A run down of all tonight's National North League fixtures:
Buxton v Brackley
Chester v Merthyr
Chorley v Darlington
Harborough v Hereford
Kings Lynn v Darlington
Macclesfield v Scarborough
Radcliffe v Hebburn
South Shields v Marine
Southport v Morecambe
Spennymoor v Spalding
Telford v Oxford
Worksop v Bedford
South Shields have added to their squad just days before they travel to Hereford.
Rio Clegg has joined them from Radcliffe for a significant undisclosed fee. Last season he scored 27 goals.
Clegg who is 24 said he was 'buzzing' to be signing for South Shields.
"It’s my first time stepping into a full-time environment, and I think this is the perfect Club for me to continue my career.
“I love the football that’s being played here, it suits me really well, and I can’t wait to get started."
Clegg score for Radcliffe at Edgar Street last April. Hereford won the game 3-1.
The takeover of Shrewsbury Town by an American group has been given the go ahead.
But it remains unclear whether or when any deal will go ahead.
Shrewsbury chairman Roland Wycherley has had the club for sale for several years.
Football expert Keiran Maguire has given the BBC Radio Shropshire his thoughts on the deal.
"Well, this means that the new prospective owners now have the authority from both the EFL and the independent regulator to buy the shares from Roland Wycherley
"And that’s a private transaction, so that means no money coming into the club itself.
“Once they’ve bought the shares from Wycherley, they’re able to then set the budget for the rest of this year. That’s going to be in terms of wages, that’s going to be in terms of transfers, that’s going to be in terms of infrastructure spend and trying to increase the revenue for the club. We wait to see what their approach will be.
"The history of American owners is mixed. If you take a look at what happened at Crawley Town, they came in, it didn’t really work out there. At Carlisle United, they came in, they put money into the club, they weren’t that familiar with football and it’s cost them an awful lot of money.
"On the other side of the scale, we’ve seen the success clearly at Wrexham, we’ve seen the success of other US owners in terms of being able to accelerate the club.
“So, it’s not a time to be overexcited or underexcited. It’s cautious optimism and that’s what I’d encourage.
“Change can be exciting. I know Shrewsbury hasn’t been through a great time recently, so it is something potentially to look forward to.
"Roland Wycherley clearly feels that he’s done his time now and a fresh pair of hands, perhaps with fresh ideas could be beneficial to all.
“There’s no reason why it should take a long period of time,” he added.
“It’s a bit like buying a house when you get a survey done. Once the survey and mortgage has been approved, it’s then down to the solicitors on both sides of the deal - both the buyer and the seller - to negotiate the final price, make sure the money is received on the appropriate date, and then you hand over the shares.
“As part of the deal, the new owners will end up with a share in the English Football League itself which gives them votes, rights, and then they will be able to pick up the license from the IFR. The licensing system is only a shadow system at present, so I don’t see that being a delay.
“There’s no reason why it can’t be weeks, provided all of the due diligence has been done by the buyers.”
A preview of tomorrow's game between Harborough and Hereford written by James Lee:
Enterprise National League North
Harborough Town v Hereford
Tuesday 8th September 2026
Kick-off: 7.45 pm
Venue: The Beehive
Author – James Lee
Enterprise National League North football returns to the Beehive on Tuesday night as we host Hereford FC.
This will be the first competitive fixture between the sides, so both sets of players will want to give their side the edge. All signs point to this fixture being a fiercely entertaining battle and a tough test for both, backed up by manager Mitch Austin: “Look forward to bringing them down here, a great place and should be a good game.”
Hereford FC were founded in 2014, born out of the ashes of Hereford United, a club with a proud history but sadly folded due to off-the-field issues. They kept the Bulls nickname, continued to wear the white shirts with black shorts combination and continued to play at the historic Edgar Street. In just their first season, the club broke a string of attendance records on their way to a league and cup double, also reaching the FA Vase final. The club went on their best FA Cup run since reforming in the 2017/18 season when they drew away at League One outfit Fleetwood Town, forcing a replay which they did later lose.
Manager Aaron Downes took charge in February 2026 initially until the end of the season, but in April he signed a two-year extension to remain at the helm. Having played over 170 games for Chesterfield and over a century for Torquay, his pedigree in the game is beyond doubt. Downes even took over as interim manager at the latter in 2024. The Bulls have had a good start to the season despite losing their season opener away at Buxton in the 98th minute; they haven’t looked back since, unbeaten in six, winning five and drawing the other at home against Chester, only conceding two goals in these; they come into this fixture in good form.
