Hereford Featured In The Independent

Rob Purdie Was Interviewed By The Independent

The Independent has a long post about both Hereford and Telford in adavance of tomorrow's FA Cup game between the two 'reformed' teams.

Here's what they've said about Hereford.

Opponents Hereford United were in League One as recently as 2008-09 and their descent was a rapid and tragic demise, as they went out of business mid-season in 2014-15 due to mounting debts. But were re-established in the Midlands Football League in the summer of 2015 and have been promoted in successive seasons, which means they are more than confident of downing Telford in front of a packed Edgar Street. 


Midfielder Rob Purdie joined the club after being released by Leicester aged 19, now aged 35 he’s back at Hereford for his fourth spell with the club that means so much to him. He remembers when the club went out of business in 2014 and believes many saw it as a blessing in disguise.


“It had been taken over by someone who wasn’t right for it and many people saw it as a relief when it folded, as they thought something fresh could start. It should never have got to that point, but when it did, it needed to go bust to give it a chance of getting back up to where it used to be.”

When the new version was founded, Purdie decided it was the perfect place to end his career, which had seen him play over 300 league games. Although he knew Hereford well, playing for a part-time side has been an eye-opener for the experienced midfielder.


“I could have gone higher - and spoke to a few clubs - but I was turning 32 and after a bad injury, I’d lost a bit of love for football over the years and I wanted to be passionate about what I did until the end of my career and enjoy it, so Hereford was the perfect choice. I live in Hereford, I knew the fanbase and I saw it as the final product of my career to get them back to somewhere where they should be.


“For me it’s the same club, it’s the same fans you see before and after the games at the same ground, the directors I knew anyway from supporting the club, so it’s exactly the same club for me.”

Hereford fans have done a lot to keep the club going, but continue to act in the interest of players. They raised almost £10,000 for striker Jamie Cuss to undergo surgery following a knee injury, they also came together to pay £1000 towards treatment for defender Ryan Green’s Achilles problem and even found a pair of golden ‘Totti’ boots for club hero Purdie, which has helped build the bond between players and supporters.


“When you’re a professional player it’s so easy to just get in your car and go home, now it seems a lot more personal: players are friends with the supporters and the supporters try to do things back for players. And you don’t get that at many places and you definitely don’t get that in the league.

“Clubs kind of distance themselves from the fans as they just want the money, whereas here everybody is in it together and that’s the biggest difference I’ve seen from Hereford United to Hereford FC.”

Now the club are looking to the future on the stable grounding they’ve worked hard to achieve, which would be assisted by FA Cup progression. The run in the competition so far has already seen them defeat National League side Eastleigh and getting further will boost their profile for years to come.


“There are a lot of fan-owned clubs who get to, and even surpass, the level they’ve been at before and we take inspiration from that. What Hereford won’t do is overspend and end up going bust again, so if we have to consolidate for a few years and then go up. We’ve had two promotions but there might need to be a period where we make some money so we can push again. Overall, Hereford want to be back in the Football League and that is a hell of an ask and it’s a long-term plan.”

Read the full article at:  http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/fa-cup-first-round-hereford-fc-afc-telford-united-phoenix-clubs-a8036606.html

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