A point isn’t what The Bulls would ideally want to come home with this weekend, and the now near-traditional draw away this season won’t do anything much to improve the club’s lowly early-season league position. Luckily it’s not going to be an easy match to win, which seems to be how Saturday’s visitors like it if this season’s solitary win to date, at York, is anything to go by.
The Pilgrims are probably a division lower than where they naturally should be in the pyramid, and are running into the sort of form that could rectify that situation at the end of the season, and justify their pre-season status, along with Fylde and York, as one of the favourites to go up. They’ve won their last six home games, but they don’t score too many and are quite leaky. They don’t draw, so with that option removed from the equation for Hereford the Bulls might as well just go over there and win instead.
Danny Elliot has six goals to his name so far this season and will, along with fellow striker Jordan Burrow, formerly of Stevenage and Morecambe, and ex-captain of York, gleefully take advantage of any charity dished out by the Bulls defence.
Last time out, two penalties were enough for Boston to beat York 2-1 at home.
The Bulls’ season continues to be something of a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, to borrow from that cigar geezer off of World War II, when he was describing somewhere that was even further east than Ledbury, and indeed Boston. Lots and lots of good things seem to be in place, which is of course a plus, but the opposition never seem to have to work at all hard for their goals, and often get one or two virtually chucked in for them, which is of course a minus. Krystian Pearce may well be the answer defensively, but until he’s fit enough to actually play his presence is an expensive luxury.
Of course the last ditch equaliser against Alfreton was thrilling, and having suggested Luke Haines as a future club captain here a few weeks ago, I’d now quite happily upgrade that to giving him the freedom of the city of Hereford, but the fact remains that salvaging draws against Leamington and Alfreton, once the immediate jubilation has died down, isn't a good look in league table terms.
A back four of Hodgkiss, Andoh, Pearce/Haines/McNally and Fini looks perfectly OK to me, on paper at least, and the usual numerous viable options exist in midfield, with the holding role presumably to be filled by either James Vincent or Ben Pollock following George Forsyth’s injury at Alfreton. Admittedly up front things still look a little sparse, but Miles Storey and Dan Smith are starting to look more likely to put the finishing touches to some of the squad’s technically-accomplished-if-at-times-toothless build-up play, with Victor Sodeinde a potentially valuable option as he returns to fitness.
It wouldn’t take too much of a turnaround and run of success for this squad to find themselves playing in front of 2,500+ home crowds generating that goosebumpy atmosphere that can make the matchday experience at Edgar Street such a buzz. It’s something I think they deserve as they’re clearly desperate to succeed for each other, for the coaching staff and for the club generally. Nicking this one having defended solidly would be a start, and could put a few hundred on the gate for the Chorley game next weekend.
They’re undoubtedly two tough games coming up, but if it’s true that this Hereford side just needs its fuse lit by a lucky strike of the match somehow to shoot up the table, the target from those games should be six points. There’s then what amounts to a load of fish in a barrel waiting to be shot in the run-up to Christmas: hello Guiseley, Blyth and Southport. Maybe that should be turkeys in a barrel but that’s not really a saying.
Regardless of whether those three are metaphorical fish or turkeys, what’s beyond question is that they’re rubbish, so the points haul from those games will truly define how good this squad is, whether Christmas against Kiddy will be fun or foul (fowl?), and whether the rest of the season will be upwardly mobile or down and out.
This might be something of a trek for Herefordshire-based Bulls fans, but it’s a nice easy one for Josh Gowling to get to at least – just needs to make sure he can see the North Sea out of his passenger window at all times. Not on the way back though, obviously. That would mean something has gone very wrong with his satnav, although if it comes after a clean sheet and another three Hereford goals away from home he probably wouldn’t mind, even if his shoes are wet when he gets home to Grimsby.
COYW