Hereford FC are back in action on
Saturday following an entertaining win on Tuesday night against Radcliffe. The
first half of that game wasn’t far off as complete a performance as you could
wish for, apart from maybe the clinical finishing to enable the scoreboard to
reflect the approach play and general dominance.
The fact that it was a performance
achieved without Joe Willis, Lewis Hudson and Fin Holmes suggests that the
squad will have sufficient strength in depth to capably face the rigours of
winter, a cold, wet Tuesday night somewhere on the doorstep of the Arctic
Circle, and the ups and downs of a full season in the National League North in
general.
This side looks like it will at least
win more than it will lose. That said, Marine and Radcliffe aren’t South
Shields or Chester, and the Bulls will soon face the latter without Kam
Kandola. That will be a true test, both for the side as a whole and for Preston
Bitemo as Kandola’s understudy.
But first it’s Worksop, and the second
plastic pitch of the season.
They narrowly won their opening two
games 2-1, including an impressive victory at Darlington, but came unstuck last
time, losing 1-0 at newcomers Hebburn.
Two big threats are midfielder Alecs Starcenko
and striker Kian Harratt.
Latvian Starcenko is part of the
furniture at the KC Sofas Stadium having been there for six seasons. He’ll be
instrumental in much of their play, and is one for Kandola to keep an eye on as
the latter plays his final game before a suspension-induced early-season break.
Harratt arrived in the summer from
Oldham and looks to be a very impressive signing. He’s played in the
Championship for Huddersfield under Neil Warnock, scoring against Middlesbrough
and QPR, and also played in the EFL for Port Vale, Fleetwood and Oldham. He’s
still only 24, has scored two already this season, and is a clear danger. That
said, he’s taken a lot more minutes to score his two than Harrison Iwunze has
to score his. The Notts County youngster’s blistering pace and physical
presence, alongside his finishing, constitute a real threat from the Bulls up
front.
Harratt’s fellow striker and new signing
Ryan Viggars will be suspended for this following a sending off – we’re not
alone!
Another new signing, Andrew Boyce, has
been made club captain, and at 36 has a wealth of experience, winning promotion
from the NLN with Scunthorpe in 2025. Hopefully, at 36, he’ll also find the flicks,
tricks and rapid movement of the Hereford front five horrible to cope with.
The Tigers had a perceived weakness last
season against long throws, and Boyce will presumably have been brought in to
address that, as he’ll have cleared more long throws in his long career than most
people have had hot dinners.
They themselves have a long throw expert
in Deegan Atherton, so an aerial threat could be the order of the day.
The Bulls picked up all six points In
the two games these sides contested last season, Worksop’s first in the NLN.
The Tigers didn’t find life easy at step 2 last season but achieved their
primary aim of avoiding relegation and finished five points clear of Hereford.
They look stronger this time.
In terms of the visitors, there’s been
some talk this season about whether one or two strikers should be played. Given
that the midfielders keep getting sent off, and given how effective Harrison Iwunze
and Danny Waldren were when they came on against Radcliffe, maybe the talk
should be about playing three strikers rather than one, and keep the midfielders
to the bare minimum as they’re clearly not to be trusted to stay on the pitch.
One midfielder who has managed to stay
on the pitch so far has been Luke Spokes, who has a languid fluidity you don’t see
too much at this level. His effortless ability to ghost past players suggests
that his first goal of the season is imminent, as, hopefully, is Cawley Cox’s.
Of the other new arrivals, the busy-but-channelled
energy of Billy Phillips and the composure of Will Merrett seem set to contribute
considerably to a transformation of the ‘product’ on offer at Edgar Street this
season.
No injuries or red cards would be good
here, and a win could see the Bulls top the table.
COYW
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