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| Rob Purdie Scores For Hereford FC At Wembley |
Due to the bad weather, Hereford United had to wait until January 19 to play their first game of the decade, a 1-1 home draw with Crewe Alexandra. Leon Constantine scored the Bulls' goal, leaving the club in 19th position in League Two. Their first win of the decade was on February 2, a 2-0 home success against Lincoln courtesy of two Gavin McCallum goals.
John Trewick was the manager at the start of the season (2009-2010), but was sacked mid-season and Graham Turner took over the reins. Turner would manage the club for the final time on May 8, 2010 when goals by Mathieu Manset, Darren Jones and Marc Pugh saw them beat Rotherham 3-0.
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| Mathieu Manset And Mike Townsend |
Keyte's first job was to appoint former Barnsley manager Simon Davey, someone who only two years previously had beaten Chelsea and Liverpool on the way to the Tykes reaching the semi finals of the FA Cup.
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| Simon Davey With David Keyte |
Jamie Pitman - who was serving as the club's physio at the time - took over on a caretaker basis and oversaw arguably two of the club's greatest wins of the decade.
First was an astonishing comeback against Northampton that saw the Bulls come from 3-0 down to win 4-3 which included an outrageous piece of skill from Guillem Bauza before Stockport were stunned 5-0 at Edgeley Park. That led to Pitman being given the manager's job on a permanent basis.
First was an astonishing comeback against Northampton that saw the Bulls come from 3-0 down to win 4-3 which included an outrageous piece of skill from Guillem Bauza before Stockport were stunned 5-0 at Edgeley Park. That led to Pitman being given the manager's job on a permanent basis.
However, results quickly turned for the worse and the club lost four consecutive games between November 13 and December 26. But in the FA Cup it was a different story and a stunning 4-3 second round replay win over Lincoln saw Hereford face Wycombe in the third round.
Due to the weather causing havoc with the fixture list, that game was played just three days after the Lincoln and a solitary Manset goal saw the Bulls reach the fourth round and a trip to Championship side Sheffield Wednesday.
Due to the weather causing havoc with the fixture list, that game was played just three days after the Lincoln and a solitary Manset goal saw the Bulls reach the fourth round and a trip to Championship side Sheffield Wednesday.
A healthy contingent of away fans - many dressed in the club's orange away colours - willed Pitman's side on - but despite Stuart Fleetwood putting Hereford ahead - Wednesday came back to win 4-1.
Back in the league and Hereford were in real danger of going down. But they just did enough to stay up, with a 1-1 draw against Bradford at Edgar Street courtesy of a late Fleetwood goal in the penultimate game preserving their status.
The start of the 2011/12 season was a disaster, with only two points secured during August and then came a 6-1 drubbing by Gillingham at Edgar Street on September 17. But the Bulls picked up in October with four wins out of five and there was hope that the club could start looking up the table.
However, inconsistency cost them and Pitman was dismissed on March 5. Former assistant manager Richard O'Kelly took over, but was unable to save the club from relegation. Despite beating Torquay 3-2 in front of 5,143 fans at Edgar Street, Barnet's win over Burton meant that Hereford were back in non-league football for the first time in four years.
However, inconsistency cost them and Pitman was dismissed on March 5. Former assistant manager Richard O'Kelly took over, but was unable to save the club from relegation. Despite beating Torquay 3-2 in front of 5,143 fans at Edgar Street, Barnet's win over Burton meant that Hereford were back in non-league football for the first time in four years.
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| Richard O'Kelly |
Following the club's relegation, Martin Foyle took over as manager. Two of his signings - Ryan Bowman and Marley Watkins - would go on to bigger and better things, while Sam Clucas - who is now playing for Stoke - also had a good season. But despite Bowman's 15 goals and a sixth place finish, financial issues started to arise with players not being paid.
That carried on into the 2013/14 season and attendances started to plummet. A strong January did see Foyle pick up the Manager of the Month prize but a horrendous run of form - which included a 7-0 tonking at eventual champions Luton - the club's heaviest defeat of the decade - on February 15 - saw Foyle eventually sacked on March 19.
