Skipper pleased with five-star United

After tonight's 5-1 win over Forest Green Rovers, Hereford United captain Tony James was naturally delighted with the outcome.

"It was a very good win for us," he told Trevor Owens of BBC Hereford & Worcester. "We played some really good football on a nice pitch and got the right result.

"We've been good at finishing all through pre-season and the build-up play in the last third has been exceptional. It's making it easy for us at the back."

The winning run could continue on Saturday at Edgar Street, when the Bulls face Morecambe. However, James reckons that the opening sequence was a tricky one.

"When you look at the fixtures, I thought it was quite a difficult start," said the twenty-four year-old defender. "We've got Morecambe next, but we can't do any better than six points from two games."

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Overwhelming

Hereford United capitulated Forest Green Rovers 5-1 tonight, in front of over 3,100 spectators at Edgar Street.

Five star United brush aside Rovers

Hereford United 5 - 1 Forest Green Rovers

It was a matter of goals galore at Edgar Street tonight, as Hereford United beat Forest Green Rovers 5-1.

There were just sixteen minutes on the clock when Paul Parry fired a low shot at Rovers' stopper Steve Perrin. He pushed away the ball, but it ran only to Steve Guinan, who tapped it home from close range.

This came just minutes after Guinan had nodded over a Michael Rose cross from eight yards as United stamped their authority on the match early on.

As the minutes ticked away, Hereford looked more and more likely to extend the advantage. Six minutes before the break, Ben Smith's shot was again parried by the goalkeeper, but Danny Williams smashed the follow-up goalwards. This, though, struck the crossbar and bounced down over the line, although a player was judged to be offside and the effort was ruled out.

It was somewhat surprising, then, that Rovers levelled two minutes later. A deep free-kick from Steve Jones was punched away by Hereford 'keeper Matt Baker. However, the ball was hooked back in and veteran attacker Neil Grayson, once of Hereford, fired home on the turn and the ball trickled through the United defence and into the net.

The scoreline was not to last, however, as Jamie Pitman knocked a ball over the top for Rob Purdie to beat the offside trap. From twelve yards, the ex-Leicester City youngster smashed the ball into the roof of the net to put the home side back into the lead.

After the restart, Paul Parry had a shot deflected into the side netting before Tony James, the United skipper, tried his luck from all of forty yards. His dipping shot hit the upright, and gave the Rovers defence quite a scare.

On fifty four minutes, though, Ben Smith set up Hereford's third as he threaded the ball through to Purdie. He went on a cracking run before firing the ball home from fifteen yards. The crowd of 3,195 went wild, with the exception of the 100 from Gloucestershire, who remained upbeat throughout as they continued to support Colin Addison's men.

Hereford's fourth came on sixty eight, when Steve Guinan volleyed home a Rob Purdie cross from the right, and he was removed with fifteen minutes to go. His replacement, Daniel Carey-Bertram, scored the fifth with his first touch as he converted a ball from Smith. The former West Bromwich Albion youngster's strike was his first league goal for Hereford.

Carey-Bertram found the net again later on, but the effort was ruled out for offside, while at the other end, a late Forest Green flurry saw a cross headed over his own crossbar by Andy Tretton.

Written by Terry Goodwin - 12th August 2003.

Hereford United	Forest Green Rovers
Matt Baker	Steve Perrin
Ryan Green	Steve Jenkins
Michael Rose	Jon Richardson (captain)
Jamie Pitman	Denny Ingram
Andy Tretton	Matt Russell
Tony James (captain)	Martin Foster
Danny Williams	Neil Grayson
Ben Smith	Gary Owers (on, 72 minutes)
Steve Guinan (off, 75 minutes)	Alex Sykes (off, half time)
Rob Purdie	Steve Jones
Paul Parry	Dave Gilroy (off, 72 minutes)
Subs	Subs
Dean Craven	Steve Cowe (on, half time)
Daniel Carey-Bertram (on, 75 minutes)	Scott Rogers (on, 72 minutes)
Rob Sawyers	Chris Giannangelo
Ben Scott	John Cant (on, 72 minutes)
Richard Teesdale	Rob Cook
Yellow cards	Yellow cards
Danny Williams (dissent, 43 minutes)	Gary Owers (foul, 47 minutes)
Andy Tretton (foul, 52 minutes)
Red cards	Red cards
-	-
Scorers	Scorers
Steve Guinan (16, 68 minutes)	Neil Grayson (41 minutes)
Rob Purdie (45, 54 minutes)
Daniel Carey-Bertram (77 minutes)
Man of the Match	Rob Purdie
Attendance	3195
Referee	Mr. P. Gibbs (West Midlands)

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United aim to hold onto top spot

Graham Turner reckons that his Hereford side can stay top of the Nationwide Conference tonight and can build upon Saturday's win at Tamworth.

