Son of Eric watched Hereford's first pre-season friendly last night.
A glorious balmy evening saw Hereford visit their neighbours Westfields for a pre-season friendly. Walking to the ground through Hereford’s “golden triangle” there was a buzz of activity at Lads Club with players there and teams training on Widemarsh Common. Football was back.
Hereford FC fielded a first team for the first half and a reserve/trialist team for the second half. None of the players had numbered shirts so it was a little confusing but many familiar faces like Hall and Hodgkiss were their usual competent selves.
Hereford started hard and fast and the Westfields back line was at sixes and sevens with the Westfields captain telling colleagues to be alert to Hereford’s “shuttling”. The front line was rotating effectively but several Westfields defenders were ball watching rather than picking up opponents, so Hereford broke through at will. After a promising period of probing a sharp diagonal ball from Kouyar out to the right was slightly overhit across the goal, picked up on the right a simple clipped cross was nodded in an unmarked Butlin textbook style down and into the corner.
Hereford continued to press and a corner from Kouyar to the near post was met by a soaring Pollock who headed down and inside the post to double the lead. At the centre of this good play was Kouyar playing in a number 10 role finding lots of space and demonstrating a good range of passing. Hereford should have gone on to score more goals but there were some heavy touches and some of the star signings failed to ensure their efforts were on target to give themselves a chance.
At half time the team changed and with a lot of trialists was more than a little incoherent Westfields coming back into the game and deserving their goal from a corner and a near post flick. Westfields energy levels were impressive in warm conditions. The misfiring trialists finally configured a golden goal. A long pass from midfield was instantly controlled and flicked out to the right with a first-time cross being headed in from the penalty spot.
Westfields left back complained to the assistant referee that it was offside, and the official admitted that it could have been but did not think it was. The assistant referee was some way behind play but there’s little that can be done when a long pass is pinged forward with such accuracy and the official’s candidness was refreshing.
This golden moment of touch and technique was untypical of Hereford’s second half. There was a lot of honest endeavour, but crosses were blocked and passes misplaced. The defence was tested a little more and the goal conceded was soft.
425 watched a game plated in a good spirit and with excellent administration by Westfields with a light COVID touch encouraging masks and sanitiser. Hereford got rid of a few cobwebs, Pollock played better at centre back than he does in midfield, and Kouyar looked the kind of playmaker the team needs. Sign him up!
First half: Hall, Hodgkiss, Haines, Hancox, Pollock, Vincent, Lloyd, Kouyhar, McLean, Storey, Butlin.
Second half: Raison, Klukowski, Whittingham and trialists Jones, Roberts, Johnson, Taylor, Williams, Jenkins, Davies and Brown.