2025/26 Preview - The Opposition: Part Three

Here’s the final part of our look at Hereford FC’s opponents for the forthcoming season, as the opening game at Spennymoor creeps ever closer.

Radcliffe

Although the Mancunians finished just one place above relegation last time, they were a comfortable 12 points clear of the drop. Something to build on then for experienced management duo Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley in the club’s second season at this level. Another of the smaller clubs to deny Hereford points at Edgar Street last season, with a 3-3 draw very much flattering the hosts.

35-year-old playmaker Dan Garner joins from Oldham, adding experience to a squad featuring others who know the division well, such as Jordan Hulme and Anthony Dudley. Talented winger Michael Afuye comes in from Curzon, and new left back Callum McFadzean has a wealth of Football League experience and looks like an excellent acquisition. Along with one or two other impressive signings, they look considerably stronger this time, and it would be a surprise if they’re anywhere near the bottom. Possible dark horses to crash the play-off party.

Scarborough Athletic

Like Buxton and Peterborough, this will be the Seadogs fourth season in the NLN, with all three now established at this level, although things are looking considerably sticky for Scarborough having had a sky-high quote for a plastic pitch replacement at the Flamingo Land Stadium.

Echoes here of Farsley’s implosion last season, so fingers crossed that they can get it sorted as quickly as possible, given that Celtic ended up getting dumped in step 5 as a result of their own plastic pitch issues.

Given the off-field, or rather very specifically ‘field’ distractions, this could be a season of prioritising survival for the Seadogs (who will be playing home games at Bridlington), which is a shame as they’re typically a good-to-watch passing team. Unfortunately, relegation with Bedford looks possible in the latest chapter of a chequered history.

Southport 

Yet another very quiet season in 2024/25 for Southport. Having narrowly avoided relegation in the two seasons prior, they were nowhere near the drop last time mathematically, but nevertheless still finished seventh-bottom. Fallow times indeed then at Haig Avenue recently.

They’re generally the sort of outfit who celebrate goals and good results in front of the Meadow End just to cause bother, and have forgotten more about the dark arts than even Leamington have ever known, but that deeply unpleasant side of their game seems to have gone missing in recent seasons.

Neil Danns takes over as manager from Jim Bentley, after spending two years as assistant manager at Tranmere Rovers and before that as player manager of Macclesfield, guiding them back up the leagues after they went pop.

New owners may spark a revival, but on face value the club’s summer signings aren’t a patch on Radcliffe’s, for example.

South Shields

Yet another new NLN manager as Ian Watson replaces Eliott Dickman. Good support, full-time, and on that basis Shields had a very disappointing season last time, which cost Dickman his job.

With the right set-up they could easily win the league. Whether they now have it time will tell. Hopefully they’ll just inexplicably be a bit rubbish again.

Striker Paul Blackett is ridiculously prolific at this level. He’s on a four-year contract, which contrasts quite starkly with Hereford seeming to have to push the boat out to offer four-month contracts. Previous question marks around the striker’s injury-proneness seem to have been put to bed over the last two seasons.

The club’s purchasing power has resulted over the last few seasons in them pinching the better players from neighbours Blyth, Darlo and Spennymoor.

It’s clubs like South Shields who illustrate what a good job is now being done at Hereford (after the years of people in charge but out of their depth wasting money post-Beadle). HFC is now run sustainably, which admittedly seems to result in having no purchasing power at all relative to the likes of South Shields and many others, but with those clubs run on ego, doomed ambition, hot air and the possibility of imminent bankruptcy if the ego element walks away, which side of the fence would you rather be on?

Spennymoor Town

Glen Taylor yet again finished as one of the top scorers in the NLN last season, and is contracted to Moors for one more season. At 35, he may be slowing down a bit, having ‘only’ scored 18 last time.

They’ve finished just a point short of the play-offs in the last two seasons, and on goal difference the season before that, which is all-in-all a bit unlucky. They tend to specialise in finishing the season very strongly, but apparently fractionally not strongly enough.

Having to compete with South Shields financially seems to be beyond them, which could prove troublesome in terms of being competitive at the top of the table, and is interesting given that Moors haven’t been short of a few bob themselves over the last decade.

 

Telford

Like Leamington, the Bucks have become yo-yoers, not quite making it stick in the NLN but being far too good for the divisions with very long names below.

They’re back after two seasons away having got through the Pitching In Southern League Central Division Premier play-offs, partly courtesy of a certain Orrin Pendley’s finishing prowess. Three seasons ago when the Bulls ‘strikers’ couldn’t buy a goal I did suggest big Orrin should play up front such was (and apparently is) his ability in the six-yard box. As ever, what I say inexplicably seems to fall on deaf ears in the Edgar Street corridors of power. I don’t know what it is – my utter ignorance of the game maybe.

Unlike Leamington, when Telford tried to ‘play nasty’ at Edgar Street last time in a misguided attempt to give themselves a chance of staying up it wasn’t very convincing, and that’s all to their credit. Good to have them back, and with Kevin Watkin in charge they’ll try to play the right way.

Along with big Orrin, both Brandon Hall and Jordan Cranston have agreed terms for the coming season, as has defender Jordan Piggott, their longest-serving player, with 150 appearances for the club under his belt.

 

Worksop Town

It’s been the best part of 20 years since the Tigers last graced this level of English football, and in the last ten years they’ve been working their way back up from self-enforced multi-relegation after the then-owner pulled the financial plug (take note Buxton and Kiddy and so many others). Happily they’re now back after finishing runners-up to Macclesfield in the Northern League last season. They look like the sort of banana skin that Hereford slipped on at home last season, and one that Paul Caddis will hope to do a professional job on this time around. Could well keep Merthyr, Scarborough, Leamington and Bedford company down in the drop zone.

 

And that’s it for a preview of the clubs we’ll be going toe-to-toe with over the coming nine months. Paul Caddis - we're all behind you 😊

 

COYW