14 POINTS FOR CHAMPIONSHIP – DON’T UNDERESTIMATE QUORN

Frank Williams feels Hereford need 14 points to win the championship but they must not underestimate Quorn.

Quorn have denied Alvechurch four points in recent weeks giving Hereford their four point advantage, they have also denied Sporting Khalsa two points effectively ending their title ambitions. We must thank QWuorn for the favour by beating them next Saturday.

To guarantee the Championship of The Midland Football League, Hereford FC needs 15 points from the last 6 games, but with a Goal Difference 18 goals superior to Alvechurch, 4 wins and two draws (14 points) will almost certainly be enough.
So why Quorn? They are fighting hard to avoid the drop and are nearly safe. They have managed 2 league draws against Alvechurch in recent weeks and a battling 1-1 draw yesterday against Sporting Khalsa. One more win will probably be enough and they may get that on Tuesday when they entertain Dunkirk who have only won once in their last eleven games; but we all know how hard they are battling at the moment.
By the time we play Coventry Sphinx, the other team in deep trouble at the foot of the table, on Monday 25^th in what will be both teams penultimate league fixture, the relegation issues will probably be settled. By that time Alvechurch will still have a game in hand over us,
The real crunch could come, two days earlier, on Saturday 23^rd when Heanor Town visit Hereford. We will know after we have played that game what we will need to do to clinch the title. I can’t see the decision going to the final game at Shepshed somehow as I don’t see Alvechurch taking 6 points off Khalsa. Every Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday (with the odd Monday and Wednesday thrown in) has a match that has a bearing on the title.
Khalsa are safe in third, but after dropping points on Saturday, are unlikely to be able to catch the top two even if they beat them. Realistically if they were to beat us and also Alvechurch twice, they would effectively be giving us the title as every point that Alvechurch drops reduces our target by the same quantity.
A four point lead is nothing ….at Christmas. With 6 games to go four points is massive. Alvechurch already have to better our results in two of their remaining six games, and by midweek they could be looking at a 7 point gap albeit with a game in hand, which could be interpreted as either one of the Khalsa matches, but our target will have reduced to 11 points. Every time we better Alvechurch’s corresponding result then our target will decrease and their task becomes more difficult. For example, an Alvechurch draw and a Hereford win reduces our target by 2 points, and each time there is one less game to play.
I don’t think Quorn will be at all easy, much like Dunkirk, but a win would reduce our target to 8 points with four games left, and so the story goes on until the games run out.
I don’t think we are going to need 14 points to win the league personally. I’ve studied all the remaining matches, which I won’t bore you with, and I think that 12, and probably less, will be enough. I know it’s never over until mathematical certainty kicks in but with such an advantage that our goal difference gives us, I think a result at Coventry Sphinx on Monday 25^th will probably be the title decider.

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