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It’s the second of a pair of tough back-to-back home matches for Hereford FC this Tuesday as Chester make the trip down to the nice bit of the Welsh borderlands.
The winning goal when these two met in September remains Aurio Teixeira’s only one of the season to date, but it was some strike. If he can repeat that here fantastic, but equally if he can go on one of his occasional burrowing missions through the Seals defence and bobble one in from close range no-one will mind too much.
Chester were one of only three NLN teams last season to show any sort of consistency and quality, along with Kings Lynn and Fylde, but ultimately that counted for nothing as they were dumped out of the play-offs by Brackley. Top scorer Kurt Willoughby moved up a division to Oldham having scored 27 goals, and they haven’t fully replaced those goals, with skipper George Glendon their top scorer on ten. Glendon has averaged a goal every five games for the club since 2019, so it’s unlikely that he’ll suddenly start banging hat-tricks in (yes OK, now he will bang a hat-trick in).
Playmaker Declan Weeks usually makes things happen for them, with his assuredness possibly partly due to the security of having a contract until 2026 – such luxury!
Winger Ben Tollitt was recently brought in on loan for the rest of the season from Oldham, presumably to add a bit of attacking zeal to the side’s defensive miserliness. He has some solid Football League experience under his belt.
I suggested pre-season that as a similar club to Hereford in many ways, the giant strides Chester have made recently having finally found the right manager in club stalwart Calum McIntyre could be replicated at Edgar Street when a similarly good fit as manager is found. Few supporters would disagree that Paul Caddis has become that very good fit since that was written, and the man to drive the club on in taking those giant strides.
Chester’s own recent progress resulted over the summer in season ticket sales of over 1500 and a boost the budget target of £100k met. All very impressive, and symptomatic of a sense of momentum and optimism at the Deva. Something similar has been growing at Edgar Street, admittedly with some bumps in the road along the way, most of which have been largely impossible to legislate for, like losing both wingers simultaneously.
Chester looked solid and organised rather than spectacularly good in this fixture last season, and it’s the same story this time. Defensively they’re bang on it, having conceded just 24 goals in 34 games, a record bettered only by Tamworth, who seem to be going for the double whammy of best defence and most unpleasant bunch. Alfreton must be wondering what more they have to do this season to retain that crown, and presumably find themselves falling to the ground holding their heads for no reason when out shopping in the realisation that they’re getting out-nastied. You have to wonder whether some of these morally bankrupt merchants feign heart attacks at home when their partners ask them to put the wheelie bin out. Is the securing of a 0-0 draw really worth giving away every shred of dignity and self-respect that you possess? Apparently so.
Chester will presumably offer a good deal more class, but although the side’s penalty area tends to be walled just like the city, Aurio Teixeira demonstrated that the wall can be bypassed if you let fly from another postcode.
On Saturday, they came from behind to battle to a 2-1 win at Bobblyland (or The Citadel, Farsley, as it’s otherwise known) in a characterful performance. Loanee Tollitt belted in the equaliser from a long-range free kick as the jewel in the crown of a lively full debut, and he'll enjoy the better playing surface at Edgar Street. He looks a big danger.
For Hereford, Lassana Mendes may be suspended here after getting a post-match red card having got sucked into Tamworth’s cynical and squalid little world.
It doesn’t look too likely that either winger will be back for this one, and it remains to be seen whether Jordan Lyden and Andy Williams have the fitness to manage the bulk of two matches in a Saturday-Tuesday slogathon.
However, to come out of a 0-0 draw with the runaway league leaders feeling hard done by, and for them to celebrate like they’d won, speaks volumes, actually for both clubs in starkly differing ways.
With the wingers still missing, it looks like another 5-3-2 formation here, and if Willo’s fit surely his partnership with Jason Cowley can’t draw another blank. In the face of the adversity of losing key players, the togetherness of the squad seems if anything to be growing, as evidenced in the battle with Tamworth. That will be vital in trying to pick up four points from these two tricky games, a tally that most supporters would have taken before a ball was kicked on Saturday.
Hereford have won five of the eight games between these sides, and this won’t be 0-0 - these two don’t draw with one another.
The visitors will come into this one confident thanks to a seven-game unbeaten run, unintimidated and expecting something from the game. They won’t need a second invitation to demonstrate that confidence by starting to dictate play and dominate possession. Best then not to give them a first invitation, and get right at them from the off, with a repeat of the spirit shown on Saturday.
COYW