Harborough will need to keep a close watch on several key threats, none more than young Harrison Iwunze, on loan from League One side Notts County. The striker has made an immediate impact, already netting five times this season, two of these coming in Saturday’s home victory over Spennymoor Town.
Another danger man is Billy Phillips, who also signed for Hereford this summer and has scored two goals so far this season. The 20-year-old can operate in attacking midfield or out wide and enjoys taking on a man and creating for his side. Aaron Skinner has made over 120 appearances for The Bulls. He has been named their player of the season twice in the past three years; the 24-year-old full-back isn’t scared to make an impact, having already scored twice this season following on from his penalty on the final day of last season, which helped Hereford preserve their National League North status. The blend of youth and experience is certainly paying off this season, and everyone in yellow knows the test this will bring.
The Bees will be hoping to bounce back following their defeat on Saturday at St James Park against Brackley Town, in a game where Harborough were largely on top but were made to miss chances. However, the Bees are yet to taste anything but victory at the Beehive this season, having beaten Morecambe 1-0, turning around a half-time deficit to beat Darlington 4-2, and a late Paul Malone winner saw the Bees take all three points against Marine in the last outing at the Beehive.
Across the opening seven fixtures, The Bees have certainly proved they are worthy of this level, matching established sides stride for stride. And there’s no question the supporters have driven this on, pushing the team every step of the way, whatever the result or venue. Striker Britt Assombalonga leads the way in terms of goals this season with three, closely followed by Riley O’Sullivan with two. Both will be hoping to add to their tallies against the Bulls’ strong backline on Tuesday evening.
Mikey Lane is all-action according to Barrow manager Adam Murray.
The former Hereford loanee striker has gone out to Barrow for another loan spell from his parent club Fleetwood.
"Mikey can play down the middle, which is his best position as a nine," said Murray.
"He's all-action; he doesn't care who he's playing against, as he'll smash into people, and he's an unbelievable finisher."
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The early season fixtures continue to come thick and fast as Hereford FC travel to Market Harborough on Tuesday evening for a game against Harborough Town. If the points keep coming similarly thick and fast a return to the game-every-other-day schedule of late last season might be a good idea – OK, maybe not.
The Bees lost 1-0 at slow starting Brackley on Saturday, but they’ve beaten Marine, Darlington and Morecambe – their three wins so far all coming at home, giving them a 100% record to protect in this game at their Bowden Park HQ.
It’s hopefully not too patronising to describe that HQ as a relatively ‘modest’ one, and huge recent success on the pitch in the form of back-to-back promotions hasn’t yet been matched by facility enhancements off it. However, appearances can be deceptive and the hosts are clearly a live threat at home.
Britt Assombalonga has spent most of his career at Championship and League 1 level for the likes of Forest and Middlesbrough. He joined Harborough in the summer from Barnet, seemingly on a game-by-game basis, and unless his knees have gone at 33 he’s going to be a handful. If his knees have gone he’s done very well to score two and create two more this season. He looks like an excellent signing if he sticks around – 170+ career goals at significantly higher levels demands considerable respect. Over to you, Kyle and Will, to keep him quiet.
Ex-Bull Sam Osborne was a rare bright spark last season for Hereford, and will be a significant threat here, although Aaron Skinner, Kyle Howkins and Theo Richardson will at least know the ex-Alfreton man’s game inside out in countering that threat.
Ex-Brackley defender George Carline has been a thorn in the Bulls’ side before, and will be on long throw duty for the hosts.
The Bulls’ narrow win at the weekend against a subdued Spennymoor side maintained their second place in the table (yep, second top, not second bottom). There was plenty to like about the performance, including two sublime finishes from that rare beast, a proper centre forward. The Bulls didn’t perhaps totally click, and the flat second quarter of the game was the sort of switch-off better sides will punish.
However, it was another win with hints that there’s more to come when the telepathy develops still further among the players, and puts further clear blue water between this season and last.
Harrison Iwunze goes into this game with five goals in seven games, stats that will give the opposition cause for concern, and those stats don’t even begin to describe what an unplayable handful he can be away from his goalscoring. He and Cawley Cox looked dangerous as a pair in the second half on Saturday – will Aaron Downes gamble on starting with a front two?
