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Next Game: Scarborough In The League At Edgar Street On Tuesday 19th November At 7.45pm

Saturday, January 07, 2012

Brough remembers the Tottenham Cup-ties

This weekend is the third round of the FA Cup and one former Hereford United player has been looking back to January 1996 when he was in the team that played Tottenham firstly at Edgar Street.

These days John Brough is head of youth at Cheltenham but in 1996 was a regular starter for the Bulls.

"We just went out to enjoy the match," Brough told the Gloucestershire Echo.

"But after 15 or 20 minutes we got a sense they weren't quite up for the conditions and couldn't quite play their way of football because it was cold and wet and the pitch was muddy.

"They scored first after about 25 minutes though Ronny Rosenthal, but we were confident in the second half going down the slope that we'd get back in it."

The Bulls had a chance to draw level when they were awarded a penalty but captain Dean Smith put his effort well over the bar.

"As Dean Smith was running back after the penalty miss I said 'don't worry Deano, we'll get back into it' and we managed to win a corner," Brough said.

"Keith Downing took it with his left foot from the right hand side and whipped it into the near post.

"It was something we'd worked on and I got across the front of Gary Mabbutt, got my head to it and it went in off the bar, it was a great moment."

The replay took place 11 days later.

"We went there and I still put it down as my favourite ground I played at," Brough said.

"The closeness of the fans in a full house of 33,000 was incredible and the build-up to the game was great

"After 20 minutes we were competing, but they scored from a corner and the floodgates opened."

Spurs went on to win 5-1, although Gareth Stoker scored a spectacular 30-yard consolation goal for Hereford.

"We had a good go and didn't let ourselves down despite the final scoreline," he said.

"They had Ian Walker in goal, Sol Campbell in midfield and Ruel Fox on the right wing, so it was not a bad side!"