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Smith relishing Football League chance
It's been a busy season for Hereford United midfielder Ben Smith - he's played seventeen times!
For the first time in two years, Smith has commanded a first team place as injuries have eased and after recovering from a pre-season dislocated shoulder, he has returned to the United side to lose just four times since mid-November.
"It's nice just to be playing again and it's the first time in two years I've played 15 games in a row," said Smith in today's Evening News. "Everything has gone really well. I scored a few goals when I came back although lately my form has been pretty average - not brilliant but not bad either.
"I don't know what's happening with my contract but if I was to stay and got a good pre-season under my belt I would like to think the fans would see a 20 per cent better player. When you have not played for a while and especially when you've missed pre-season training, and I've missed two pre-seasons on the trot it's quite hard and takes a while to adjust."
Hereford's results greatly improved when he returned to the side, and Smith reckons that if the style of football is maintained then Division Three status is destined to embrace Edgar Street once again. "We are encouraged to play it up from the back, through the middle and then get the ball out to exciting players like Paul Parry," he added. "I think we are as good as anybody. "Yeovil are the best team in the league but of the rest of the teams challenging I don't think there is much in it.
"Graham Turner has done brilliantly. If you think about where we finished last season and the fact he practically built a new squad I think he would be delighted if we could maintain our position and get into the play-offs. Once we are there then anything can happen.
"I've seen all the teams like Chester, Doncaster and Morecambe and we are as good as them, it's just about what happens on the day."