Another three points will be required though, as the Bulls play at Edgar Street tonight against Forest Green Rovers, kick off 7.45pm.

United won 3-1 at Tamworth and Turner told the Evening News: "I expect another tough battle against Forest Green with all the added spice of them being local rivals. However, we showed we've got the nerve to handle whatever is thrown at us.

"I saw Rovers last week and they remain a decent side, strong with the likes of Neil Grayson still in there causing problems."

Potentially missing for Hereford is midfielder Rob Sawyers, who picked up a knock in training yesterday, but the Bulls should do well against a Forest Green side lacking firepower. Colin Addison lost top scorer Kayode Odejayi and imposing attacker Alex Meechan in the summer as they joined Cheltenham Town and Dagenham & Redbridge respectively, and as a result on-loan youngster Dave Gilroy from Bristol Rovers and veteran attacker Neil Grayson, once of Hereford, are expected to be named in attack. They started in the 0-0 draw with Northwich Victoria on Saturday, with teenager Scott Rogers and former on-loan Bull Steve Cowe named on the bench.

Also missing for Rovers will be Kevin Langan, who is part of the Great Britain football squad playing in the World University Games in South Korea this month,

Rovers boss Addison said: "It will be a hard game as they had a good victory at Tamworth (on Saturday) and I fully expect them to be in at least the play-offs at the end of the season or possibly gaining automatic promotion."

"I may change a few things tactically but we will have to wait and see," he told the Western Daily Press.

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Brown in contention for derby match

Hereford United play their first home match of the new Conference season when they host Forest Green Rovers tomorrow night, kick off 7.45pm.

The Bulls hope that striker David Brown will feature after recovering sufficiently from a broken collarbone to be in contention, while Jordan King has also got over his bout on tonsilitis. Defender Andy Tretton is set to continue at centre-back after suffering no reaction to his back injury in Saturday's 3-1 win at Tamworth.

Forest Green, who finished in the top half of the table last term, will be eager to build upon last season's success with a strong start this time.

The Gloucestershire side, managed by Colin Addison, twice boss of Hereford, drew 0-0 with Northwich Victoria on Saturday and are likely to field ex-Bull Neil Grayson in attack.

However, Gareth Stoker, another former Hereford midfielder, will not feature as he is suffering from shoulder cartilage injury.

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United to feature on Sky again

Hereford United's match against Dagenham & Redbridge has been switched for live television coverage.

The game, originally scheduled for Saturday, 11th October, will now be played on Monday 13th October and will be shown live by Sky Sports.

Meanwhile, Hereford United will issue concessions vouchers for the Barnet away match a week on Saturday. Anyone wishing to travel to the ground and eligible for reduced rates (ie. those under sixteen or over sixty) must collect a voucher from Edgar Street before the match, or the full price (£10 instead of £4) will be charged.

When Hereford United announce that the vouchers are available, it will be posted on HU-FC.co.uk.

The forum is back, but could be up and down today because of server upgrades.

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Odds cut for Bulls

The odds on Hereford United winning the Conference are dropping. Only Stanleybet and Sportingbet now have the Bulls at 16/1.

14/1 is quoted by several bookies including Ladbrooks whilst 12/1 is available at Bet Direct, Paddy Power, Skybet, Bet365, and Victor Chandler.

The average price is down by about two points.

Chester remain favourites at either 9/2 or 4/1. Then, in order, come Dagenham, Stevenage, Shrewsbury, Morecambe and Exeter. If the bookies are correct this would mean that the Bulls are predicted to finish seventh this season.

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Inaccessible fans forum information

We are aware of the problems regarding access to the fans forum and have notified confguide.com of this.

They have replied to us, saying that the server is down and will probably re-appear some time on Monday, as nobody at Positive Internet is available on Sunday.

Apologies for this delay but it is beyond the control of us or confguide.com. The Conference Guide and other forums are also unavailable currently, as they are run from the same server.

In today's Conference match, Aldershot beat Accrington Stanley 2-1, meaning Hereford stay top.

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Tamworth boss slams defensive performance

It wasn't a pretty sight in the Tamworth dressing room after yesterday's 3-1 defeat against Hereford.

Manager Darron Gee told the Non-League Paper: "I don't want to make excuses. We defended very poorly for the second and third goals. It was the sort of defending that we might have got away with nin the Dr. Martens, but at this level you get punished.

