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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First team place a must for Sawyers

Last season was something of a non-event for Rob Sawyers, who, after signing from Barnet last summer, failed to make an impression in the Hereford United first team.

However, he defiantly says he will make an impact when his chance comes this term.

"Last season, I didn't do myself justice," he told HU-FC.co.uk. "But this season I'm back, feeling fitter and stronger. We need a big squad if we're going to get promotion and that's what we're aiming to achieve. The three additions to the squad are good players, so long may it continue."

Not only is Sawyers aiming to play regularly, he is adamant that he will spur the team onto promotion. "We want to go up automatically, but we're looking to get into a play-off spot and from there, who knows what will happen."

With Hereford facing local derbies against two Shropshire side this season, Sawyers reckons that the area could see all three in the upper echelons of the Conference.

"Everyone knows about Telford and the money they've spent," said the ex-Wolves trainee. "Shrewsbury have a good squad, and there will be three or four teams who will be there or thereabouts, but all we can do is worry about our own performances in our games."

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Young striker tipped for big things

New Hereford United signing Daniel Carey-Bertram is glad to be at Edgar Street after impressing in a trial period.

It was surprising, though, that he didn't sign a professional deal at West Bromwich Albion.

The striker scored five goals at Ludlow Town in a pre-season friendly, and the next day confirmed a season-long contract with the Bulls.

"It was hard to find a club after I was let go by West Brom but I'm happy here," he explained. "There is a good atmosphere and I like all the fans, and I think I'll enjoy it."

Carey-Bertram, age nineteen, played for West Bromwich Albion reserves last season, as well as having a loan spell at Dr. Martens Premier Division side Stafford Rangers.

Some people at the Hawthorns were sad to see Carey-Bertram go. Simon, of the Grorty Dick fanzine, wrote: "I rated him at the Hawthorns and was surprised that he didn't get a pro. contract. Bar a chunk of the season out on loan to Stafford Rangers last season, he spent much of last season playing in the Premier League Reserve Division. It's a good standard, as good as it gets at reserve level and Danny was regularly up against internationals.

"He didn't score many but nor did anybody at the club at any level last term so that's not necessarily an issue. Danny is strong for his age and can hold the ball well. Richard O'Kelly spent much time coaching Danny during his formative years (and Dean Craven too though to a lesser extent) so knows his talents well."

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Oleksy double seals victory

It was all smiles at Edgar Street this evening as the supporters played the players and Graham Turner faced questions at a fans forum.

In the supporters match, Hereford United beat HUISA XI 5-0 in the half-hour long first half, and 8-1 overall albeit with a mixed side in the second period, which lasted eighteen minutes.

Jordan King put United 1-0 up after four minutes, and coach Richard O'Kelly set up Daniel Carey-Bertram two minutes later to make it 2-0. A great save from goalkeeper Allan Hawkins prevented O'Kelly getting on the scoresheet, but a handball from Simon Barrington on seventeen minutes gave Michael Rose the perfect opportunity to make it 4-0. He did so, with a forceful spot-kick.

Andy Tretton made it 5-0 two minutes later, but the players mixed with the fans for the second period. Scott Mann, aka. Smbull, scrambled in a sixth goal five minutes after the restart, while Chris Oleksy's fantastic brace sandwiched Tony James' reply, which was nothing more than a consolation goal.

Hereford United (first half): Matt Baker, Danny Moon, Dean Craven, David Brown, Ben Smith, Jordan King, Rob Sawyers, Daniel Carey-Bertram, Richard Teesdale, Richard O'Kelly, Andy Tretton. Substitutes, all of whom featured: Jamie Pitman, Tony James, Michael Rose, Rob Purdie, Paul Parry, Danny Williams, Ryan Green.

HUISA (first half - twelve players!): Allan Hawkins, Jamie Griffiths, Paul Sharp, Ben Morrison, Rob Leighton, Simon Bayliss, Simon Barrington, James Bolton, Chris Oleksy, Dave White, Harry Weaver, Scott Mann. Chris Richards came on as a substitute.

