
“He gets the team together, has a laugh and a joke and
deserved everything he got.”