"What disappointed me most was that we switched off after the first goal and then gave away another couple after the break with poor marking. We have learned fast, because these are painful lessons. The second and third goals killed us off."

Despite the defeat, Gee was upbeat about Tamworth's chances this season. "I thought our football was good for the first twenty minutes and that has given me some encouragement," he added.

Hereford manager Graham Turner, though, was much happier with the outcome which sees the Bulls hold the Conference top-spot after the opening round of matches.

"We lived dangerously early on, but I never felt uncomfortable," he said. "The goal from Guinan was terrific; he scored fifteen for us last season and I think he could get more this term.

"It was always going to be difficult against Tamworth on their first day in the Conference, but I thought we coped very well."

In the HU-FC.co.uk Predictions League, twelve players are tied in top spot. The full table is in the 'Interactive!' section.

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Delight for Smith after brace

Ben Smith, who netted two goals in Hereford United's 3-1 victory at Tamworth today, was delighted with the outcome.

"It was a excellent start," he told BBC Hereford & Worcester. "We always knew it was going to be a tough game, and they came at us in the first twenty minutes but Steve Guinan scored an excellent goal."

The conditions obviously had an impact on proceedings, particularly with the sun beaming down on the pitch. "It was so hot, and it was really hard to get going, but once Steve scored we had them on the back foot and deserved the win.

"It helped that we played a part-time team because no matter now much they train, they're not training as much as us and in the second half, I think that showed."

Smith was confident that today's victory can be built upon. "Once you start well, then anything can happen but if we have a poor start, then we're always playing catch-up. We've started well and if we get to the top, hopefully we can stay there all season."

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Bulls hit top spot after opening day victory

Hereford United lie top of the Nationwide Conference this evening after beating Tamworth 3-1 at the Lamb today.

The scoreline, secured thanks to goals from Ben Smith (two) and Steve Guinan, was only marred by Mark Cooper's late reply.
 

In today's other Conference matches, the only team to win by more than a single goal margin was Barnet, 2-0 victors over Telford United, while Stevenage Borough and Chester City drew 0-0 and Margate held Shrewsbury Town 1-1. Forest Green Rovers and Northwich Victoria shared the points, as did Exeter City and Halifax Town, and there were also wins for Burton Albion, Leigh RMI, Morecambe and Scarborough.

Meanwhile, in the FA Youth Cup 1st qualifying round, Hereford United have been drawn to play Cinderford Town. If they win that match, they will play the winners of the Yate Town vs Worcester City match in the second round, and the team that progresses to the third qualifying round will be away to Bournemouth.

Bulls slaughter Lambs in season opener

Tamworth 1 - 3 Hereford United

Hereford United got their 2003/04 Nationwide Conference campaign off to a good start with a solid 3-1 victory at newly promoted Tamworth.

A first half goal from Steve Guinan and two second half strikes from Ben Smith sealed the points, before Tamworth skipper Mark Cooper fired home a consolation free-kick fourteen minutes from time.

However, it could have gone very differently had Tamworth capitalised on their early pressure. Marc McGregor, a summer signing from relegated Nuneaton Borough, turned two headers narrowly wide while his shot on eighteen minutes also went off-target. Hereford, though, weathered the storm and should have gone ahead on twenty three minutes when a long-range Danny Williams shot bounced off the crossbar, and Rob Purdie's header on the loose ball bobbled off the post and away to relative safety.

Then the players stopped play and headed for the water bottles, such was the heat at the Lamb. When United came back on, they took control. On twenty eight minutes, Purdie cut in from the left, brought the ball back to Steve Guinan, and the striker fired home from twelve yards which crept inside the near post.

Hereford could have doubled their advantage a minute later, when Ryan Green sailed a ball in from the right channel from all of forty yards out. However, it dropped over the goalkeeper Phil Whitehead and onto the crossbar, missing the target by a whisper.

In the second period, Mark Cooper's free-kick hit Matt Baker's crossbar before a Ben Smith volley sailed wide just prior to the hour mark. Smith, though, made amends on sixty five minutes when a he nodded home a Danny Williams flick-on. Four minutes later, Steve Guinan's shot was saved by the feet of Whitehead, but the goalkeeper was stranded on the floor. Smith picked up the loose ball, and hit it home ro make it 3-0.

With fourteen minutes left, Mark Cooper gave Tamworth hope when his free-kick curled past Matt Baker, but it turned out to be a consolation goal. Despite Scott Rickards striking the post and Danny Williams clearing another effort off the Hereford line, Tamworth failed to find another two goals late in the match and United earned the three points.

A following of around a thousand spurred the Bulls onto the victory, and it is Hereford who head the table after the first day's results.