Guest Referee: Mr. S. Guinan

At the fans forum, Graham Turner was confident that Hereford United could be a force this season. He said that he is still tracking a goalkeeper (having spoken to players as highly thought-of as Tim Flowers) and striker, and hopes to make room in the budget if the right player comes along. Turner was relaxed and scotched rumours that the likes of Paul Parry could be the subject of bids, particularly from Yeovil Town. He said that he wanted to keep the players together, and would only sign additional personnel if they would add something to the squad. In fact, he commented that if players were not good enough for the likes of Cheltenham or Oxford, they were not good enough for Hereford United.

Looking ahead to Saturday's match at Tamworth, Turner said that it would obviously be a tough encounter but hoped that the team were capable of rising to the challenge posed by the newly-promoted club. However, he suggested that the game would come too quickly for attacker David Brown, who is back in training following a collarbone break and could make the Morecambe game a week later.

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Pitman plans for a successful future

It's been an eventful summer for Hereford United midfielder Jamie Pitman. After just missing out on the play-offs last April, Pitman wedded Kate Lloyd at the start of June before returning to pre-season training in July.

Despite all the off-field activity, the man who first joined Hereford in February 1996, when United missed out on promotion to Division Two via. the play-offs, is raring to go.

"It's been hard work, but we've enjoyed it, and it's good to get back into the games," he told HU-FC.co.uk. "I think we've done really well."

The timing of Pitman's wedding was unfortunate in that it clashed with Tony James' marraige to Vikki Criasia. "It just happened to fall that way as we couldn't have it at the place we wanted to the week before or week after, so it had to be that weekend," he explained. "Otherwise, if you leave it a bit too late then the honeymoon is right before the start of the season."

This season won't be easy for Pitman. He has competition for his central midfield role, particularly after the signing of Jordan King, but this can only be a positive position for the club. "The boss has brought in a couple of good players," Pitman continued. "We're looking quite lively and hopefully we'll have a good season. We were disappointed last year not to get into the play-offs, so this year we hope to get into the play-offs or get promoted automatically. We will strive to do our best.

"Our performances will prove that we want to achieve something."

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Youth teams play in international tournament

Hereford United had various affiliated youth teams playing in the Ian Rush International Tournament at Aberystwyth last week.

The youth team, who play at under-18s level and won the Midland Floodit Youth League Western Division last season and will play in the Premier Division this coming season, finished fourth in their group competition. In the group stage, the side drew 2-2 with Aberystwyth Town, lost 5-4 to Penrhyn Samba and tied 1-1 with a Hereford Select side, featuring players from Wellington. In the third placed play-off, United lost 1-0 to Aberystwyth while Hereford Select won the competition.

The under-17 centre of excellence drew 1-1 with Liberty Soccer, beat Star United 3-1 and were 5-0 victors over TNS before losing to the India National Team by a single goal in the semi-final.

The under-14s won their semi-final 2-1, but lost in the final of the competition, while the under 11s were defeated 2-1 by Meole Breace in the semi-finals.

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Back by popular demand...

After the success of last season's campaign and numerous emails enquiring about its relaunch, the HU-FC.co.uk Predictions League is back.

Entering is easy, you click the 'Interactive!' button in the left menu and register. Then you submit entries for Nationwide Conference matches and collect points according to the rules. A monthly and season award is given.

So, what are you waiting for? Enter now!

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Fitness is Smith's primary aim

Ben Smith's 2002/03 season was ruined thanks to a pre-season injury at Bromsgrove Rovers, where he broke his ankle in a friendly match. However, the Londoner is eager to regain the form that took him into the Football League from Yeovil Town to Southend United a couple of years ago, and gain promotion with Hereford United.

So far, things are looking up. Smith has come through pre-season injury-free, and the team's performances have been good too. He told HU-FC.co.uk: "It's nice to get back into it and, personally, I'm just looking to keep as injury-free as possible. The boys have had some good results and we're looking really good.

