From The Archives - Bulls Win Friendly At Pegasus

Back to July 2015 and Hereford FC are in the midst of their first pre-season.

Pegasus Juniors 0-2 Hereford FC

Joel Edwards Leading Out The Hereford FC Players

 

Hereford FC made the short trip across the city to Old School Lane for another pre-season friendly. Manager Peter Beadle was back in the dug out following a short break that saw Matt Bishop take charge on Tuesday at Wellington. New signings John Mills and Pablo Haysham began life on the bench with two other new faces joining the squad. Harpbury student Siddiq Grant started in midfielder and Dean Lee was named on the bench. Lee is thought to be a former Monmouth and Westfields midfielder. Callum Craddock who played against Wellington on Tuesday was named on the Pegasus bench and Dan MacDonald appears to have left the club and returned to Monmouth. It is not known if Jamie Gregory and Sam Hunt have left or whether they were left out of the squad today.

Dale Hodges Receiving Treatment From Physio Jony Evans

 

The game started very scrappily with Dale Hodges going down early on following a strong tackle from a Pegasus player. Hereford began to threaten with Adam Page attempting to get a shot away but it was blocked by a defender. Nathan Hughes was next to threaten after he got past a defender, only to put his effort wide. Hereford continued to pile the pressure on with Dylan Bonella playing Rob Purdie in only for him to fire it over the Pegasus goal. 

Adam Page Gets Past Two Defenders Before Scoring Hereford's First Goal

 

The Bulls opened the scoring when Page fired a shot that was half saved by the goalkeeper, however he was unable to prevent it rolling in to the net. 

Page Lines Up His Second Goal

 

Two minutes later Page was again on the score sheet after hitting a shot from just outside the area beating the keeper and in to the bottom left corner. Hereford had a few more shots before the end of half without beating the keeper, the best of them fell to Hughes who had a great chance to make it 3-0 when he broke in to the box only to hit his shot wide. 

Keeper Relieved That Hughes' Shot Went Wide

 

The first half wasn't all one way traffic as Pegasus did manage to get a few shots that were saved by Lovett and they managed to get a couple of potential dangerous crosses in to the Hereford box only to be dealt with by the defence.

Half time: Pegasus Juniors 0-2 Hereford

The second half started slowly and appeared to be a different tempo than the first with most of the early action taking place in the middle of the park. Hereford did have a free kick on the 55th minute, however Hodge hit it high and over the goal. The action did seem to heat up half way through the second half when a tackle from King wasn't well received by the Pegasus player and led to a heated confrontation. It was unclear at first whether the referee had sent both players off, however he asked for both players to be substituted for a cooling down before they were allowed to return to the pitch later on. The anticipation levels rose a minute late when Beadle gave fans the first glimpse of John Mills and Pablo Haysham. 

John Mills Had A Couple Of  Half Chances

 

The game started to pick up with Sam Pearson hitting a free kick wide of the Pegasus goal before good link up play between Haysham and Mills led to Mills coming close to scoring on his debut, only to see the Pegasus keeper tip his effort on to the crossbar.

Full Time: Pegasus Juniors 0-2 Hereford
 
Attendance: around 1100

Hereford FC:  1 Reece Lovitt, 2. Will Haines, 3. Joel Edwards, 4. Siddiq Grant, 5. Tony James, 6. Nathan Summers, 7. Dale Hodges, 8. Dylan Bonella, 9 Nathan Hughes, 10. Rob Purdie, 11. Adam Page

Subs:12. Ben Miller, 14. Sol Wheatley, 15. Sam Pearson, 16. Pablo Haysham, 17. John Mills, 18. Reece King, 19. Dean Lee, 21. Harvey Rivers 

 

Beadle Pleased With Performance At Pegasus

Manager Peter Beadle With Physio Jony Evans At Pegasus This Afternoon

 

Speaking after this afternoon's friendly at Pegasus, Hereford FC manager Peter Beadle said he was very pleased with the performance of his squad.

"I just said to the players that's probably the sort of thing we are going to come up against week in, week out," Beadle told BN.

"They (Pegasus) were organised, they were fit, strong and physical.

"They tried to play in spells which was good for them and a good test for us.

"There were a few naughty challenges at times but we've got to expect that because that's what we are going to get.

"So it was a good workout in the fact that that's probably quite close to what we're going to be up against this season."

There were two new trialists on show.

Siddiq Grant

 

"Siddiq Grant has come to us from Hartpury. They speak of him very highly. 

"He hasn't played for a long while so he took a little while to get going but I thought as the game went on he got better and better. So we'll have another look at him.

