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Next Game: Pre-Season

Saturday, June 20, 2020

Gowling And Burr Fit What We Require Said Graham


Hereford FC chairman Andrew Graham has said that both the new management team of Josh Gowling and Steve Burr fit what 'we require'.

"They are what we need to take us forward," said Graham.

"They interact with supporters and I think with our fans that is an absolute pre-requisite for the management team. They are a breath of fresh air.

"They are very transparent, very honest, they say it as they see it and I think that fits in quite well.

"Josh is ambitious, he is very focused as well, they both are. They do want the best for the club which is exactly what you would expect from people you employ."

How has the virus affected the club?

"We've had to balance things quite carefully, not to over-react but also to ensure we are protected as a football club and be prepared or ready to push a button to move into the next phase. We did that the moment we had an announcement from the National League.

"In the ten weeks before we announced Steve and Josh we were talking a couple of times a week about what they would like to see going forward, what we need as a club."

Graham spoke about players' contracts.

"It is very difficult to know what to put on a contract. We would like to play football for Hereford starting on a date we don't yet know, for matches which we don't know how many they will be.

"The reality is we don't know if social distancing will halve our crowd capacity, we don't know what that would do to our budget.

"Everything is very fluid and things will become more definite but only at such time as we become aware of them. We can't put our finger up to the wind and hope for the best. We need more clarity and more direction from the National League."

Graham is hopeful that the new management team will be in charge for some time.

"The continuity has been absymal. I would suggest quite openly that the blend of Josh and Steve is what our fan-base in particular requires. We require a management team that are prepared to turn up to somebody's birthday celebration in the pub before a match. We need a management team that will record messages for a fantastic supporter's 21st birthday."

Graham heaped praise on head groundsman Ben Bowen.

"What better hands to have on our pitch maintenance than with Highground Maintenance and Ben Bowen.

"Ben lives for that pitch and is so proud of the work he puts into it. The fact that we see him week in week out.

"As he ramps up preparations our pitch will be undoubtedly the best in the National League. 

"Ben is priceless. We need the best possible playing surface for the type of football we want to see and he's the best man to prepare it."

Summing up Graham said it had been very difficult times for everybody.

"There's a heck of a lot of work going on to ensure the club is safe and ensure the club is prepared to ramp up preparations for football to return to Edgar Street. I don't know when that date might be at the moment. There is a focus for sometime in September.

"What we do promise moving forward is that we will keep people engaged, we will ensure that we will go out to the supporters such as HUST when it comes to us putting together season ticket packages and we will look to provide the best possible product for our supporters going forward."

Andrew Graham was talking to RadioHerefordFC earlier this afternoon. They are set to release a podcast which will contain more of the chairman's interview.