"Last season I didn't start my first game until November 30th and then I only had half the season left. Everyone else is a lot further ahead fitness-wise and you can't get that back really. I wasn't properly fit until January or February. This time, I'll be as fit as everyone at the start of the season and will get a full campaign."

As Smith got an injury this time last year, he can sympathise with David Brown, who broke his collarbone in a pre-season training clash. "I don't think David's injury is as bad as first thought," said the midfielder. "I think he was only going to be out for six or eight weeks. Hopefully we can get him back as we are expecting him to score quite a few goals this season.

"Last year, Steve Guinan got fifteen goals but he was pretty much left by himself and didn't really have a regular partner. I think Steve will get his fifteen again this year, and if David Brown gets another fifteen then that's a good base for us. We're looking to get twenty or thirty goals from midfield as well, and if we do that, we'll by up the top."

As with several players, Smith faces a fight for his first-team spot. He continued: "In midfield, there is a lot of competition for places. Paul Parry's the only left-winger but if you look at all the other midfielders, there's Danny Williams, Rob Purdie, Jordan King and Jamie Pitman will all be playing centre midfield as well so it's the one place in the team where there is a lot of competition."

Smith knows the Conference, having played for several years at Yeovil and then last season at Edgar Street, and reckons if Hereford are to gain promotion, they face a tough task.

He commented: "It's a lot more open than it was last year, when Yeovil were by far the best team. This year, you'll have Chester up there again, I fancy Dagenham & Redbridge to be strong, Morecambe will be strong again, Telford have spent a few quid, Stevenage will be up there. It'll be the same old story, with ten or twelve teams going for the five places.

"We've got to be looking to do better than sixth. We'll be disappointed if we're not in the play-offs. We've kept fourteen of the squad, and we've added to it, and once we get a right-back in then we'll be stronger than last year. The key is getting a good start, and to keep the momentum going. We proved, when we went on that run of getting sixteen points out of eighteen, that if you put a steady amount of points together and don't lose games, then you're going to move up the table."

With Smith's problems last season, there was some speculation over whether he would gain a new deal at the club, but Graham Turner felt he was worth the investment.

"The way football's going, everyone's only getting one year deals," said Smith. "Every year, there are going to be six or seven hundred people out of contract. There's no security in it at the moment, and not much money, but it's still a good life."

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Looking ahead to the new season

With the new Conference season less than a week away, the Non-League Paper have previewed the big kick-off in some detail.

• In the opening match, the betting correspondent has Hereford to win at Tamworth, although the pools panel suggests a score-draw. In the title odds, Hereford were at 20s but their odds were slashed after the pre-season campaign. They can now be found at 16/1 with Skybet as joint eighth favourites with Halifax Town, and 7/1 for promotion through the play-offs.
• Labelled as dead-ball specialists, England National Game XI manager Paul Fairclough has tipped the Bulls to make the play-offs along with Morecambe, Dagenham & Redbridge and Stevenage Borough. Fairclough reckons Mark Wright's Chester City will be champions.
• There are twelve full-time teams in the Conference this season: Barnet, Chester, Exeter, Halifax, Hereford, Morecambe, Scarborough, Shrewsbury, Stevenage, Telford, Woking and Dagenham, who are in a transition period. The others; Aldershot, Accrington, Burton, Farnborough, Forest Green, Gravesend, Leigh, Margate, Northwich and Tamworth, are all part-time.
• The Conference TV Channel (tffc.tv) is now fully operational and is providing interviews, match highlights and information. All subscription services are now available.
• The HUISA vs Hereford United match will be played tomorrow at Edgar Street, with kick-off at 7pm. Following this, there is a fans forum in Legends.

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Scorer pleased with pre-season

Hereford United striker Steve Guinan, who scored the winner in today's pre-season friendly win against Kidderminster Harriers, said the club can build upon their successful pre-season match.

Speaking to BBC Hereford & Worcester, he said of today's match: "It was nice to play a team who are similar to what we'll come up against next week. It was a good workout with a week to go."