"Dean Lee came on second half. Dean has been with us from the start but he fell off a ladder at work and twisted his knee so he's been out for a couple of weeks.

"Bearing in mind he hasn't really trained much before today, he showed his tenacious side today, he's very aggressive in his manner and I was very pleased with him as well."

Adam Page Fends Off A Pegasus Defender

 

Adam Page scored both Hereford goals.

"Adam played again today and did very well, took his two goals great and showed the quality he's got."

John Mills With A Shot

 

The latest signings, John Mills and Pablo Haysham, both came on midway through the second half.

"The new boys had a run out.

"They've had a long day today, they did a lot of stuff at the ground this morning with their signings.

"So it was good for them to have twenty minutes get their legs opened out a bit.

"Again they showed in spells what they are going to be capable of when things settle down and they get to know the players better, and the players know them better.

Pablo Haysham

 

"You've already seen together as a pair, Pablo feeding him in. They know each others game.

"It was promising to see them with the chances they had.

"As long as they're okay from today I'm sure they will get more game time on Tuesday."

So how the squad looking for numbers?

"Another three or four has gone this week and there may be one or two more this weekend as well.

"We are looking at 17, I think 17 is a good number. We've got the two young boys that have signed this week, great for the club and great for UITC. It's a nice connection which is what we've wanted.

"So we are at 15 including them so we are probably looking at three or four more for definite.

"And we are looking at all areas.

"We are probably looking at one more forward, one more midfield player, one more defender may be. 

"There are things going on and we've still got the boys here at the minute and we've got to speak to them this weekend as well."

FIXTURES | Who Hereford have got first, plus other key matches

Hereford will travel to Buxton for the opening game of the 2026/27 season, on August 8.

The Bulls will then face Marine at home the following Saturday.

The Boxing Day and Easter Monday fixtures will be against Merthyr, while there will also be Bank Holiday matches against Southport and Oxford.

The final match is home to Scarborough.

The full fixtures

A look at who Hereford could get on key dates ahead of fixture release

The National League North fixtures for the 2026/27 season will be released at 11am on Friday. 

Traditionally, Hereford face a north east team with the Bulls playing a side from that part of the country in three of the past four campaigns. 

And on two of those occasions, the Bulls have played Spennymoor.

Last season, Hereford were away on the opening day so you would hope they would be home this time around on August 8.

Hopefully, the Bulls will have a more local team on August Bank Holiday Monday - in each of the past two seasons, they have faced Radcliffe.

One thing that is certain this time round is that Aaron Downes' side won't be playing Kidderminster on Boxing Day due to Harriers being promoted.

It is almost certain that Hereford will play Merthyr then with the Welsh side not having any other team near them. The return fixture will be on either Good Friday or Easter Monday. 

Due to Boxing Day being a Saturday this year, there will be a Bank Holiday on Monday, December 28, so there could be a game on that day.

Last season, there wasn't a game on New Year's Day, with Hereford instead going to Merthyr on December 30. It would make sense for there to be one this time, or on January 2, which is a Saturday.

There will also be a selection of midweek games which are normally against "localish" sides. Hopefully they will be during half terms rather than either side.

The final day of the campaign will be on Saturday, April 24. Hereford were due to go to Peterborough Sports last season, but because the scheduled home game in December got switched, it meant the Bulls finished at home. They last finished a season away in 2022/23 - a forgetful 5-0 drubbing at Blyth Spartans. 

Caddis Looks For More Players

Paul Caddis is on the look out for several more players.

The Kings Lynn manager has already brought in eight fresh faces in his squad.

“We like the look of a couple of the trialists we've brought in,” he told BBC Radio Norfolk. 

“We'll see what we can do on that - if it's possible, then we'll try and get one or two of them. If not, we'll keep looking.

“We're still a bit short up the top end of the pitch. We still need a winger, a striker. We still need another body probably in the middle of the pitch. Defensively, probably one more and another goalie.

“There's options out there. We're just trying to pick the right one for the right price.

“For managers up and down the country, whether you're in Step 6 or the Premier League, it's the busiest time of the year when everybody's switched off. There's no supporters in the stadiums, but it's so busy for managers.

“Recruitment is vital in football. If you get it right, you've got a chance. If you don't, then you don't have a chance. It's as straightforward as it is. But we'll keep working away. “

 

 

 

News Round Up

Shrewsbury Town has been placed under a one-window transfer fee restriction in accordance with EFL Regulation 52.6. They remain able to sign free agents & loan players during the current transfer window and manager Gavin Cowan will still be able to strengthen his squad.

Kidderminster manager Paul Wotton has 19 players in his squad but says he is looking for a few more.  'We need a couple more in because we need that bit of quality and that little bit of experience.'

