The Bulls go into this one having picked up a highly creditable seven points from their last three games (all away from home). Those games would have typically returned no points and a nine-goal dent in the goal difference column not too long ago, so there’s plenty to be optimistic about for the rest of the season. The clean sheet last time against Kettering was a real collector’s item, although I suppose it was hard enough for the Poppies to stand up let alone score on that Latimer Park pitch.
In contrast, the Brewery Field playing surface was given a complete overhaul in the summer and should allow Josh Gowling’s charges to get back to the passing game that’s been emerging recently.
The Moors’ record at home is second only to Altrincham’s this season, so this should be the toughest test Hereford have faced in this recent run of away matches. Glen Taylor (15 goals this season after being top goalscorer in the league last term), Rob Ramshaw (10) and ex-Bull James Roberts (10) have been scoring freely all season, with the latter seemingly playing to his potential as soon as he was freed from the straightjacket that was the Harris/Richards coaching manual - funny that. At the other end, influential defender James Curtis is suspended.
The club is ambitious, with the stated aim of moving up the pyramid in a hurry, with the dosh seemingly available to facilitate that move. A fourth-placed finish last season ultimately resulted in them losing out on penalties to Chorley in the play-off final, thus missing promotion by a whisker. They’ll be looking to go one better this time.
They’re currently bottom of the marginally-breaking-away eight teams at the top of the table (if that makes any sort of sense), after a relative dip in form. They’ve won two of their last five games, against Altrincham (3-2) and Alfreton (5-0). Last time out they lost at Altrincham, but the Robins are on fire at the moment like an avian wicker man, so there’s no real shame in that. Recent home draws against Brackley and Telford offer some hope, but 11 goals in their last three home games tells us all we need to know about the size of Saturday’s task. I did say that recent dip in form was relative.
An entertaining 2-2 draw in the opening game of the season at Edgar Street hinted that Hereford could compete with the best in the division over the course of the season. That turned out to be utter codswallop, as the Bulls went on to plunge headlong towards the bottom of the table, experiencing an autumn and winter that were just about as awful as it was possible to be over those long, long months. The thought of the Tamworth penalty shoot-out still gives me the heebie-jeebies from time to time.
This is properly tricky, but the hosts will be desperate to win to get into the play-off positions, so an attacking approach from them could present opportunities at the other end for a speedily counter-attacking Hereford team to exploit.
A decent result could see the home crowd creep back up over the 2000 mark against Gloucester next weekend, assuming that it isn’t declared a ‘behind closed doors’ match, and that folks are prepared to take the chance of standing or sitting near other folks. It’s often touch and go on that front anyway, depending on how much cider has been put away by the person next to you, so with that in mind this troublesome bug can take a hike (like The Proclaimers). Perhaps it would be timely for the club shop (ie the actual club shop not the club centre forward) to start stocking black-and-white face masks.
Floods then bugs. I dread to think what’s next but at least it won’t be relegation.
COYW