Hereford FC entertain AFC
Telford United on Tuesday evening, kick off 7:45pm, in their fourth match of a
busy opening to the season, with Tim Harris taking on a director-of-everything
role following Marc Richards’ sudden dismissal.
The performance and result at
Kings Lynn somewhat franked the form of the performance against Gloucester, and
as such a defeat didn’t come as too much of a surprise, unfortunately. Whilst
it was just about possible to build a case for the lacklustre showing in
Evesham being the result of the fact that it can be a bit unsettling playing
nine men, and that it was a professional job done, the suspicion was that the
new players have yet to gel sufficiently, or were confused tactically. This was borne out in spades on
Saturday, and a win, with a bit of dynamism and positivity, would now be hugely
welcome in this one to banish the dark memories of last season, which were
undoubtedly creeping back, presumably giving rise to the board’s axing
decision.
Like Hereford, Telford have had
a mixed start, with an away loss to Kettering, a home win over Kidderminster,
and a goalless draw, again at home, against Gateshead. Prolific goalscorer Daniel
Udoh hopped across to the Sloppies in the summer, having helped Telford to a
decent 2018/19 season, during which they challenged for a play-off place
throughout, ultimately missing out on goal difference, that difference being
one goal. In the previous few seasons, after relegation from the National
League, they’d made a habit of just doing enough to avoid relegation. Having
missed a host of chances against Gateshead, it could be that they haven’t found
a decent replacement yet for Udoh.
James McQuilkin should feature
for the Bucks, and like Josh O’Keefe last season is an ex-Hereford player who
may have divided opinion when at Edgar Street, but looks like quite an
attractive proposition these days.
The real danger could come from
right winger Chris Lait, signed from Tamworth in the summer. Despite possessing
just the one trick, kicking the ball past the left back and legging it as fast
as he can to fetch it and deliver a cross, it’s nevertheless effective because
he’s quick. Rumours that he shouts ‘See ya Laiter’ as he performs this manoeuvre
shouldn’t necessarily be believed.
With the Bulls at home, a
one-up-front tactical approach would be even more depressing than when it’s
adopted away. Hopefully, then, Tim Harris will push the boat out and risk two
strikers spearheading a 4-4-2, presumably keeping faith with Rowan Liburd, who
scored against Telford last season (yes, really), and having to choose between
Bradley Ash and Mike Symons in partnership.
Honours were even between the
two clubs last season, with two 1-1 draws prompting several Bucks supporters to
conclude that their opponents had “Become like Gloucester, horrid to play
against, niggly.” This is undoubtedly a good recipe for avoiding relegation,
but not so good if you have to watch it every week, and was yet more evidence
that Marc Richards’ footballing philosophy was always going to be an unpleasant
pill to swallow.
So, a busy start to the week at
Edgar Street. Enough will undoubtedly be said elsewhere about events as they
unfold, so I'll avoid rambling on about them here. Let’s hope the players can put
it all to one side, and bounce back from Saturday’s loss to show that this
season may have something to offer at the right end of the table after all.
Thank you for your efforts Marc,
and good luck for the future. I’m sure you did your best, but I can’t imagine
it would have been possible for anyone to succeed in squeezing the HFC head
coach role in around a full-time job. Time for a comprehensive rethink, and by ‘comprehensive’
I’m not suggesting getting another full-time teacher in.
COYW