Midland League Results And Table

Here are the results from this afternoon's Midland League Matches and the latest League table.

MFLP	AFC Wulfrunians	2	-	2	Bardon Hill
MFLP	Boldmere St Michaels	2	-	1	Long Eaton United
MFLP	Continental Star	0	-	2	Brocton
HCC	Hereford	6	-	0	Bromyard Town
MFLP	Highgate United	P	-	P	Heanor Town
MFLP	Loughborough University	3	-	2	Coventry Sphinx
MFLP	Lye Town	1	-	0	Quorn
MFLP	Rocester	4	-	1	Dunkirk
MFLP	Sporting Khalsa	3	-	0	Walsall Wood
MFLP	Stourport Swifts	P	-	P	Alvechurch
MFLP	Westfields	1	-	2	Coleshill Town

1	Hereford	20	16	1	3	66	19	47	49
2	Heanor Town	20	13	4	3	60	33	27	43
3	Alvechurch	16	13	1	2	46	13	33	40
4	Sporting Khalsa	15	12	1	2	41	14	27	37
5	Shepshed Dynamo	18	11	2	5	36	20	16	35
6	Highgate United	16	10	3	3	35	16	19	33
7	AFC Wulfrunians	18	10	1	7	34	29	5	31
8	Long Eaton United	18	9	3	6	35	26	9	30
9	Walsall Wood	19	8	4	7	33	38	-5	28
10	Lye Town	19	9	0	10	36	27	9	27
11	Stourport Swifts	17	8	2	7	27	25	2	26
12	Coleshill Town	17	7	2	8	32	39	-7	23
13	Loughborough University	17	7	1	9	26	35	-9	22
14	Boldmere St Michaels	18	6	2	10	30	41	-11	20
15	Bardon Hill	18	5	4	9	21	40	-19	19
16	Rocester	15	5	2	8	21	35	-14	17
17	Brocton	20	4	4	12	29	47	-18	16
18	Westfields	17	3	6	8	25	33	-8	15
19	Quorn	18	4	3	11	25	36	-11	15
20	Coventry Sphinx	15	4	1	10	20	32	-12	13
21	Dunkirk	17	3	1	13	17	56	-39	10
22	Continental Star	18	1	2	15	11	52	-41	5

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Bulls Progress In HFA Cup

Pablo Haysham After His Third Goal Of The Match

Hereford FC are through to the semi-final of the HFA Cup after they defeated Bromyard Town 6-0 at Edgar Street this afternoon.

Pablo Haysham scored a hat-trick with the others coming from Mustapha Bundu and substitutes John Mills and Mike Symons.

Report, reaction and pictures to follow.

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Several Mid Prem Games Called Off

Several of today's Midland Premier League games have been called off due to water-logged pitches.

Two involve clubs near the top of the table

Reported off as at 11am:

Stourport Swifts v Alvechurch

Highgate v Heanor Town

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News Round-Up

Lincoln City are reported to be on the verge of a seven-figure investment deal. Chairman Bob Dorrian said the five year deal from an overseas backer would be worth the huge sum, while the repayment deal agreed with the Co-Op Bank would last at least 15 years. AFC Wimbledon's new stadium is a step closer after local planners confirmed they will recommend to Merton Council that the development of the Plough Lane side be accepted.

Sacked Halifax boss Darren Kelly says the club was so badly organised that he could not get an evening training session together of his entire team. Kelly, who lasted just ten games, says he was spending hours trying to find facilities to train at, and when he did he was often six or seven first team players short due to other commitments. Step 4 side Heybridge Swifts have slashed their wage bill with the club bottom of the Ryman League North division.

Alvechurch goalkeeper Mihai Gherasim has moved to Step 4 side Tividale. The Romanian lasted just under two months at the Church, making three appearances.

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Westfields Offered 90 More Spaces For Boxing Day Derby

Westfields supporters have been given 90 seated spaces in the Len Weston stand for Boxing Day's match at Edgar Street.

They are in Block E and can be purchased on-line at http://www.herefordfc.co.uk/ticket-news/

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Bromyard Game Is On

Edgar Street This Morning

Despite this week's wet weather this afternoon's HFA Cup match against Bromyard goes ahead.