The Bulls Battalion has said a huge thank you to everyone who has supported their recent fundraiser, from sharing to donating. They have raised £1,110! 'Your donations have already allowed us to make a start on repairs to our existing equipment, and they'll also help us continue building towards bigger and better displays for the future.'

 

There are plans for an 'evening with Joe Ledley' at Edgar Street on a evening to be confirmed. 

 

  

 

Friendly At Pegasus On Saturday

Hereford FC make the short trip to Hereford Pegasus on Saturday for their first pre-season friendly.

Details from Pegasus:

This weekend we welcome Hereford FC to The KGD Stadium in a pre-season friendly, come along and see their new look squad including our very own Cawley Cox 

The day will also mark the opening of our fabulous Hospitality Suite which will be officially opened by Ed Pitt the owner of KGD Industrial Services 

A massive shout out to CleanMy who are the official match day sponsors, thank you for your support. 

Please note that we are expecting a big crowd so parking will be limited.

We have 2 turnstiles open taking cash and card. 

The bar will be open from 12 noon serving draught, lager and cider throughout the day along with “Herefordshires Finest Heggies of Hereford Pies” 

Make sure you arrive early to grab a seat, soak up the atmosphere ahead of the big match.  

 KGD Stadium  KO 3pm  

 £8 entry-£5 concessions U16’s £1 accompanied with an adult. 

Prices for Hereford's home friendlies

Hereford have confirmed the ticket prices for their home friendlies.

It will cost Bulls fans £14 to stand and £16 to sit for any of the three matches. Concession prices meanwhile will be £12 and £14 respectively, while for under-16s, it will be £2 and £3. 

These prices are valid if tickets are bought in advance and not on the match day.

Aaron Downes' new-look side will first play at Edgar Street on Tuesday, July 21 when they host Worcester City. The match is a charity fundraiser with £1 of every ticket sold split between St Michael's Hospice and St Richard's Hospice.

The next home game will be on Saturday, July 25 when Hereford face National League side Solihull Moors.

Then on the following Tuesday (July 28) they will play Shrewsbury Town. 

Tickets for the matches can be purchased here.

An Evening With Steve Bull At Edgar Street

Hereford Women Seek New Coaching Help

 

Hereford Women are seeking a new coach and an assistant coach.

This from Hereford FC:

HEAD COACH

Reporting to Hereford FC’s Head of Women’s Football, the Head Coach will lead in planning, delivery and recording of all coaching sessions in line with the club’s technical programme, create and update individual learning plans and be available to attend all matches and training sessions around Herefordshire and the West Midlands.

A minimum of 12 months’ coaching experience is an essential requirement, as well as a UEFA C Diploma or higher and history of involvement in the women’s game.

Click here to read the full job description

ASSISTANT COACH

The Assistant Coach will support the Head Coach with all of their main duties and responsibilities. They must be able to organise, plan and deliver sporting activities, have good communication skills and hold a Level 1 FA Coaching qualification or higher.

Click here to read the full job description

If you wish to apply for either of these roles and believe you can demonstrate that you have the necessary skills and experience, please send your CV and a covering letter addressed to Malcolm Cowell, Head of Women’s Football, to women@herefordfc.co.uk

Closing date: Monday 13th July

Hereford looking at local striker

Hereford have been looking at local striker, Jordan Williamson.

The Hereford Pegasus hotshot, who scored over 30 goals last season, has been pictured training with the Bulls. Aaron Downes' side kick off their pre-season campaign with a trip to Old School Lane to take on Pegasus this Saturday.

A fellow former Pegasus striker, Cawley Cox, is already with Hereford having joined the Bulls from Merthyr in May. 

Pre-Season 2002/03

A look back to July 2002 and pre-season at Hereford United. 

HEREFORD United manager Graham Turner spoke to BBC Hereford & Worcester's Nicola Goodwin on Friday Sport. 

NG: Hereford United players have returned to Edgar Street this week to start pre-season training. Manager Graham Turner was left with just six contracted players at the end of last season. He has begun a recruitment campaign. This week he has announced that another three players Andy Tretton, John Grant and Michael Rose will be joining the club. Earlier today I popped over to Edgar Street to speak to Graham about his new signings just before the players went off on a rather nasty run.

GT: Yes and a lot more to come I hope. Its common knowledge that we only retained six players from last season. I have signed five more and we have several trialists in with us at the moment and I am hoping before the season starts, well before the season starts, we finish up with a squad of 17 or 18 players.I have been delighted with what we have signed so far. They all look good athletes, lean and mean, and I think we still need one or two other positions filled, a striker is one of the main targets, another mid-field player. 

