On This Day - April 18th 2015

A look back to April 18th 2015 and the work needed at Edgar Street to get it ready for Hereford FC's first home fixture.

Plenty Of Work Needed Inside Edgar Street

The View From The Meadow End

There is plenty of work that needs to be done inside Edgar Street which in part looks as though it has been abondoned.

No doubt the new regime will get the Stadium ready for football by Mid-July but it will be a challenge.

In essence nothing has been done since early December when the last home match took place. Even then there were signs that routine maintenance both on the pitch and off it wasn't being carried out.

Work required on the pitch will have to wait for several weeks at least as electrical work on the stands will require use of cherry pickers. And before the electrical work can take place, there are asbestos problems to be dealt with.

Worn-Out Canteen

On top of that the canteens are past their sell-by date and will have to be removed.

Club director Martin Watson gave Bulls News an update.

"The asbestos crew are in at the moment," said Watson.

The Asbestos Staff

"They are working seven days a week to take the asbestos out of the rooves in the main stand.

"The Council are sorting that. That will take a couple of weeks to sort out.

"Obviously nothing else can be done to the stand while that is going on.

All This Area Including The Board Room Is 'Out Of Bounds' Until The Removal Of Asbestos Is Completed

"Then we have got to sort the electrics out on all three sides. That could take another month to do. There are quotes in place which are being evaluated.

"Beyond that there is the drainage. There are issues with the drainage which the Council have identified during their checks so that has got to be looked at as well. They will take on a certain proportion of the cost. There is a still a lot of negotiation at this stage as small things arise.

Parts Of The Pitch Look Patchy

"Then there is the pitch which needs work done on it as soon as possible but with the electrical work we've got to have cherry pickers and the like on the pitch to do it so it's got to be carefully planned.

Whilst Other Areas Look Lush

"The FA came in on Wednesday and took a look at the pitch and gave their recommendations. Just an independent view just to tell us what position we're in with the pitch. Obviously it hasn't had a lot of maintenance, it's looking quite dry, it needs some work to bring it back up to standard.

"The HFA had a groundsman workshop last Wednesday night and they got their guy who was presenting that to come over and have a look around.

Corroded Junction Box

"There are junction boxes at the top of the flood lights that need to be replaced. Apparently when they were done they put the wrong boxes up there and they have corroded. Because it's up the top they've got to go and get steeplejacks to do it and that's £1000 per day for steeplejacks that we've got to spend.

The Roof Might Be Leaking But The Flowers Look Well

"There are three flat rooves that are leaking. The one that runs across the VP club and boardroom that's got several leaks in it.The Starlite Rooms roof has got a leak in it and the main office roof is also leaking in the corner which has caused quite substantial damage.

Water Damage Can Be Seen On The Floor Of The Office

"Again that's jobs that have to be done before the electrics can be done."

Any chance of any insurance?

"We're looking at every way but I suspect with the age certainly with the office roof and the boardroom roof it's going to be put down to standard wear and tear.

"The Starlite roof was redone when the Starlite Rooms were refurbished. There is discussions going on as to whether there's a warranty or anything else or if we can get something done. Talks are on-going.

"There are various grants available but a lot of them depend on a longer lease. There have been suggestions of a 4G pitch but you have to have a ten year lease for that.

"There is a lot of money to spend."

This Office Window Will Need Attention

To matters football and Watson's role as football secretary.

"I've been working on getting the manager in and getting the pre-season schedule going. We've all got our individual jobs."

Finally will there be a big name coming to Edgar Street for a pre-season friendly?

"There's potential out there, there's a few contacts we are waiting for confirmation. One thing we have to be mindful of is that we are no longer a Conference side, we are down to step five.

"You only have to look at the pre-season schedules of other teams at this level to see what they get. To get FC United of Manchester who are not far off Conference North now, to get the Southern League South and West champions in Merthyr Town which will be a good game, Beadle versus Jenkins. 

"We've got quite a decent little pre-season schedule lined up. We would like a top level 'marquee' opponent but the level we are might preclude that but we've put questions out and we're hoping to get something back."