Work by the ground staff at Edgar Street during the week has helped.

'The 'earthquake' Highground did in midweek has done wonders for the pitch,' said a club spokesman.

In essence this work has helped the drainage of the pitch.

The weather for this afternoon is expected to remain cloudy but essentially dry. However the winds will remain very strong with gusts to up 50 miles per hour. 

Meanwhile Radio Hereford FC will not be covering this afternoon's game. However there will be video updates from Hereford FC In Action.

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Bucks Baffled After Shock Court Date Revealed

AFC Telford United are to face Companies Court on Monday morning to defend a winding up petition.

The club say they have received no warning of the move, and no petition seems to have been posted in the London Gazette, but they believe the matter is from an October HMRC debt that they claim to have paid at the time.

The club say they only found out after the Court had closed for the weekend, and are unable to do anything about it until Monday morning. The case is due to be heard from 10.30am, with the club 30th on the list of companies to face the Court.

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Prediction League Round 27

Round 27 of the Bullsnews prediction league sees Hereford host Bromyard Town. Bromyard are currently 20th in the WMRL Premier Division.

Last 5 results

Bilston Town Community 0-0 Bromyard Town   

Bromyard Town 0-2 Bewdley Town   

Bromyard Town 5-0 Bewdley Town (Cup)   

Bromyard Town 3-6 Malvern Town   

Dudley Sports 5-4 Bromyard Town

Predictions with attendance, score and username needs to be sent before 2:30pm on Saturday to bullsnewspredictionleague@hotmail.com

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Ten Midland Prem Fixtures Tomorrow.

Whilst Hereford FC have a Saturday off from the Midland Premier League, virtually all the other clubs are set to play as can be seen by the fixture list.

Several teams chasing leaders Hereford could close the gap.

Of particular interest will be the games at Stourport where Alvechurch are the visitors and at Sporting Khalsa where Walsall Wood are the opposition.

MFLP	AFC Wulfrunians	v	Bardon Hill	Bardon Close
MFLP	Boldmere St Michaels	v	Long Eaton United	Trevor Brown Memorial Ground
MFLP	Continental Star	v	Brocton	Dales Lane
HCC	Hereford	v	Bromyard Town	Edgar Street
MFLP	Highgate United	v	Heanor Town	The Coppice #1
MFLP	Loughborough University	v	Coventry Sphinx	Loughborough University Stadium
MFLP	Lye Town	v	Quorn	Sports Ground
MFLP	Rocester	v	Dunkirk	Hillsfield
MFLP	Sporting Khalsa	v	Walsall Wood	Aspray Arena
MFLP	Stourport Swifts	v	Alvechurch	Walshes Meadow
MFLP	Westfields	v	Coleshill Town	Allpay Park

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Eight Vacancies On HUST Board

There are eight vacancies to fill on the HUST board and a nomination form for those positions is now available.

This from HUST:

Nominations for the Trust elections open today.
There are eight positions vacant on the Board.

The nomination form can be downloaded here:
HUST Nomination Form 2015/2016

A Candidate Information Pack, outlining the duties and responsibilities of Board members will also be available for download shortly.

The Election Management Group is currently in the process of sending formal notice of the election to all trust members either electronically or via Royal Mail. We acknowledge that it is not ideal that nominations should open before members receive the election notice, but unfortunately a combination of circumstances has made this situation unavoidable.

Please be assured that your EMG are working hard to ensure a transparent and democratic election process, while remaining mindful of the need for HUST to return quickly to business.

As mentioned previously the EMG has been setting up an email group for election communications. We would strongly encourage all members to respond to the EMG email request to join this group as it will make communication quicker and easier.

Any member who does not join the email group will need to be contacted by Royal Mail which obviously will involve a significant expense for the trust.

The EMG can be contacted at hustelections@gmail.com

Complaints or concerns about the election process should be addressed to the Neil Le Milliere the independent EMG chairman: neil_le_milliere@btinternet.com

Betting On The Vase

According to the Non-League Paper the Football Association has issued a reminder to players and club officials at Steps 5 to 7 of the National League System that they are not allowed to bet on competitions they are involved in.The move follows a spike in referrals from betting companies identifying individuals at these levels betting on FA Vase matches.

