Hereford drew their opening pre-season friendly against Wellington tonight in very difficult conditions.
The Bulls - who hadn't played any game for five months because of the coronavirus pandemic - named a number of trialists in their squad, with one of them scoring with a very good effort.
Others also played well, and even though a draw against a side who play four leagues below them may look bad on paper, one has to remember that Wellington had already played a few friendlies and the strong wind and driving wind made conditions extremely difficult.
Hereford had an early chance through Lenell John-Lewis and had the majority of possession in the opening 15 minutes. New signing Dan Jones looked impressive before he had to hobble off, while Jamie Grimes looked assured at the back.
One of the midfielders who is on trial shot just over shortly before the half-hour mark before Hereford were awarded a penalty in the 39th minute when Kyle Finn was bundled over. However, John-Lewis saw his spot-kick brilliantly saved onto the post by Keiran Blackburn, who is playing some games at Wellington from Westfields following an injury lay off. Then, Finn saw an effort whistle over.
Despite Hereford dominating, Wellington did pose a threat on the break and a low cross from Paul Jones on the left-hand side had to be intercepted. And it was Jones who put his side ahead three minutes into the second half when his shot went through the legs of substitute keeper Brandon Powell. Hereford had a much different side in the second half, with some youngsters joining the trialists. One of the trialists saw a header go narrowly wide before another one levelled for the Bulls. Good footwork led to him cutting inside before curling in an effort off the crossbar. Blackburn had to be alert to make a save to deny Hereford going in front, while at the other end, Matty James saw an effort go just wide.
Overall, it was a decent workout for Hereford. These sort of games are about getting fitness levels up, especially with the lack of football that there has been. And Hereford supporters will have been pleased with some of the performances. The Bulls are at home this Saturday against League Two side Newport County, but it will be played behind closed doors due to no fans being allowed at Step Two stadiums. However, it will be streamed on Hereford FC TV, so supporters will be keen to see how many trialists will play in that game.
Wellington: Blackburn, Mullenger, Robinson, J Davies, James, Fletcher, Griffiths, Huntbach, Jones, Hackett, Pearson. Subs: Brimble, Winter, Morris, Tomkins, Perkins, Apperley, S Davies, Thomas.
Hereford: White, Hodgkiss, Grimes, Raison, Jones, Finn, Trialist, Klukowski, Trialist, John-Lewis, Brown. Subs: Trialist, Whitlock, Trialist, Trialist, Powell, Trialist, Trialist, Trialist, Owen-Evans, Trialist.