90% Mental

Hereford FC travel up to Darlington on Saturday in a match that’s all about slow starts, both seasonal and more specifically relating to the first ten minutes of matches.

Darlington are, traditionally, seasonal slow starters, so while Saturday may be a bit of a slog in terms of the travel, Hereford FC lock horns with the Quakers at a time when the latter are, true to their reputation, starting slowly, or at least they were up until Tuesday, when they totally and selfishly ruined the slow start theory by going and winning 4-1 at Marine. Alarmingly Darlo were 3-0 up inside 33 minutes in that game, and given that Hereford haven’t been too clever in the first 33 minutes of games this season that’s a bit concerning.

However, despite that win and because of their characteristically slow start prior to that, they’re still only a point ahead of Hereford, with the Bulls seemingly being a side this season hellbent on giving teams not so much slow starts as two-goal starts, an approach that always makes things a lot more difficult than they need to be.

It’s at vast expense that Bulls News employs people like me to offer the sort of dazzling insight that suggested that those other northeasterners Spennymoor may have been beatable as opening-day opposition, given that they’re also notoriously slow starters. That particular insight didn’t go too well so I hesitate to repeat it here, but let’s hope that 4-1 was a blip and Saturday’s hosts don’t properly get started until March, as is traditional.

Given what’s happened too often in Bulls games so far, it might be an idea for the visitors to start here with a 10-0-0 formation for ten minutes, or maybe even 33 minutes. If it’s still 0-0 at that point, they can then revert to a 4-4-2 that builds for the rest of the game into a crescendo of irresistible attacking football. That’s what I’d do if I was Paul Caddis, although that’s probably why I’m not Paul Caddis.

However, a solution to that early leakiness does need to be found, pronto. Caddis has said that succeeding as a footballer is 90% in the mind. Would it pay to add a hypnotist to the backroom staff alongside the person who carefully analyses crucial things like how often the ball is headed in the 38^th minute of matches?

“Look into my eyes – thou shalt not meekly surrender poor goals early doors such that thou art chasing games unnecessarily.” Do hypnotists talk like that? Probably not these days.

Last season Darlington did the double over the Bulls, with Matty Cornish and Jack Maskell being notable thorns in the side of the Hereford defence. Maskell has three goals already this season, and is one of several players, including Tom Allan, Cedric Main and Will Hatfield, who together comprise quite a potent attacking threat. Cornish is however recovering from injury and should miss out here.

As for the Bulls, or more specifically a Bull, two points on Michael Parker. Firstly, he must by now have realised that he has tier 6 opposition players on toast when he brings the ball forward. He seems to be able to mesmerise them into becoming rabbits trapped in headlights as they struggle to comprehend the notion of facing a central defender who can dribble without falling over. The more he can do that here before releasing Eno Eto into the space created by the opposition being paralysed by confusion, the better.

Secondly, and relatedly, when he returns to West Brom in a month’s time he will leave a scarily big hole in the team’s ability to attack at pace on the floor. Hopefully negotiations are already underway to extend the terms of the loan deal.

As things stand, it’s difficult to envisage supporters being able to go into any game this season against any other club in the division with a feeling of confidence, such is the propensity to give goals away. Until and unless that’s addressed, play-off participation won’t be a consideration. However, if it is addressed, the Gibson/Campbell/Willo attacking threat at the other end of the pitch looks real, with I-Lani Edwards in a supporting role, a role that will become more significant as the season progresses and he grows into men’s football. Also, given the quality of OSJ’s dead-ball delivery, the central defenders WILL score goals this season, it’s inevitable. I predict at least one in this game, and as already established my predictions tend to be infallible.

There’s also Gus Mafuta and Madou Cisse to come back from injury. Admittedly neither is a defender, but they would have been considered starters prior to the start of the season, so if they can regain fitness soon they may offer the additional quality needed to win games 3-2, which seems to be the bare minimum necessary at the moment.

COYW