While there is no suggestion of any attempts to fix matches, the fact betting companies are offering an ever-expanding football market has led to the game’s governing body issuing a timely reminder.
 
Players and club officials at Steps 5 to 7 fall outside the FA’s worldwide betting ban which came into force on August 1 2014. Instead, they are prohibited from betting, either directly or indirectly, on a match or competition in which they are involved or could influence. The using or passing on of inside information for betting is also banned.

Jenni Kennedy, the FA’s Head of Integrity, said: “Whilst it may seem a novelty for players and officials at Steps 5 to 7 to bet on their team when betting companies rarely offer the opportunity to do so, it remains a breach of FA rules and could lead to disciplinary proceedings being taken.
“This rule is in place to protect the integrity of the game and to prevent any allegations of wrongdoing. We take this opportunity to remind all players and club officials to take note of this advice.”

The FA works in partnership with the Gambling Commission and the betting operators to identify individuals who breach football and betting rules.

Meanwhile Hereford are favourites to win their Vase tie against Brocton next Saturday.

These prices are from BetVictor:

Hereford 1/5  Draw 5/1 Brocton 7/1

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News Round-Up

Northampton have now paid their staff up to date, for both October and November, along with clearing their debt to HMRC. The club's new owners are still in talks with the Council to finalise their agreement over the outstanding £10.25million loan. Alvechurch are chasing striker Malachi Farquharson. The Tividale forward has also received an offer from Step 4 side Sutton Coldfield Town.

Darlington's plans to return to the town may be boosted after a Dubai-based businessman launched plans to develop a £20million community sports hub. Richard Upsall's plans involve a large development around the Blackwell Meadow site currently occupied by the rugby club, but the Council leader called the plan 'too good to be true' after the Council vetoed the initial approach as plans weren't viable and the Council did not have the resources to work on the project.

Lincoln City have announced a deal with the Co-op Bank to repay their £380,000 debt and interest at £25,000 a year. The Imps have spent the last year trying to find a bank to take on the debt without success.

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It's Bromyard In The HFA Cup Tomorrow

Hereford FC are at home to Bromyard in the HFA Cup tomorrow afternoon, kick-off 3pm.

The club aren't expecting a very large crowd for this match, firstly given it's a local Cup game and secondly there's a much more important game next Saturday, namely another home game but in the FA Vase against Brocton.

So only the Main Stand will be open tomorrow.

Admission prices are Adults £5 and Juniors £1

Please note it's all pay, season tickets do not cover this game.

Meanwhile tickets for the home game against Westfields on Boxing Day are reported by the club to be selling well.

Supporters are reminded that because of seats allocated to season ticket holders there is only limited space in the Main Stand particularily Blocks B and C and those seats are already sold out online.

The club says it will not be selling Westfields tickets before the game this coming Saturday.

PLEASE NOTE: Only Bromyard and Brocton FA Vase tickets will be available to purchase from the club ahead of the Bromyard game on Saturday

The club shop is open from 10am to 4pm today. 

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Keeper Horsell Joins Bulls

Hereford FC manager Peter Beadle has added a second goalkeeper to his squad.

28 year old Martin Horsell has moved to Edgar Street from Yate Town who ply their trade in the Southern League South and West.

This mainly from Wikipedia:

