Hereford FC have a golden
opportunity on Saturday to extend their winning run to three matches, as they
host struggling Kettering Town at Edgar Street, kick off 3pm.
They’ll find it easier to do
so, however, if they can somehow manage to show up for the first half. The last
two victories, over Gateshead and Truro, saw the Bulls looking more like a
Sunday league team in the first 45 minutes on each occasion, such was the lack
of quality.
However, Gateshead self-destructed
at the back and Truro ran out of puff, leaving the Whites finding themselves
embarking on a winning run, and still unbeaten at home this season.
This weekend’s visitors joined
the National League North party this season, following promotion as runaway champions from the Southern League Premier Central division, and
so far they’ve found it a challenge. The Poppies have lost all bar one of their away matches to date (the exception was a 1-1 draw with Southport) and sit in 20th position in the table, with only Bradford and Blyth
below them, both of whom have started like lazy snails in a bid to emulate
Ashton and FCUM’s season-long whipping-boys role of last term.
In a busy few days, Kettering
have contrived to lose to lowly Sutton Coldfield Town in an FA Cup replay and
part company with their manager, with the two events admittedly being presumably quite
closely related. That sacking sees ex-Bull Luke Graham promoted within the
ranks to become joint caretaker manager. It could be that the change at the top causes a reaction among their players, but that recent away form has been so
abject that morale and confidence are going to be low, despite a surprise home win against Alfreton last time out in the league.
Another ex-Bull Mike McGrath lines up for the visitors, and he'll presumably be fired up for the match, which essentially means he's a red card waiting to happen. If Macca and Kieran Thomas stray into one another's post codes in the early stages, there could be fireworks.
As for the hosts, newcomer Peter
Vincenti made a goalscoring debut last Saturday, confidently scoring from the
spot and looking promising in the second half, and joins Jack Bodenham as
another useful loanee brought in by Russell Slade, suggesting that the latter's contacts
book and eye for a player will prove to be useful assets this season.
Up front, Rowan Liburd and Mike Symons were instrumental in turning things round when joining the fray against Truro, and one or both could come in at the expense of Reece Styche, despite the Brummie Baddie netting from the spot in the first half.
Competition for places seems to be hotting up nicely in midfield, with Vicenti coming in, and Jordan Nicholson and Jacob Jagger Cane looking more and more capable, but its the defence that still looks a little creaky at times. Whilst the really bizarre knack of being unprecedentedly excellent at goal-line clearances this season is to be commended, it could be argued that the fact that they've had so many opportunities to demonstrate that unusual ability is a tell-tale sign that other aspects of the defensive art aren't being quite so smartly demonstrated. It's certainly still a work in progress, although a more balanced looking one with left-footers and right-footers where they should be across the back.
A first half of football rather
than pinball, and perhaps an early goal to settle the players down and get them
playing with confidence and to the levels that they have on occasion hinted at
so far this season, could see this one put to bed early. Tougher tests are to
come, with a string of away matches on the horizon. It’s no secret that the Bulls have been pretty
atrocious on the road, and if Slade can shore things up at the back and start
picking up points away, whilst continuing to inspire the strong home form, that
play-off aspiration looks perfectly realistic again.
A win on Saturday would put the Bulls on the very cusp of the top seven, with a game in hand over the clubs above them. That said, a fortunate win and another against lower-graded opposition don't quite erase the memory of the Chester and Guiseley defeats, which were some way short of play-off form.
A win on Saturday would put the Bulls on the very cusp of the top seven, with a game in hand over the clubs above them. That said, a fortunate win and another against lower-graded opposition don't quite erase the memory of the Chester and Guiseley defeats, which were some way short of play-off form.
COYW