Of the summer's activities at Edgar Street, Guinan continued: "The additions he has made to the squad look very useful and it is a long season in the Conference. The players have come in and settled and hopefully, we'll have a good team spirit to carry us through."

The Bulls go to Tamworth on the opening day, and it won't be an easy ride. "They will be buzzing from getting promoted last season," said the striker. "But Hereford will take quite a number of fans with us and hopefully, we'll get our first win next week."

Kidderminster boss Ian Britton commented that Hereford deserved the victory: "To be fair to them, they deserved it but we've had a good pre-season, but that's the worst we've played today.

"Results don't matter in pre-season," he told BBC Hereford & Worcester.

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Bulls on top in local clash

Hereford United beat Kidderminster Harriers 2-1 in their final pre-season friendly today.

Bulls win local derby

Hereford United 2 - 1 Kidderminster Harriers

Hereford United won the battle of the two counties with a 2-1 win over higher-graded Kidderminster Harriers at Edgar Street.

The Bulls named just one of their summer signings in the starting eleven, with Ryan Green filling in at right-back in what was Matt Clarke's role. while Kidderminster named triallist John Williams, once of Hereford, among their substitutes.

Harriers started as the brighter of the two sides with Bo Henrikson's effort from point blank range testing Matt Baker's reactions on twelve minutes, but Stuart Brock was forced into action at the other end a minute later when a central free-kick from Danny Williams thirty yards from goal had to be tipped around the near post.

A spell of United pressure followed, with Rob Purdie forcing Brock to save with his legs and Ben Smith try his luck from range, before a good move saw Paul Parry receive the ball on the left edge of the area. His quick thinking picked out Danny Williams on the far post, who headed down under Brock to give United the advantage.

Kidderminster, despite Henrikson's header testing Baker, were behind at the break but took just six minutes to level proceedings following the restart. A cross from new signing Graham Ward found Sam Shilton, whose deflected shot equalised.

From then on, it was anyone's game. Both sides made changes, as they had done at the break, and Steve Guinan's header from a Michael Rose free-kick was not far away from the target. At the other end, a long-range effort from Kidderminster's Danny Williams sailed high over the bar.

Then came Kidderminster's opportunity. A cross from Sam Shilton looked like an easy chance for John Williams, but he failed to connect in front of goal when he should have given Harriers the lead.

With twenty minutes left, Guinan won it. He caught the Harriers defence out, Adam Willis chased back to make a challenge, but failed as Guinan fired a low ball into the net from twenty yards.

Further chances came and went, with the 160 Harriers' fans in anguish after Henrikson turned well to fire wide with five minutes to go.

Written by Terry Goodwin - 2nd August 2003.

Hereford United	Kidderminster Harriers
Matt Baker	Stuart Brock
Ryan Green	Kenny Coleman (off, 26 minutes)
Michael Rose	Craig Hinton
Jamie Pitman (off, 63 minutes)	Adam Willis
Richard Teesdale (off, 76 minutes)	Sam Shilton (off, 65 minutes)
Tony James (captain, off, 76 minutes)	Graham Ward (off, 80 minutes)
Danny Williams (off, half time)	Dean Bennett
Ben Smith (off, 63 minutes)	Sean Flynn (captain)
Steve Guinan (off, 71 minutes)	Danny Williams
Rob Purdie	Matt Lewis (off, half time)
Paul Parry (off, 63 minutes)	Bo Henrikson
Subs	Subs
Jordan King (on, 63 minutes)	Scott Stamps
Daniel Carey-Bertram (on, half time)	Nick Heath (on, 80 minutes)
Rob Sawyers (on, 63 minutes)	John Danby
Dean Craven (on, 63 minutes)	Lee Ayers (on, half time)
Pierre Ennis (on, 71 minutes)	Sean Parrish (on, 65 minutes)
Danny Moon (on, 76 minutes)	Matt Gadsby
Neil Barnes	Adie Smith (on, 26 minutes, off, half time)
Andy Tretton (on, 76 minutes)	John Williams (on, half time)
Yellow cards	Yellow cards
-	-
Red cards	Red cards
-	-
Scorers	Scorers
Danny Williams (34 minutes)	Sam Shilton (51 minutes)
Steve Guinan (70 minutes)
Man of the Match	Team performance
Attendance	1020
Referee	Mr. S. Moggs (Hereford)