Martin Horsell (born 10 December 1986) is an English professional football goalkeeper.
Horsell was spotted by a scout from Plymouth Argyle while playing for his school, the King Edward VI Community College in his hometown Totnes. He played for the Argyle Youth sides and while attending Plymouth College was selected for the British Colleges side.
He left Plymouth in 2004 when he moved to the Bristol Academy of Sport at Filton College. Soon after starting at the College he was selected to play for the Bristol Rovers under-18 side and in October 2004 was signed by Rovers manager Ian Atkins on non-contract terms as cover for Kevin Miller.^[1] He signed a professional contract with Rovers for the 2005–06 season, but failed to break into the first team.
In July 2006, after his release by Rovers,^[2] he signed for Torquay United, by now managed by Ian Atkins as back-up for Nathan Abbey.^[3]
With Abbey set to leave over a contract dispute, Horsell was given his league debut in bizarre circumstances when he replaced Abbey as a substitute with seven minutes remaining of the home game with Milton Keynes Dons, despite Torquay trailing 0–2 at the time. Abbey subsequently signed a contract with Brentford
He made his full debut in the next game, a 1–0 defeat at home to fellow strugglers Macclesfield Town in which he was given the Man of the Match Award. However, after the signing of Kevin Miller on loan from Southampton, Horsell returned to being second choice goalkeeper. With Torquay relegated to the Conference National at the end of the season, Horsell was offered a new contract. However, with the signing of both Simon Rayner and Martin Rice, Horsell chose to seek a move back to league football.
He began the 2007–08 season with Yate Town, signing an initial one-month contract with Conference National side Salisbury City in late September 2007 after an injury to regular Salisbury keeper Jamie Bittner.^[4] On 29 January 2008 he signed for Conference South side Dorchester Town.^[5]
He was unattached when he joined Tiverton Town in March 2008.^[6] He then joined Belgian side R.R.F.C. Montegnée.
At the start of the 2010/11 season he is playing for Weymouth F.C..

Played for Bristol Academy in the 2012-13 season after recovering from injury, and rejoined Yate at the start of 2013-14 season. Voted “Players Player” last season.

Update:This from Horsell

I would like to thank all those involved @YateTownFC. I have enjoyed my time with the club, I wish Yate all the best for the future. 

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Winter Beer And Music Festival In Hereford

This weekend there is a Winter Beer and Music Festival taking place at the Victory in Hereford.

Amidst those involved are several breweries who support Hereford FC.

Hereford Brewery are corporate member of HUST.

Odyssey is the brewery owned by Beer in Hand who are also corporate member of HUST.

KelPaul are one of the sponsors of UITC.

Meanwhile in addition to the information on the poster there will be an acoustic set with Bekki Cameron on Sunday afternoon. 

And if you fancy an award winning burger before going to Edgar Street on Saturday for the Bromyard game, the Beefy Boys are serving them from mid-day.

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Merton Meadow Car Park Fees To Rise Again

The cost of parking in the Merton Meadow car park will rise again - but there is some relief for supporters.

All day parking is set to rise from £3 to £5 from February, but parking for evening matches from 6pm to 10pm inclusive will be just £1.50 instead of the full day rate.

The rises were voted in by Herefordshire Council today, which will see Lorries and Coaches charge £10 instead of £7, and Sunday parking rise from £2 to £3.

Car park season tickets will nearly double from £450 to £750.

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EDGAR’S SOCCER SCHOOLS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

United in the Community are back with their Soccer Schools, this time at an indoor venue at thePoint4 in Hereford. The Christmas Special starts on Wednesday 23^rd December, starting at 9am until 3pm. The full day will be open to Juniors (7-11), with Mini Kickers (4-6) attending from 9-11:30am.

The second date is on Wednesday 30^th December, from 9am and finishing at 2pm, the full day will again be open to Juniors, with the Mini Kickers attending in the morning.

There will be a special guest appearance from Edgar himself on both days, as well as lots of festive fun throughout!  

A full day for the Juniors will cost £20 and for the Mini Kickers the morning session will cost £12, HUST and Junior Bull members will receive a £2 discount.

We recommend booking online to avoid disappointment as numbers will be limited! Book now at playthehereford.com OR contact us at soccerschools@uitc.uk.com.

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Midland Premier League Weekend Review

Here's this weekend's Midland Premier League review written by Gary Hazelhurst.

With leaders Hereford in County Cup action, attention turns to the chasing pack who will be striving to close the gap opened up by the Bulls. 2nd placed Heanor Town have dropped four points with two away draws this week and it doesn’t get any easier for the Lions with a tough looking fixture away to 6th placed Highgate United. 3rd placed Alvechurch have been devoid if action and will be hoping to get close the gap between themselves and the Bulls to 6 points when they travel to Stourport Swifts. 