Youth Team Manager Pete Beadle took over the reins and results started to pick up. Hereford went into the final three games basically needing to win them all, but a 1-0 defeat at fellow strugglers Tamworth on Good Friday meant that they needed to beat both Alfreton and Aldershot in order to stay up.
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| Peter Beadle At Aldershot |
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| Jarrod Bowen Making His Debut For The Bulls |
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| Tommy Agombar |
A failure to pay the Conference a bond that would have ensured their stay in the competition meant that Hereford were thrown out. The Southern League eventually accepted them, but thousands of fans voted with their feet and boycotted the club.
Jon Taylor was the manager, but was unable to get the majority of fans on side and only 568 turned up for their first game of the 2014/15 season, a 2-0 loss to St Neots Town. That came on the back of a ludicrous 'pre-season' which included a bizarre game against Turkish side Besiktas.
Javia Roberts - who has recently announced he has quit football to concentrate on his family and studies - was one of the club's star players, along with Bilal Yafai and Steve Vetier. But it was off-the-field where all the interest lay. Despite being banned from being a director, Agombar continued to remain at the club, with 'advisor' Andy Lonsdale eventually becoming chairman.
That was after Alan McCarthy - an anonymous Irishman who was never seen or heard - was named as majority shareholder. Other names to list during that ill-fated campaign included Joel Nathan, John Edwards, Elke Thuerlings and Taylor's assistant, Neil Phelps.
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| Andrew Lonsdale |
After countless number of court appearances and adjournments, Hereford United were finally wound up on December 19, 2014 after Lonsdale 'was stuck in traffic'.
There was already talk about the wheels being put in motion to set up a new club if and when United were liquidated and Hereford FC was formed.
Jon Hale and Chris Williams were the front men and the club were placed in the Midland League Premier Division - two divisions lower than where the old club finished.
There was already talk about the wheels being put in motion to set up a new club if and when United were liquidated and Hereford FC was formed.
Jon Hale and Chris Williams were the front men and the club were placed in the Midland League Premier Division - two divisions lower than where the old club finished.
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| Jon Hale |
The feelgood factor created by fans being able to support a club called Hereford again saw 4,250 fans pack Edgar Street to see a solitary Nathan Hughes goal defeat FC United of Manchester 1-0 in the club's first home friendly.
Another 4,000 plus crowd witnessed a 4-1 win over Dunkirk kick off the league campaign, with John Mills bagging a hat-trick. It seemed that the league would be a walk in the park, but defeats to Stourport and Highgate derailed those hopes. And despite coming from 3-0 down to dramatically beat Rocester 4-3, the Bulls went on to lose 5-4 to Coleshill on home soil.
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| John Mills |
What resulted was nothing short of sensational. A 7-2 win at high-fliers Heanor saw a run that would eventually lead them to the title, despite Alvechurch pushing them as hard as they could. And alongside that was the FA Vase which would eventually see a Hereford team play at Wembley for the first time.
Who would ever forget the extra-time win over Camberley in the quarter-finals and the two-legged affair against Salisbury in the semis? Grown men were seen crying when realisation hit they would be seeing their team play at the home of football.
More than 20,000 fans made their way to London for a 12.15pm kick-off and when Rob Purdie's sweet strike rippled in the back of the net to put Hereford ahead, the stadium erupted. Of course that was as good as it got and Morpeth deservedly came back to win 4-1.
Amazingly Mills and star man Mustapha Bundu were left out of the starting 11, which still puzzles many fans to this day. Would they have made a difference? Possibly. But you have to take your hat off to Morpeth - they were a well-drilled outfit who deserved to win on the day.
On to the 2016/17 season and Southern League Division One South & West. Hereford started the season with narrow victories over AFC Totton and Mangotsfield before trouncing Bridgwater 6-0. And from thereon in, there was no stopping them. Tiverton initially put up a fight in the race to catch the Bulls, before Taunton went on a great winning run in the second half of the season. Salisbury and Evesham were also strong throughout the season, but in the end, Hereford comfortably won the league by 19 points, bagging 107 points along the way. A penalty shoot-out victory over Central League winners Royston meant that the 'Champions of Champions' Trophy also ended up in the trophy cabinet.
The Bulls clearly had momentum, but again they faced a tricky game in the opening match of the Southern Premier League campaign in 2017/18. A 95th minute goal from Gareth Price meant that Hereford had to settle for a 3-3 draw at Kings Langley.
