It’s back at Edgar Street on Saturday for Hereford FC, as the Bulls host Leamington in the National League North.
Home league matches have been somewhat underwhelming so far this season (not that away matches have been anything to write home about), with no points gained in the three games to date, seven goals conceded and only one consolation goal scored, courtesy of Miles Storey, one of only a few good news stories (no pun intended) so far in 2021/22.
This has left the Bulls sitting at the very bottom of the table, with a lot of work to do. However, Krystian Pearce, Levi Andoh and Ollie Hulbert have been brought in since the Spennymoor defeat to bolster what, in theory, looks to be a squad that should be competing at the other end of the table. One player who has left the club since then is Zeli Ismail, who was seemingly after more money than the club could afford.
The much-anticipated debut of Pearce last Saturday in the Cup at Lymington lasted a full 18 minutes. His presence in defence looks like it’ll be a vital cog in the wheel of what will hopefully turn into a promotion push rather than a relegation battle, if the vital cogs in his body prove to be a bit more resilient. As things stand, the whole saga of his arrival and debut has been one of mystery and misfortune. Hopefully that is all now in the past and he can get on with being a defensive lynchpin. Andoh, from Ipswich, offers another much-needed option at the back.
The Brakes are seemingly one of the few clubs in the NLN who are of both modest size and modest means, rather than having the financial resources to build strong squads on sub-1000 attendances.
So far this season they’ve won three and lost three. Encouragingly they’ve lost both of their away matches to date, including a midweek defeat to Alfreton, reportedly a scrappy and niggly affair (no surprises there really as Leamington always seem to be a bit busy on the blindside of the referee).
Last weekend they progressed to the next round of the Cup by beating Stone Old Alleynians, which sounds more like a command to exact biblical punishment on ex-public schoolboys than the name of a football club.
Ex-Bulls Simeon Maye and Kelsey Mooney should start for the visitors, with the latter having scored twice this season.
The Bulls have lost only one of the six meetings between these clubs over the last three seasons, a loss that hastened the departure of Russell Slade and the appointment of Josh Gowling as (then) interim head coach.
The Tuesday game was so much like a training exercise as to be barely worth commenting on, but for those who weren’t there, which is virtually everyone, I would suggest that Ryan Lloyd and Tom Owen Evans are looking very good, both individually and as a mini-unit, the boy from Ipswich is a significant-looking maxi-unit all on his own and could be an asset, but his booking was unforgivable really in the context of the game, Ben Pollock was trying very hard to prove that he’s a midfielder not a defender, which he’s right about, and Harry Pinchard does a very unusual thing, where he pirouettes rapidly with the ball in an unthreatening position (the bit of the pitch where Ray Wilkins used to pass sideways for no apparent reason) and then sprints really quickly into a dangerous position before anyone realises. Very good. The lad Fini is, like his name, halfway to ‘finished’ as in ‘finished article’ rather than past it, but there are still a few rough edges. Luke Haines is, for me, a captain of the club in waiting, a player with passion and ability and composure, and I’m still not quite sure how Miles Storey does that funny thing with his legs. There we are, a snapshot, here to help as always. You can form your own opinion by turning up on Saturday.
Goals for both of the club's strikers on Tuesday night augers well for their confidence levels going into this one, and Bristol Rovers loanee Hulbert, on debut, seemed to be in the sort of area for his goal to suggest that he might be the sort of player that has been missing since Lenell John Lewis's departure. Gowling will have to decide whether to reward him with a start or stick with Dan Smith. I'm sure it'll feel luxurious just to have a choice!
With attendances tumbling, It’s time to arrest the slump in league form, score a few goals, start to build another long unbeaten run, move up the table, and give people a reason to come back to Edgar Street on a Saturday. It WILL happen, and it WILL start here, although it won't be as easy as Tuesday. I just hope that there’ll be a few people present to witness it.
COYW