Sporting Khalsa have 6 games in hand on the leaders and the first of those is a local derby at home to Walsall Wood on Saturday. The sides met in the JW Hunt Cup in midweek but with league points at stake, this could be a very close encounter. Bottom club Continental Star picked up a much needed point last week and they welcome Brocton to Dales Lane. The Badgers featured in that remarkable 5-5 draw with Heanor Town last week and a win for them could see them jump 4 places.

There is another big game at the bottom of the table at Hillsfield as Rocester entertain Dunkirk. The Romans’ position may well be false as they have only played 14 games but a win will help them move away from the drop zone. Coventry Sphinx slide into the bottom four has been one of the surprises of the season and, under new management, they travel to Loughborough University hoping to restart their season. The students were unlucky in midweek against Heanor Town and will be favourites on their own patch. Boldmere St Michaels have turned the corner of late and they can continue their rise up the table when they welcome Long Eaton United to Church Road. Another side looking over their shoulder near the foot of the table are Quorn and they travel to inconsistent Lye Town who are tough to beat at home. Westfields are only 5 points above the drop zone and they will be looking for all three points when Coleshill Town visit Allpay Park. AFC Wulfrunians are having a good season, and they can cement their place in the top ten with a home win over Bardon Hill, themselves having a solid start to life in the Midland Football League.

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Alvechurch 'Win' Team Of The Month

Alvechurch report that they have 'won' November's team of the month in the Midland Premier League.

It's not known why they have won the award given Hereford FC have not dropped a point in the last month and played more games than Alvechurch.

Updated Dec 3rd:  It appears that there are no fixed rules applied for choosing the Team of the Month.

BN has been told that the 'results over the month are taken into account and then the judges choose accordingly'. 

Meanwhile Alvechurch are pleased to have won the award after winning all five of their games in November.

“It’s nice to get a little bit of recognition for what we have achieved so far this season,” said manager Ian Long.

“We want to win everything we can – whether that’s team of the month or the FA Vase.”

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233 Spaces For Westfields Supporters

Hereford FC have allocated half the terrace part of the Len Weston Stand for the visit of Westfields on Boxing Day.

It is reported that it will hold 233 supporters.

Tickets for the game are on sale at Edgar Street every weekday until December 23rd and also online.

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News Round-Up

Chester's chairman has resigned with immediate effect, citing outside work pressures. Grenville Millington, a former player for Chester City with over 300 appearances, became chairman 14 months ago but kept on working full time in addition to the role. Vice Chairman Jim Keegan will take up the reins temporarily until a board meeting later in the month.

Former Bull Gary Bowyer has been named as a 12/1 shot for the vacant Yeovil managers job just hours after the League Two strugglers parted company with Paul Sturrock. The club have nosedived since hitting the heights of the Championship for one season, and are now at the foot of the Football League after successive relegations.

Coventry Sphinx have named Club Captain Robbie Banks as their new manager. The midfielder only joined the club from Rugby Town in the summer, making 17 appearances.

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Programmes From Heanor And Coleshill

A Hereford FC supporter is looking for a match programme from both of these recent away fixtures.

Should anyone have a copy they don't need please e-mail Bulls News - bullsnews@hotmail.com - and we'll put you in touch with the supporter.

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Where Hasn't Gary Hooper Scored?

Former Hereford United striker Gary Hooper holds a particular record that will take some beating.

As things stand, Hooper is the only man to have scored in the Premier League, the Championship, League One, League Two, the Conference, the FA Cup, the League Cup, the SPL, the Scottish Cup, the Scottish League Cup, the Europa League and the Champions League. 

Update: There's more according to Paul Rogers of the Hereford Times.

'Also scored in Conference South, the FA Trophy and Football League Trophy.'

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From The Archives - It's Only The First Day Of December

It's only the first day of December

Back in December 2003, Hereford United were having a season in which supporters probably watched some of the most entertaining football played by a team both at Edgar Street and away. Here's a look back.

It doesn't seem that Hereford United have already played 21 Conference games this season and so have reached the half-way point. After all its only the first day of December.

The Bulls have played every team in the league except Exeter and have completed their first double of the season by beating Farnborough twice.

So far the Bulls have found the net on 50 occasions, which gives them an average of 2.38 goals per game. That must be some sort of a record for a Conference side.

