Golden opportunity

Hereford FC travel across to Oxford on Tuesday night for a game against one of the National League North’s strugglers, a game that really should deliver three points given that the hosts aren’t very good and the visitors seem to play with more freedom on the road than they do at home.

The Hoops took a while to adapt to the rigours of the National League North last season as newly relegated arrivals, both on the pitch and off it given the travel involved as a southern club in a northern league. However, they rallied, adapted and ultimately comfortably avoided back-to-back relegations. Nevertheless they finished a distant 23 points behind tenth-placed Hereford. 

They haven’t kicked on from there though, and are currently joint bottom of the table with Southport. The fact that they’re only seven points behind Hereford now rather than 23 may be a bit of a naughty observation in suggesting that the gap between the sides has closed given that the season is still relatively young, but it would be fair to say that Hereford haven’t kicked on from that tenth-placed finish either.

Anything less than a win here for Hereford will offer more evidence to suggest that this is going to be a season of consolidation to put it politely, survival to put it realistically, and possible relegation to put it starkly. Telford and then Curzon Ashton have both ripped through the Hereford midfield and defence in consecutive home games, more or less at will, and that’s not been a good look. To have drawn both of those games was utterly remarkable, and if Southport do something similar on Saturday it really will be a concern.

However, such is the nature of football that a win here will spark renewed thoughts of a resurgence. Indeed, in fairly typical NLN fashion the middle of the table is getting quite tight because, again in typical NLN fashion, there’s a fag paper’s width in quality between at least the middle ten teams in the division. With bottom club Southport coming to Edgar Street following this game a solid mid-table platform could be achieved by 5pm on Saturday following back-to-back wins, something that looked like a distant prospect at half-time last Saturday.

The weekend’s hat-trick hero Omari Sterling-James didn’t get his last two goals early enough on Saturday to pick up the MoM award, which went to Sam Osborne. He’ll have to score at least four here, all overhead kicks, and simultaneously maybe do a few star jumps or something to get the vote.

Osborne continues to show himself to be a keeper, as in one to keep rather than an understudy to Theo Richardson. If a deal could be done to make him a Hereford player, and assuming he’s enjoying his football at Edgar Street and would welcome the idea, there wouldn’t be too many dissenting voices among supporters.

Hopes are high among those supporters that young Harley Hamilton can make a difference following his arrival at the club last week. He’ll make his league debut for the club here, and could be the key to making the lone striker option finally work, ensuring that there’s a link between the midfield and the centre forward, rather than a huge expanse of empty space.

The aforementioned Theo Richardson, along with Kyle Howkins, was crucial on Saturday in keeping the score down to three to give the comeback any chance of happening. Hopefully Kyle can manage another 90 minutes in quick succession here following his recent injury absence.

Another 90 minutes so soon after Saturday might not be top of Gus Mafuta’s wish list as he creeps back to full fitness, but this is just the sort of game he and Charlie Cooper can stamp their authority on in breaking things up and releasing Harley Hamilton.

Hamilton’s availability is timely given that I-Lani Edwards could be missing here following a knock against Curzon.

For Oxford, ex-Bull DJ Sturridge is having an OK season in a struggling side, with a couple of goals and three assists. However, he’s missed the last three games and is a doubtful presence.

The hosts have lost five of their eight home games so far, and have only won two of 15 games in total. That said, they’ve scored as many goals at home as three of the division’s top four sides. It’s just that they’re also very leaky – they’ve conceded more at home than anyone. It’s been two months since they last won.

Can Saturday’s comeback be used as a confidence boost to go on, win this, and start climbing the table? A couple of early goals for the Bulls rather than the opposition for a change, followed by a nice, relaxed controlling of the rest of the game, would be ideal.

Can the season finally get going here?

COYW