Kam Kandola comes back into contention here following suspension and will presumably start in midfield with the back four looking settled, although Preston Bitemo is looking more and more accomplished as a defensive midfielder.
Selection headaches in terms of which combination of strikers to go for and whether to start with Kandola, who has been magnificent so far, or Bitemo, who is emerging as a proper player, bode very well for a play-off push. If everyone can keep their feet on the ground and continue to work hard for each other who knows what’s possible. Shrewsbury next season? It looks like they’re fully committed to doing their bit to make that a reality in getting relegated.
Theo Richardson continues to sparkle in goal, and Saturday’s game could have had a very different outcome without him. Kyle Howkins continues to be at the peak of his form, the other three defenders are all contributing skilfully and significantly, and it’s been a joy to witness Harry Tustin evolve from boy to man in a white shirt over the course of the end of last season and the start of this one.
The hosts have the momentum of promotion behind them, a perfect home record and some very good players in their ranks, and as such should offer a good deal more than a limited Spennymoor did on Saturday. Harry Pell described the Spennymoor game as a banana skin. This looks to be far more of one. It’s a tricky one, but they’ll be thinking the same about the visit of Hereford, and they’re right to. This Bulls side is a good one, with the promise of more to come.
Another win could see Hereford go into Saturday’s home game with South Shields as favourites, and what an indication of progress that would be.
COYW
With the news that Hereford are away at Stafford in the FA Cup, a look back to the 2020/21 season when the two teams last met.
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| Tom Owen-Evans Scored Hereford's Goal |
Hereford’s FA Cup run for
this strange season is already over, beaten by a Stafford Rangers side
who took their chances in an open and entertaining game.
Under the lights at Marston Road, Josh Gowling’s men played some
entertaining football and had plenty of possession. But the lack of a
striker who could turn that dominance into goals cost the Bulls against
the Northern Premier side.
Hereford were without Jared Hodgkiss, Yan Klukowski, Lenell John-Lewis
and Demetri Brown through injury, and non-contract player Dylan Jones
was named among the substitutes.
The Bulls started well with a long range shot from Luke Haines tipped
over the bar.
But Stafford then took the game to Hereford, making it 1-1 on 28 minutes through a low drive from Joe Cuff.
Hereford: White, Haines, Grimes, Camwell, Owen-Evans, Finn, Digie, McQuilkin, Lloyd, Nabi, Dan Jones. Subs: Pollock, Wright, A Jones, Hall, Dylan Jones.
Stafford: King, Williams, Keane, Coulson, Langford, Walsh, Kenton, Harvey, Sleigh, Sebbeth-Njie, Cuff. Subs: Burns, Jones, Coyle, Nesbitt, Forrest, Hill.
Hereford striker Harrison Iwunze has been selected to be in the National North League team of the weekend.
He scored both Hereford's goals in their 2-1 victory over Southport last Saturday.
The bookmakers are offering a price of around 9/4 for a Hereford win at Harborough tomorrow evening.
On Saturday Hereford defeated Spennymoor (23rd) 2-1, Harborough lost 1-0 at Brackley (16th).
Currently Hereford are 2nd in the National North League with 16 points from 7 games, Harborough are 9th with 11 points from 7 games.
Harborough's home record is very good, 3 wins from 3 games, Hereford away record is won 2 and lost 1.
As for goal difference, Hereford's is plus 8, Harborough's is plus 2.
Harborough 21/20 Draw 11/4 Hereford 9/4.
With Hereford entering the competition in the next round here's a list of the dates:
Second Round Qualifying: Saturday 19 September 2026
Third Round Qualifying: Saturday 3 October 2026
Fourth Round Qualifying: Saturday 17 October 2026
First Round Proper: Saturday 7 November 2026
Second Round Proper: Saturday 5 December 2026
Third Round Proper: Saturday 9 January 2027
Fourth Round Proper: Saturday 13 February 2027
Fifth Round Proper: Saturday 6 March 2027
Quarter Final: Saturday 3 April 2027
Semi Final: Saturday 24 April 2027
Final: Saturday 22 May 2027
Some pictures from the second half of this afternoon FA Women's Cup Tie.
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| One Of The Visitors Second Half Goals |
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| A Couple Of Chances For Hereford In The Second Half - This One Straight At The Keeper |
Pictures from the first half of this afternoon's FA Women's Cup between Hereford and Mangotsfield.
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