Other stats show that the Bulls are third in the 'cards' league with 29 yellows and 2 reds so far. Even better they have only been penalised for 208 fouls, the lowest in the Conference.

Steve Guinan is second top scorer with 14 Conference goals, three less than leader Giuliano Grazioli of Barnet.

The average attendance at Edgar Street to date is 3479 which is 51% over the reputed budget figure of 2300. Graham Turner will be pleased with that figure as it means that the income from the gates will be about £100,000 higher than predicted. Add to that extra sales of programmes and fresh advertising boards and the balance must look better than expected.

Chairman Graham Turner, however, will point out that he is having to pay the players higher bonuses and probably more importantly that there is no prospect of any more television income from the FA Cup this season. So at the half-way stage he may still feel reluctant to spend any more than really necessary.

Supporters still await last seasons final accounts which are likely to show a five figure profit. Much of that profit will have been spent simply paying bills that were outstanding.

Even at this stage it is difficult to be certain how high income from the turnstiles will be for the remainder of the campaign. For example gates from now on of 3000 might bring in an extra £50,000. There is also, hopefully, the probablity of income from play-off matches.

What the figures show is that there is the ability to take on a couple of extra players for the rest of the season without putting the club into a position where a loss is made this year.

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Heanor Drop Points

Only one Midland Premier match took place this evening and the result will be of interest to Hereford FC supporters.

MFLP

Loughborough University

2

-

2

Heanor Town

The top of the table:

1	Hereford	20	16	1	3	66	19	47	49
2	Heanor Town	20	13	4	3	60	33	27	43
3	Alvechurch	16	13	1	2	46	13	33	40
4	Shepshed Dynamo	18	11	2	5	36	20	16	35
5	Sporting Khalsa	14	11	1	2	38	14	24	34
6	Highgate United	16	10	3	3	35	16	19	33

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Parrott Looking For Bardon Hill Programmes

It has been a difficult season for Ron Parrott trying to satisfy the demands of his Programme Subscription Service subscribers. 

To satisfy demand, Ron has to procure around 30 programmes from every away game and with very low print runs at some grounds, it has been very difficult on occasions to obtain enough programmes for everyone. 

One such occasion was the league game at Bardon Hill on Saturday 14th November when he was left four short.

Ron is appealing to any supporters who were at the game and who purchased a programme that they no longer wish to keep, to donate it to Ron’s cause and help him to keep all of his subscribers happy. Please feel free to drop any programmes off at the Club, marked for Ron’s attention and he will be very grateful indeed.

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HUST Latest Lottery Draw

This From HUST:

Prize Bull Lottery draw No. 80 took place on Monday night.

The winning numbers are:- 10 - 12 - 13 - 19

Should you have the winning combination, please contact prizebull@hufctrust.co.uk to claim the jackpot. 

More details on the Prize Bull Lottery and entry forms are on the Prize Bull Lottery page.

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Christmas Hours For Club Shop

As from this morning, December 1st, Hereford FC's club shop will open every weekday until December 23rd.

There is a great range of merchandise for sale, including a number of new items many of which would make Christmas gifts.

Also available is the 'new' half season ticket which is for Hereford's eleven remaining home 'League' games. The ticket starts with the Boxing Day match against Westfields.

Tickets for upcoming fixtures against Brocton in the FA Vase on December 12th, and Westfields and Coventry Sphinx in the League on Boxing Day and December 28th will also be available.

These tickets and tickets for the HFA match against Bromyard are available online - http://www.herefordfc.co.uk/tickets/

For reference club shop hours are:

Weekdays 10am to 4pm except Wednesday's when the shop will stay open until 8pm.

Saturdays: Usual matchday hours. 

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Tonight In The Midland Prem

Three Midland Premier League fixtures are set to take place this evening. However given the weather there is a possibility that one or more of the games could be postponed.

MFLP	Loughborough University	v	Heanor Town	Loughborough University Stadium
MFLP	Quorn	v	Coleshill Town	Farley Way Stadium
MFLP	Rocester	v	Shepshed Dynamo	Hillsfield

 
Update - The games at Rocester and Quorn have both been postponed due to waterlogging. Loughborough play on a plastic pitch similar to that at Coleshill.

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