Written by Terry Goodwin - 9th August 2003.

Tamworth	Hereford United
Phil Whitehead	Matt Baker
Richard Follett	Ryan Green
Gary Setchell	Michael Rose
Dave Robinson (off, half time)	Jamie Pitman
Joe Taylor	Andy Tretton
Mark Cooper (captain)	Tony James (captain)
Rob Warner	Danny Williams
Matt Fisher	Ben Smith
Darren Collins	Rob Purdie (off, 87 minutes)
Marc McGregor (off, 80 minutes)	Steve Guinan (off, 73 minutes)
Phil Trainer (off, 65 minutes)	Paul Parry
Subs	Subs
Scott Rickards (on, 65 minutes)	Ben Scott
Brett Darby (on, 80 minutes)	Richard Teesdale
Mark Barnard (on, half time)	Danny Carey-Bertram (on, 73 minutes)
Joe Hanney	Dean Craven
James Lindley	Rob Sawyers (on, 87 minutes)
Yellow cards	Yellow cards
Phil Whitehead (unsporting behaviour, 50 minutes)	Michael Rose (dissent, 83 minutes)
Scott Rickards (unsporting behaviour, 72 minutes)
Gary Setchell (unsporting behaviour, 85 minutes)
Red cards	Red cards
-	-
Scorers	Scorers
Mark Cooper (76 minutes)	Steve Guinan (28 minutes)
	Ben Smith (65, 69 minutes)
Man of the Match	Steve Guinan
Attendance	2,250
Referee	Mr. D. Birkett (Lincolnshire)

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Coach aims for the top!

In his first year with Hereford United, coach Richard O'Kelly played an important role in one of the Bulls' most successful seasons in recent years.

So how high is HU-FC.co.uk sponsored O'Kelly aiming this season?

"As high as we possibly can! Pre-season training has gone well, we have an enthusiastic squad and we can't praise them highly enough. The work they've done in training, their attitude and everything they do is first class."

"The group of players left from last year had a great team spirit and the new players are of the same ilk; they're young, enthusiastic and want to improve themselves. If you have fifteen or sixteen players with that frame of mind then they'll get better."

One of the pre-season signings, David Brown, is expected to score plenty of goals this season.

"David Brown started off the pre-season training very well, and he's obviously worked at his fitness over the summer because his fitness levels were very high for a player of his type," said O'Kelly. "Unfortunately, we had a training ground collision and he ended up with a cracked collarbone, but the initial diagnosis was about six to eight weeks. After further x-rays, though, it doesn't look so bad."

Another striker, Danny Bertram, signed recently but at Bromyard, was taken off soon after entering the area. O'Kelly explains: "He had a dead leg against Ludlow and there was a little bit of residue left over from that, and I think he just felt a little bit tight when he went on yesterday so, as a precaution, we took him off.

"I signed Danny at West Bromwich Albion when he was fourteen or fifteen and followed his career with interest. I was very surprised that he was released. He is not the finished article, nowhere near, but he has wonderful enthusiasm, a good touch and pace combined with an eye for goal, he can only turn into a better player."

Another player, Danny Moon, has featured in the United team this pre-season, playing at centre back. "Danny was involved with us last year, and he never let himself down," continued O'Kelly "He's a local lad, Hereford through-and-through, and he's still involved with the football club.It's always good to have local lads involved with the team."

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Mrs. Turner stuck in the middle!

Hereford United manager Graham Turner has utilised an infrequently-used scouting tactic ahead of tomorrow's matc against Tamworth, kick off 3pm.

Despite missing the match through injury, Graham's son Mark plays for Tamworth and it made for some awkward conversations.

Mark told the Evening News: "Mum is in a state because Dad keeps asking her to get information out of me and I keep quizzing her on what Dad is up to.

"I have played against dad's teams before and they are always very challenging games. The rivalry certainly makes Sunday dinners more interesting."

Tamworth have lost coaches Steve Walsh and David Norton this summer, but manager Darron Gee boosted the squad by signing striker Marc McGregor and goalkeeper Phil Whitehead.

Lambs' commercial manager Russell Moore told the BBC: "We were staring at possible relegation to the Midland League just two years ago, so we've earnt the right to be here through lots of hard work. We know we have a very tough season ahead of us and they don't come much tougher than starting with Hereford."

The opponent's new signings and recent promotion from the Dr. Martens Premier Division does not mean Hereford are not confident, after a successful pre-season.

"It's gone very well both in terms of the matches and the quality of the training," said the United boss Turner. "We took the lads for further fitness tests at Gloucester University and the results have been quite impressive and there's been a big improvement from the start of pre-season."