But so far I am well pleased with what I have seen and the pre-season have got underway, we have had our first two days and there is a good spirit amongst them. It is nice to see so many new faces about the place. I think people do become stale in the same place year in year out and I am sure supporters will be looking forward to see these new players that we have got in.

NG: You named three new men earlier this week. Why did you decide to bring them to Edgar Street? What attracted you?

GT: Well it was a combination of things. In the case of Andy Tretton, he is an experienced central defender. It gives me an option now of changing the system and going with three central defenders, him and Tony James and Ian Wright. We will have a lot of experience back there. Andy Tretton is a good central defender, a good defender who is not bad on the ball as well. We will expect him to a little bit, if we are playing three central defenders, a little bit constructive as well as being able to defend. 

In John Grant, a 20 year old striker, very quick, very mobile, a lot of potential, a lot of scope, comes very very highly recommended by the people who worked with him for several years at Crewe, particularly Dario Gradi, who I think is well respected in the game has given him a high recommendation and so we've taken a chance with him. We have seen him play a couple of times and we know that he has got enough at 20 years of age to make an impact in the Conference. 

And young Michael Rose left back from Chester, again he is only a young lad, 19 years of age, started his career at Manchester United. And sometimes when you get released by a club the size of Manchester United where a player thinks he has got the world at his feet, it can have a devastating effect on them and although he had a season at Chester, and I think started about 38 games for Chester, he was not offered a new contract. I think the change of manager there disrupted things a little bit and so I think we have cashed in on the situation by obtaining his services here. I have got great hopes for Michael Rose, I think he is going to go on to be a very good player. 

Add to that Ben Smith and Jamie Pitman that we signed earlier, one or two players coming in on trial next week. One of interest who has been recommended to me by a former senior player out of Wolves, who is playing in the Premiership now. He has been released by a Premiership club, and the player said just have a look at him. He is a good player, he will do you a world of good as a midfield player. So we are going to have a look at him. 

Goalkeepers, I have several goalkeepers coming in on trial. It's good, there is a bit of buzz about the place at the moment and I think some of that is largely due to Richard O'Kelly who is taking part of the training. He is a keen, enthusiastic man and has got a good sense of humour and I think the players so far have responded very well to him. So, yes there is a buzz about the place, we are all upbeat and we cannot wait for the season to start.

NG: Pre-season must be more important now because of the amount of changes taking place in the squad.

GT: Well, there are two purposes for pre-season. You have got to get the players fit and you have got to get the pattern of playing in the team and with so many new faces in there we are going to have to work hard on our pattern of play and we have got to work hard on the team play and the practice matches will be important to us. It is not going to gel straight away, there is going to be misunderstandings between players and groups of players but all that should come together and we hope before the start of the season but it certainly takes a little bit of time when you have got so many new faces in for it to gel.  

News Round Up

Former Hereford reserve goalkeeper Seb Osment is on trial with Bala.

Midfielder Shane Byrne has joined Spalding. The 33 year old was with Brackley last season. 

Forest Green Rovers have signed Emeka Obi from Kidderminster Harriers for an undisclosed fee.The 6ft 6in defender has agreed a two year deal because of a family commitment.

Carlisle have been fined by the National League for failing to send a director to the League's AGM last month. Only one of their six directors lives in the UK and she couldn't attend.

Keenan Pattern has signed a new deal with Newport County. The former Hereford mid-fielder has recovered from a serious leg injury.  

 

 

Big Cuts At Forest Green Rovers

Forest Green Rovers owner Dale Vince, seldom out of the headlines recently for reasons other than sport, has decided to make cut backs at the club.

'This will be our third season in the National League and as a result we face the full £1.5million loss of income, it having been mitigated until now by reducing parachute payments. 

Seeing this coming for some weeks, we’ve reviewed all spending and our focus has had to be on regaining our place in the EFL - it’s the logical thing to do. As a result, we already had to cut the boys' football program - but faced no criticism for that, worth noting. 

We believed we had found a way to continue with the women’s team and the girls’ system, by partnering with Hartpury - but they changed their position very late in the day, leaving us facing the six-figure cost of running the women’s team alone - and so we’ve needed to make this decision. FGR have been supporting women’s football for over a decade; the criticism we’ve faced in the last few days for this is entirely misplaced - it’s unfair, in fact.

 Economic realities have forced us to cut spending in many areas; we already cut funding to the system for boys as part of that. The women’s team cuts have come at the very end and only due to a last-minute let-down - that’s hardly indicative of a club that does not care about women’s football. 

