Hereford FC hit the road for Lancashire this Saturday, as they lock horns with Chorley in what promises to be a rip-roaring crackerjack of a National League North encounter between two in-form teams.
It’s that time of the season when everyone’s played everyone once, and now it’s time for the return fixtures, which means that Hereford travel north with the opportunity to do the double over the Magpies, having won 1-0 at Edgar Street in November courtesy of a tidy looping finish from Miles Storey, to start a run of five league wins in November, which propelled them into mid-table. It won’t be an easy double to achieve as the hosts have only lost one of 11 at home this season. They’re also unbeaten in nine league games going into this one.
The Magpies have had an eventful few years, getting promoted from National League North three seasons ago via the play-offs, only to then finish bottom of the National League in 2019/20. In 2020/21’s 18-game season they started sluggishly but finished like an express train, and have carried that form into this season. They sit fifth in the table courtesy of that long unbeaten run, and look like play-off certainties.
Harry Cardwell and Connor Hall have seven goals each for the club so far this season, although Cardwell has now left for Southend. Ex-Bull Harvey Smith should be in the Chorley squad, but he didn’t start last time against Fylde. A crowd of 1800 were at Victory Park for that Lancashire derby, in which a 95th minute equaliser rescued a point for the home side.
There’s no doubt that the Magpies are among the toughest opponents in the division, and recent defeats to high-flying Gateshead and Brackley suggested that the Bulls had some way to go before being able to be bracketed in that same category, but everything’s gone well since those defeats, and this match offers an opportunity for the squad to show just how good it has become.
Hereford bounce into this one on the back of three consecutive wins, although Tuesday’s victory over Gloucester showed similarities to the draw with Curzon Ashton earlier in the season, in that the opposition were allowed a way back into the game when it should have already been put to bed. It was therefore a little more nervy than it should have been. However, if I’m quibbling about the way in which Hereford win football matches rather than bemoaning defeats things can’t be too bad. And they’re not. Eighth place, now just two points behind Boston who sit in the final play-off place, and eight wins in the last 12 matches is none too shabby.
Maz Kouhyar is currently playing his best football in a Hereford shirt, and along with Ryan McLean should offer just the sort of threat to the Chorley back four that they won’t appreciate, being attacked at pace on the floor, rather than being able to mop up an aerial approach, which they’d be happy to do all afternoon. And if left-back Seb Revan continues his rate of progress, with his confidence levels almost visibly rising by the minute during matches, the Chorley defenders will have their hands full all afternoon from a variety of Hereford attacking options. Yes, I know, weird huh?
There were signs perhaps that Tom Owen-Evans was feeling the effects of the Saturday-midweek-Saturday-midweek fixture slog towards the end of the match on Tuesday, but if he makes the mistake of continuing to score a goal a game it’ll be difficult to rest him. Maybe lots of coffee at half-time is the answer?
Mo Touray could come in for Janaai Gordon here, with the latter limping off against Gloucester with a reported ‘thigh issue’. The new striker, shortly after coming on in that same match, slightly alarmingly ran at full pelt into a very offside position during a Hereford break, with the defensive line clearly visible right in front of him, meaning that he couldn’t be passed to. It’s difficult to figure out what happened there, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it before, but it was hopefully a blip brought on by youthful enthusiasm.
A slight concern is that increasingly influential James Vincent also picked up a thigh niggle on Tuesday, and supporters will be hoping it was nothing major and that he can start in this one to give a bit of a steadying presence in midfield.
Finally, hearty congratulations to veteran head coach Josh Gowling, reportedly (and quite ludicrously) now one of the longest serving managers in the NLN. Football eh? Bloody hell.
The Bulls must bring their ‘A’ game for the full 90+ minutes on Saturday, as to do otherwise would result in defeat. That ‘A’ game can be very easy on the eye, and is more than good enough to get another win here and issue a statement of intent to the clubs above them in the league.
COYW