But Beadle's side soon got in their stride and a fine 2-0 win at Weymouth on a glorious September afternoon on the seaside was seen as a vital win. One could argue that James Bowen's stunning strike was one of the goals of the decade!
Hereford also thrashed Godalming Town 8-0 to kick off their FA Cup campaign, helped greatly by the away goalkeeper being sent off after only a few minutes, resulting in a defender going in goal. Saying that, he made some great saves even if he did have to pick the ball out of the net eight times!
Who would have thought then that the Bulls would have an unbelievable FA Cup run that almost saw them face Leicester City in the third round?! The away win at National League side Eastleigh is no doubt one of the highlights of the decade, but drawing away to League One Fleetwood - a side four divisions higher - was something else!
The players rightly got the plaudits for their performance on the field, but it was the supporters and the club's wonderful volunteers that ensured that the replay could go ahead. Heavy snow meant that the Edgar Street pitch was covered in snow just days before the televised game was to take place. But armed with shovels and wheelbarrows, the snow was removed and the game went ahead. On the night, Fleetwood were just too good and saw off the Bulls 2-0. Imagine if there was a third round tie against Leicester again, just 18 years after the old club played them at the same stage?!
Back to the league and Hereford held off the threat of King's Lynn, Slough, Kettering and Weymouth to be champions by 13 points, Incredibly, even fifth-placed Weymouth finished on 97 points! Slough beat King's Lynn in the play-off final, meaning that Hereford were placed in National League North for the 2018/19 season.
Oxfordshire-based John Mills and Pablo Haysham decided to move on, while Rob Purdie retired to become a firefighter.
Everyone knew it would be tough but a fine 3-0 opening day win over Blyth Spartans and a draw at Nuneaton was a good start. Victories over Curzon Ashton and Leamington followed before the Bulls lost in the last minute to a Chorley side who would end up being promoted via the play-offs.
Two more defeats in the next three games followed and some supporters started to get worried. Was Beadle the man to take the club forward?
A 3-1 home defeat to Westfields in the HFA County Challenge Cup was the final straw and Beadle was sacked. The club cited that they still had ambitions to reach the Football League and needed to look at the whole structure of the club. They decided to appoint Tim Harris as Head of Football to oversee all the football operations, with Gloucester City's Marc Richards named Head Coach.
A lot of supporters never got behind Richards, still smarting over Beadle's departure. The atmosphere following defeats to FC United and Southport in November was 'toxic' to say the least and a relegation battle looked on the cards. To his credit, results did pick up at the start of the New Year and Hereford ended up comfortably avoiding the drop, finishing with 49 points and in 17th position.
Richards was kept on and brought in a number of players during the close season in an attempt to have a much better 2019/20 campaign. Despite not playing particularly well, a draw at home to a strong Spennymoor side was still admirable and the Bulls backed it up with a 2-0 win over Gloucester, even though they were greatly helped by the home side being reduced to nine men.
But a 3-1 defeat to King's Lynn was shocking and new club chairman Andrew Graham even went on the supporters coach to apologise. Richards was subsequently dismissed, but Harris remained as Head of Football.
The Bulls were again looking for a new man to take charge of first team affairs and it looked like they were after a 'manager' rather than 'head coach'. Russell Slade - who had managed hundreds of games in the Football League - was duly appointed, leaving many fans stunned. For many, the only way was up with such an experienced man in charge. And three wins on the bounce from September 17 to October 1 seemed to back up that theory.
As we know, that hasn't happened and Hereford are still searching for their first victory since beating Leamington three months ago. Harris has since left the club, while players have come in and out on loan. The earlier news today of Mike Symons leaving the club means that no one is left from the inaugural season.
So what next? Well three points in the first game of the new decade, at home to Kidderminster, would be a start. Don't win and the pressure will just mount on Slade, with supporters fearing that another relegation battle could be on the cards.
Fair play to anyone who goes to Gateshead if they don't beat Kiddie. Last season, the Bulls lost at Aggborough but did win the corresponding fixture at Edgar Street. Here's hoping that fate strikes twice. Happy New Year to you all!