David Brown, the attacker out with a broken collarbone, is unlike to feature at all but Jordan King's throat infection and Andy Tretton's back injury should have recovered sufficiently.

"Everybody is in the running," continued Turner. "Rob Purdie has done well and all the lads are showing a good touch and mobility."

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Pre-season success provides optimism for Williams

Hereford United midfielder Danny Williams is upbeat about Hereford United's chances in the Conference this season, particularly after an impressive pre-season campaign.

"We've had some good wins, a lot of good goals, and the lads are looking fit and sharp so hopefully it will be a good season," he told HU-FC.co.uk.

"The new signings have impressed us all in training. We haven't seen them much in the games yet but Jordan (King) has done well in the matches and (David) Brown has been unfortunate with his injury. He looked really sharp in the first few weeks of training so looks a good signing."

While Hereford's total transfer spending in the last six years totals zero, the likes of Telford United and Chester City appear to have plenty of money to bolster their promotion push.

That doesn't really worry Williams, who feels that the squad at Hereford United is more than a match for the opposition. "There has been a lot of money spent so we are looking to get into the play-offs," he continued. "We have to aim for the top spot first and play-offs after that."

Elsewhere, former Hereford United director Michael Hancocks has been jailed for eighteen months, reports Sky News.

The sixty-three year old was found guilty of plotting to contaminate Bulmer's cider in a bid to boost the sales of Frosty Jack cider, made by Hancocks' Aston Manor Brewery.

Judge John Foley said: "This was a wicked and evil agreement to achieve what you sought to achieve aimed at a rival and clearly it merits a custodial sentence."

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Two doubts for Tamworth opener

Hereford United go into the first Nationwide Conference match of the season with doubts over two players.

Midfielder Jordan King is suffering from a throat infection and striker David Brown is still recovering from a broken collarbone ahead of Saturday's match at Tamworth, kick off 3pm.

The Bulls have been given one thousand places on the terrace at the Lamb, but have just sixty stand seats, all of which will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis on Saturday.

United boss Graham Turner told the Hereford Times: "To be honest, we could not be having a much tougher opening. Tamworth had a terrific season last year and will going all out to leave their mark."

Tamworth, a part-time club under the management of Darron Gee, will be without Graham Turner's son, Mark, but could field ex-Bull Rob Warner at right-back.

Turner senior continued: "It's all about handling the situation well on Saturday. We are expecting a crowd of around 4,000 with about 1,000 travelling from Hereford."

• Meanwhile, after work at the University of Gloucestershire, Daniel Carey-Bertram achieved the fastest time over ten and thirty metres, while Rob Purdie had the best endurance readings. The Director of Sport, Peter Durham, said: "It's been a pleasure to have worked with such a smashing bunch of lads who are a credit to the city."
• The club have also struck lucky with the racing fixtures, as the meeting at Hereford on April 3rd clashes with an away match as United travel to Halifax Town. Also, it could be a bumper day on Thursday, April 29th 2004, as there is racing at Hereford scheduled for the day of the Nationwide Conference play-off semi-final first-leg.
• ASDA's supermarket development is in doubt after the planning process appears to have been put on hold at Belmont. It is unlikely, though, that they will bid for a site on the Edgar Street grid, as they have grown anxious with "Hereford's well known record of dealing with developers".
• To celebrate the launch of The Nationwide Conference broadband channel on Monday August 11th, TFFC and The Sunday People are giving one lucky person the chance two win two season tickets at a Nationwide Conference club of their choice. To enter, go to www.tffc.tv for competition details, which will also appear in The People Newspaper this Sunday August 10th.

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Blades 'keeper joins United on loan

Hereford United have signed a goalkeeper on loan as back-up for Matt Baker.

Sheffield United stopper Ben Scott will be part of the Bulls squad for a month, and the nineteen year old has experience with Gainsborough Trinity and in the reserve team at Bramall Lane.

Meanwhile, the following squad numbers have been released for the upcoming season:

1- Matt Baker
2- Ryan Green
3- Michael Rose
4- Jamie Pitman
5- Andy Tretton
6- Tony James
7- Danny Williams
8- Ben Smith
9- Steve Guinan
10- David Brown
11- Paul Parry
12- Rob Purdie
15- Richard Teesdale
16- Rob Sawyers
17- Jordan King
18- Danny Carey-Bertram
19- Dean Craven

Ben Scott is expected to wear number 14.

Meanwhile, former Hereford United goalkeeper Ken Griffiths has not been offered a contract by Exeter City after a trial, and is now playing short-term for Taunton Town.

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