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King eager to win Conference crown

Graham Turner's first summer signing for Hereford United was ex-Telford United midfielder Jordan King, who was released by the club when his father, Jake, departed as manager.

It took Turner little time to snap up the youngster, who had a trial with Everton last season as he appeared destined to step into the big-time.

However, King is happy to be at Hereford and is up-beat about the Bulls' chances this season.

He told HU-FC.co.uk: "There are good facilities, a good bunch of lads and so hopefully we can have a good season."

"I think we can make the play-offs. If we can stay clear of injuries, we can have a good season."

Within a week, King was joined at the club by fellow Telford player David Brown, who scored fifteen goals for the New Bucks Head-based side last term.

Both appear to have settled in well at Edgar Street as Hereford United hope to regain the Football League status that was lost in 1997.

Brown is unlikely to feature in today's friendly match with Kidderminster Harriers at Edgar Street, kick off 3pm.

Andy Tretton and Danny Bertram should return after missing the 1-0 defeat to Birmingham City on Thursday, while Kidderminster could start ex-United attacker John Williams, who is on-trial at Aggborough. Ian Britton's men have added Kenny Coleman, Adam Willis, Nick Heath and Graham Ward to their squad, but Matt Gadsby will miss out with a knee injury.

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McIndoe to move to Donny

Hereford United are set for a financial windfall as Michael McIndoe looks set to switch from Yeovil Town to Doncaster Rovers.

The Bulls are eligible for 25% of the transfer fee, which is as yet 'undisclosed' according to Yeovil but 'substantial' from a Rovers point of view.

Both Doncaster and Yeovil were promoted to the Football League last season, but McIndoe told the Glovers that he wanted to move to a higher division. As it is, a sideways switch is likely to occur with him playing in Division Three.

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Location has helped

For once the location of Edgar Street has helped in the signing of a player!

Often thought by some as 'in the sticks', Hereford is within easy reach of the home of new full-back Ryan Green, who has Welsh international honours and lives in the capital.

Graham Turner has been speaking to BBC Hereford & Worcester on the events around the signing. "He has moved back down to Cardiff and he asked his agent to phone to see if we would be interested and that's how it came about," said Turner. "It's only an hour into Cardiff so he commutes quite comfortably and he wants to settle. I think it has worked to our advantage, the fact that he has thought about us and wants to come and play for us."

Turner also said that he is not too concerned about the score in tomorrow's friendly with Kidderminster Harriers.

"What I'm looking for is still the fitness, still the shape to the side, the passing, the movement, and then we will start to think about reaching a peak for Tamworth."

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Captain ready to send United up

Following the departure of Ian Wright, Hereford United's new captain is Tony James.

Not that he's new to the role, though, as his defensive partnership with Andy Tretton kept Wright out of the team last season, and was given the armband as a reward.

"I'm glad to be captain, I get on with all the lads really well," HU-FC.co.uk heard. "I'm not the biggest talker in the world, but hopefully I can lead the lads on to some good things."

This season's pre-season campaign has been impressive, in that the Bulls haven't lost a match so far. "We've started off quite well, are passing the ball really well and have a fit enough squad at the moment."

Having conceded just three goals so far, James continued: "It can be a bit false and you could go into the first game of the season and get hammered, but you have to try and play games to keep clean sheets and score goals, and that's what we're doing at the moment.

The last of the pre-season matches is a home match against local rivals Kidderminster Harriers. "It will be our toughest game, and a good test a week before the start of the season and hopefully, we'll play our strongest side and give them a really good game.

