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| Andy Williams Scored Hereford's First Goal |
Wellington 1 Hereford 3
Hereford fan Sam shares his thoughts:
Hereford won 3-1 at local side Wellington in the first friendly of the 2025/26 season.
A minute’s silence for the tragic passing of Diogo Jota and André Silva preceded the match. Hereford had all the chances in a windy first half. Andy Williams’ snap-shot struck the bar after nine minutes, though he was adjudged offside, and his back-post header was saved low eight minutes later. The veteran striker then opened the scoring with a header ten minutes before the break after Madou Cisse’s cross from the left.
Hereford changed most of their outfield players at half time. Theo Richardson stopped an edge-of-the-box effort early in the second half, and a 35-yard lob from Wellington’s number 9 went narrowly wide. Hereford’s second-half XI had corners and half-chances, though Wellington’s keeper produced great saves - some unorthodox - throughout the half.
The game’s final quarter was its liveliest. Wellington’s number 14 was forced out-wide on the right but found number 9 with a low cross, who tapped-in from close-range to equalise.
Hereford responded with a cross to Remaye Campbell, whose point-blank header was saved. Omari Sterling-James saw a shot saved by the keeper’s feet, before bending narrowly-wide from distance, and hitting the base of the left post from 25 yards.
After a short treatment break for Wellington’s keeper, a trialist winger pinched the ball from a Wellington centre-back and slotted home to restore Hereford’s lead.
With a minute to go, a Hereford trialist midfielder turned in the box on the left, and crossed to the back-post to Campbell, who headed in to make it 3-1.
Approximately 450-500 were in attendance, with a range of trialists and signed players on display. The Bulls will hope to have gained fitness, with the game having a very “first friendly” feel with the lead at 1-0, although they did play their most threatening football after being pegged back. Sterling-James was perhaps the pick of the players on show. Wellington deserve credit for putting on a good friendly both on and off the field.
Hereford Starting Line Up: Richardson; Skinner, Quansah, Trialist, Roberts; D’Ath, Trialist, Trialist; Trialist, Williams, Cisse.
Hereford Second Half Line Up: Richardson (Replaced by a Trialist 67 mins); Trialist, Howkins, Preston, Hudson; Trialist, Bitemo, Sterling-James; Trialist, Campbell, Trialist.
Hereford Goals: Williams 35, Trialist 88, Campbell 89.