Continuing BN's look back at the events of December 2014 and an article featuring the views of former player Gareth Davies.
"I Told Them This Club Was Going Under Within Weeks"
Gareth Davies spoke to BBC Hereford and Worcester on Friday afternoon in the wake of Hereford United's winding up.
"Absolutely devastated.
As a young footballer I was lucky eought to wear that shirt as a
professional footballer and it just breaks my heart to be sat here
thinking where has it all gone wrong.
"The only answer I can come up with is that Governance has got a lot to answer for in their process."
Asked by Andrew Easton as to who exactly he blamed for the demise of Hereford United, Davies responded: "It's the FA. They've got processes in place. David Keyte went out there and found new owners of that club.
"I'm not a
businessman - I'm a football man - I went to see Mr Lonsdale three weeks
ago. I made him think I could help him. That was the only way I could
get a meeting. I never told many people, two people, and I came back and
told them this club is going under within weeks.
"The problem,
right from the start, was that David Keyte was allowed to still be
chairman on the paperwork and, for that reason, the FA had to go with
it.
"By the time
Tommy then Lonsdale had to go through the Fit & Proper test it was
too late. It was never going to work. The FA couldn't do anything about
it."
Further asked, Davies added: "The
biggest mistake David Keyte made is that he didn't use good people that
support this club - and there is a number of people I could name that
could help keep that club running without getting - so called - football
businessmen.
"They're not "football businessmen". All they wanted to do was make money- and ruin the club."
"The saddest thing for me is that my two boys are part of the youth programme with UITC."
"I wanted them to
play with that Hereford United badge on their chest. Today is a sad
day, but they might have an opportunity to still to do that because -
while they were in charge - the new regime - I would never - ever - have
let my children play for them.
"That club gave
me my career and I wouldn't be doing the job today if it wasn't for
Hereford United and the supporters that have backed me 100%.
So, hopefully,
as the one supporter has said, it's a ten year plan now but it's got to
be the right people in charge. It's got to be good business people that
love Hereford United just as much."