James, who will be taking Hereford United's penalties this season, commented: "If we can improve on last year, obviously we've got a chance. We've got to take each game as it comes, win as many as we can at home and look for points away."

Meanwhile, several triallists played last night. Ryan Green had signed before the match, but three appeared on the bench. Danny Moon has been written about previously, but defender Pierre Ennis is a new player completely. He played for Aston Villa as a trainee, featuring in their under 17s side a couple of years back. A prominent defender, Ennis is of Irish nationality and has been capped for their under 19 side, as well as at schoolboy level.

Goalkeeper Jamie Hales also has an interesting background. A YTS player with Cheltenham Town, Hales has since played for both Cinderford Town and Wellington.

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Ryan Green Signs

Ryan Green has signed a two year contract with the Bulls.

The ex-Wolves & Sheffield Wednesday full-back has been capped three times for Wales, and is indeed the youngest player to feature for the principality.

Meanwhile, the game finished this evening 1-0 to Birmingham.

Kirovski hands United first defeat

Hereford United 0 - 1 Birmingham City

The Bulls went down to their first pre-season defeat tonight, as a Birmingham City XI won 1-0 at Edgar Street thanks to a goal just before the half-time whistle.

This was despite the signing of Ryan Green, who joins Hereford on a two-year deal.

United had the best of the first half, as they played without Andy Tretton, Danny Bertram or David Brown, and Birmingham's on-trial goalkeeper Dragan Zilic was kept busy early on by a fierce Steve Guinan effort and another forceful strike by Paul Parry.

At the other end, Andy Barrowman's chance failed to hit the target as it sailed across the goal midway through the half.

Further chances came, mainly from Hereford, before Birmingham took the lead. Hereford didn't really deserve to go behind, but former Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund and Sporting Lisbon attacker Jovan Kirovski picked up a good ball, beat the United defence before striking a low shot wide of the outstretched Matt Baker and into the far corner.

After the restart, United had to cope with knocks to Jamie Pitman, Paul Parry and Richard Teesdale but all seemed to recover rapidly. Before Teesdale was taken off late in the match, he made a mistake which almost cost United a second goal. He allowed the lively Craig Fagan through but, with Baker beaten, the young Blue found the crossbar when he really should have scored.

Ferdinand Cody, Birmingham's on-loan defender from Lens, was taken off fourteen minutes from time when the referee asked for his removal after an incident. He reluctantly departed, but unfortunately for Hereford, his loss did not weaken the Premiership side enough to find an equaliser.

Written by Terry Goodwin - 31st July 2003.

Hereford United	Birmingham City
Matt Baker	Dragan Zilic
Ryan Green (off, 78 minutes)	Peter Vaughan (off, 15 minutes)
Michael Rose	Matthew Sadler
Jamie Pitman	Marcus Painter
Richard Teesdale (off, 85 minutes)	Ferdinand Coly (off, 76 minutes)
Tony James (captain)	Sam Alsop (off, 82 minutes)
Danny Williams (off, 77 minutes)	Bryan Hughes (captain, off 77 minutes)
Ben Smith	Curtis Woodhouse
Steve Guinan (off, 63 minutes)	Jovan Kirovski
Rob Purdie	Craig Fagan
Paul Parry (off, 71 minutes)	Andy Barrowman
Subs	Subs
Jordan King (on, 71 minutes)	Liam Reynolds (on, 76 minutes)
Jamie Hales	Colin Doyle
Rob Sawyers (on, 77 minutes)	Chad Shepherd (on, 77 minutes)
Dean Craven (on, 63 minutes)	Carl Motteram (on, 82 minutes)
Pierre Ennis (on, 78 minutes)	Mark Allan (on, 15 minutes)
Danny Moon (on, 85 minutes)
Yellow cards	Yellow cards
-	-
Red cards	Red cards
-	-
Scorers	Scorers
-	Jovan Kirovski (44 minutes)
Man of the Match	Ben Smith
Attendance	1320
Referee	Mr. K. Morris (Hereford)

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