Hereford FC travel to Moss Lane on Saturday for a tricky
looking National League North encounter with Altrincham, kick off 3pm.
Long-serving Alty chairman Graham Rowley recently announced
that he’ll be stepping down from the role at the end of the season. He leaves
the club in an unusually healthy state, entirely debt free even before their
current Cup run, with off-the-field revenue streams thriving and one of the
best community schemes in non-league football. Very much a model to emulate.
The Robins sit two points clear of the drop zone and
have won just one of their last five league games, although that was a 5-0
dismantling of Leamington. They do however have games in hand over absolutely
everyone as a result of getting to the second round of the Cup. They got there
after impressively beating York away last
Saturday, scoring the only goal of the game in the last ten minutes as the
Minstermen tasted defeat for the first time this season. It should also be noted that they’ve played
eight matches away so far, and only five at home, and most of those eight were
against top teams. They’ve also only lost one of those five games at home, and
that was in the opening game of the season against York. They’re almost
certainly lurking in a false position in the table and have to be respected.
As far as Hereford are concerned, they’ve got to improve
considerably on the defeat to Alfreton. ‘Considerably’ may sound like an
understatement, but I’m not sure there’s a word in existence that wouldn’t sound like an understatement, such
was the utter desperation of that performance. The game was more or less
unwatchable, it wasn’t a ‘product’ that in any way justified asking people to pay
to witness it, and with Reece Styche and Rowan Liburd away on international
duty there was no attacking threat whatsoever. There won’t be too many teams
below Alfreton at the end of the season, but on the basis of that match the
Bulls will be one of them.
It’s tempting to think that it may be as well for Kieran Thomas
and Brandon Hall to drive alone to the northwest, pick up Stephen Dawson when
they get there, and give it a go as a team of three for all the difference it
would make. You really have got to feel for Stephen Dawson, who must be
starting to wonder whether the players around him are doing anything at all for
his return to peak form and fitness.
It was surprising to see Mike Symons start on Tuesday, and
it’ll be a good deal more surprising if that happens again. Kelsey Mooney could
come in as a replacement, with Taylor Allen another attacking option, not used
against Alfreton. Victor Sodeinde showed glimpses of potential in the
first half before getting sucked into the doom vortex with everyone else after
the break, but with seemingly very few other options it would be interesting to
see if he can build on that first half in this one, or whether he’s spent the
days and nights since curled up shaking in a cupboard somewhere, unable to
contemplate the thought of playing in a football match ever again.
The need for
a left back hasn’t gone away, and Jason Pope was entirely anonymous in midfield
(possibly midfield, it was hard to say) in midweek, and like Symons would be a
surprising starter.
This looks like a contest between two sides on very
different trajectories, and unfortunately it’s not the Bulls heading upwards.
Anything remotely resembling Tuesday night will result in a comfortable home
win, and yet again this season the opposition manager will be quoted post-match
saying that he thought Hereford would be a challenge but they weren’t, or words
to that effect.
There needs to be a reaction, if the squad actually has it
in them. Manager Russell Slade continues to impress with the passion he has for the cause when speaking to the media. He clearly cares and he's been let down by the players.
York and Farsley Celtic are just around the corner, and that prospect
is nightmarish currently. You know things are bad when you fear a thrashing
from Farsley Celtic.
COYW