Amazingly Mills and star man Mustapha Bundu were left out of the starting 11, which still puzzles many fans to this day. Would they have made a difference? Possibly. But you have to take your hat off to Morpeth - they were a well-drilled outfit who deserved to win on the day.
On to the 2016/17 season and Southern League Division One South & West. Hereford started the season with narrow victories over AFC Totton and Mangotsfield before trouncing Bridgwater 6-0. And from thereon in, there was no stopping them. Tiverton initially put up a fight in the race to catch the Bulls, before Taunton went on a great winning run in the second half of the season. Salisbury and Evesham were also strong throughout the season, but in the end, Hereford comfortably won the league by 19 points, bagging 107 points along the way. A penalty shoot-out victory over Central League winners Royston meant that the 'Champions of Champions' Trophy also ended up in the trophy cabinet.
The Bulls clearly had momentum, but again they faced a tricky game in the opening match of the Southern Premier League campaign in 2017/18. A 95th minute goal from Gareth Price meant that Hereford had to settle for a 3-3 draw at Kings Langley.
But Beadle's side soon got in their stride and a fine 2-0 win at Weymouth on a glorious September afternoon on the seaside was seen as a vital win. One could argue that James Bowen's stunning strike was one of the goals of the decade!
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| James Bowen At Weymouth |
Who would have thought then that the Bulls would have an unbelievable FA Cup run that almost saw them face Leicester City in the third round?! The away win at National League side Eastleigh is no doubt one of the highlights of the decade, but drawing away to League One Fleetwood - a side four divisions higher - was something else!
The players rightly got the plaudits for their performance on the field, but it was the supporters and the club's wonderful volunteers that ensured that the replay could go ahead. Heavy snow meant that the Edgar Street pitch was covered in snow just days before the televised game was to take place. But armed with shovels and wheelbarrows, the snow was removed and the game went ahead. On the night, Fleetwood were just too good and saw off the Bulls 2-0. Imagine if there was a third round tie against Leicester again, just 18 years after the old club played them at the same stage?!
Back to the league and Hereford held off the threat of King's Lynn, Slough, Kettering and Weymouth to be champions by 13 points, Incredibly, even fifth-placed Weymouth finished on 97 points! Slough beat King's Lynn in the play-off final, meaning that Hereford were placed in National League North for the 2018/19 season.
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| Rob Purdie After Scoring Against Kettering |
Everyone knew it would be tough but a fine 3-0 opening day win over Blyth Spartans and a draw at Nuneaton was a good start. Victories over Curzon Ashton and Leamington followed before the Bulls lost in the last minute to a Chorley side who would end up being promoted via the play-offs.
Two more defeats in the next three games followed and some supporters started to get worried. Was Beadle the man to take the club forward?
A 3-1 home defeat to Westfields in the HFA County Challenge Cup was the final straw and Beadle was sacked. The club cited that they still had ambitions to reach the Football League and needed to look at the whole structure of the club. They decided to appoint Tim Harris as Head of Football to oversee all the football operations, with Gloucester City's Marc Richards named Head Coach.
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| Marc Richards And Tim Harris |
Richards was kept on and brought in a number of players during the close season in an attempt to have a much better 2019/20 campaign. Despite not playing particularly well, a draw at home to a strong Spennymoor side was still admirable and the Bulls backed it up with a 2-0 win over Gloucester, even though they were greatly helped by the home side being reduced to nine men.
But a 3-1 defeat to King's Lynn was shocking and new club chairman Andrew Graham even went on the supporters coach to apologise. Richards was subsequently dismissed, but Harris remained as Head of Football.
The Bulls were again looking for a new man to take charge of first team affairs and it looked like they were after a 'manager' rather than 'head coach'. Russell Slade - who had managed hundreds of games in the Football League - was duly appointed, leaving many fans stunned. For many, the only way was up with such an experienced man in charge. And three wins on the bounce from September 17 to October 1 seemed to back up that theory.
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| Russell Slade |
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| Mike Symons |
Fair play to anyone who goes to Gateshead if they don't beat Kiddie. Last season, the Bulls lost at Aggborough but did win the corresponding fixture at Edgar Street. Here's hoping that fate strikes twice. Happy New Year to you all!