Our focus on getting back to the EFL is the most logical thing for us to do, once we have achieved that we can restore all of the programs we’ve not been able to afford this year - the boys, girls and the women’s team. 

That’s our plan, to get back to where we were in all respects, in the EFL and with the wherewithal to fund the things we believe in, which - yes, does include football for women and girls. And boys.' 

From The Archives - Pell Joins Hereford United

Hereford FC's assistant manager Harry Pell joined Hereford United in July 2011. It followed a successful loan spell the previous season. A look back:

June 30th:

Pell Leaves The Pirates

Former Bulls loanee Harry Pell has told his Twitter followers he has left Bristol Rovers.

The 19 year old played seven times for the Bulls last term before being recalled to the Memorial Ground, but after a couple of starts he found himself back on the bench and has opted to move on. He told his followers:
 

"Just want 2 say thank you to every gas head for your support over the season.. Receiving young player of da yer was a life achievement for me... But me and my family have decided it's best for my future if I moved on.. I hope you understand and thankyou again bless you."

It is currently unclear whether the Pirates will be seeking a fee for the midfielder.

July 4th:

Harry Pell is being linked with a move to join up with Lennie Lawrence at Crystal Palace according to the press.

The Bristol Evening Post reports that the former Bulls loanee, who was named the Pirates' Young Player of the Year last season, is wanted by Lawrence. Pell started his career at Charlton, where Lawrence originally made his name, and is said by Rovers fans to have joined their club for the veteran boss.

 
July 6th:

For Whom Does The Pell Toil?

Harry Pell is training somewhere, and the message boards seem convinced it's with the Bulls.

Since he confirmed his own departure from Bristol Rovers on Twitter there has been little confirmed movement from the 'Essex Socrates'. A Google search throws up little to shed light on his situation.
 

There is still a question whether Bristol Rovers are entitled to a fee for the teenager. Pell rejected their offer of a new deal to leave, and the Pirates would hold claims to compensation if they offered him at least equal terms to his existing deal.

Their official site is not heaving with information either, with the only official word since Pell announced his own departure was a note that he was not at their first day of pre-season training. It was also noted on Monday that manager Paul Buckle 'had no news on players departing'.

July 8th:

Pell To Resolve His Future Today

Bristol Rovers boss Paul Buckle has said that no players have left the Memorial Ground since his arrival.

With Harry Pell having stated he was leaving the club, and apparently training with the Bulls, Buckle said that any contract offers were still on the table. He told the press: 

"There are players here who will possibly move on. I'm just waiting, really, as I think that agents will dictate that with the players to a certain extent. However, I'll only give that situation so much time before I step in.
 

"It's up to those players now, but I have to say that they have been great and they have trained rally well. They are good players, but they have to decide now whether to commit everything to this club or move on, because I won't let anything hold the squad back."

Pell told his Twitter followers yesterday that he hoped to resolve his future today.

July 8th:

Pell signs two year deal




Hereford United have confirmed that former Bristol Rovers midfielder Harry Pell has signed a two year deal with the club, following a successful trial period.

Pell spent a loan spell with United in the early part of 2011.

Born on October 21st, 1991 19 year old Pell joined the youth set-up at Charlton Athletic at the tender age of seven. In 2010, Pell spent a 'work-experience' spell at Hastings United, scoring four times in nineteen appearances. In the summer of 2010, Pell was released by Charlton, and subsequently joined League One outfit Bristol Rovers, having trialled at the Memorial Ground along with training stints at Gillingham and Wycombe Wanderers.

Pell made his Rovers debut as a sub in November 2010, in the 3-0 defeat to Leyton Orient. In January 2011, Pell joined Hereford on loan where he made seven appearances. The fans took to the young midfielder, who impressed with his skillful and energetic displays. Following his contract being mutually terminated by the Gasmen, Pell trained with United before agreeing a two year deal with the club.

Why are the fixtures out so late?

Next season's National League North fixtures will be released next Friday (July 10).

However, it raises the question as to why they're out so late. The Premier League released their fixtures on June 19 - just under four weeks after the 2025/26 campaign finished.

Six days later, the EFL fixtures were out which also included the draw for the preliminary round and first round of the Carabao Cup.

So why couldn't the National League fixtures, along with the North and South, be released this week? 

Even the Hellenic League - where Westfields and Hereford Pegasus ply their trade - announced their fixtures their fixtures this week. Both clubs also know their FA Cup and Vase opponents with those draws being made today (Friday). 

Because the Step 3 and 4 leagues released their fixtures a week after the National League, fans of those clubs will have to wait until July 17.

Why they couldn't come out next Friday, with the National League announcing theirs today, who knows.