Following the excellent win on penalties at Aldershot in late-February,
Hereford FC host Woking at Edgar Street on Saturday in an FA Trophy semi-final,
kick-off 3pm, with grimy old north London awaiting the winners.
For some, the fixture will bring to mind a/ that awful 4-1 loss to Forest Green way back when, denying the Bulls an appearance in the final at Villa Park, and b/ that ghastly black-and-white-quartered kit. However, that’s all ancient history, and the hosts will be going into this one fearless and full of confidence.
Woking is the home town of mod muso Paul Weller, adopted home town of superannuated football commentator Martin Tyler (now assistant manager at Kingfield), and alleged haunt of Prince Andrew when he fancies a trip to Pizza Express, and a club I just feel we seem to have beaten 3-0 a lot at Edgar Street over the years. I haven’t checked my Rothmans so that’s probably baloney, it just feels that way. And the football yearbook presumably isn’t sponsored by Rothmans anymore anyway, probably some tofu manufacturer, with any nod to fags verboten.
As well as being geographically close to the vanquished Aldershot, Woking have, like their neighbours, been quietly minding their own business alongside the Shots in mid-table in the National League’s top tier for much of the season. A brief surge into the play-offs recently proved to be a false dawn, and they now sit in 17th position after a string of poor results, winning just one of their last five games. A recent 0-0 draw at home to Boreham Wood was hailed as a good result, with Boreham Wood described as ‘a very good side’. A world in which Boreham Wood are ‘a very good side’ isn’t the world that we currently spin around on, so that seems to be the post-match statement of a club treading water at best. This, therefore, looks like a good time to be playing the Card(inal)s.
The visitors have signed a clutch of players over the last few days ahead of this match. Midfielder Paul Hodges arrived from Slough Town until the end of the season (although he's cup-tied here), alongside lanky young striker Sam Dalby on loan from Watford. Young winger Malachi Napa joined on Thursday from Oxford United as a permanent signing.
The Cards finally managed a win on Tuesday against lowly Wealdstone, with a late tap-in from a goalmouth scramble taking the points. The game was reportedly not one for the purists. Indeed any impurists watching may have had to avert their eyes, such was the lack of quality.
After spending most of the season with very few options in most positions, Josh Gowling now, with all revenue sources dried up, seems suddenly able to luxuriously indulge in a bit of squad rotation. Either the club’s budget spreadsheet is bust, or a magic money tree has been found growing amid the buddleia out the back of the Blackfriars End. However the trick is being conjured, it allows some much-needed flexibility, although it can’t be claimed that the rotation allows anyone a much-needed rest while they’re playing just one game a month. Unsurprisingly, given the lack of games, there are no fresh injury concerns ahead of this match, although new signing Ryan McLean is cup-tied.
Gowling has pulled the 'massive underdogs' pre-match managerial mindgames rabbit out of the hat for this one, which by his standards isn't that creative. Given that Woking seem to be playing like strangers and with fear, it's hard, not to say impossible, to think that the Hereford head coach truly believes that, and will be telling his charges to trust in their ability to get them over the line. It is, after all, only Woking.
Latest signing Lewis Butroid offers, as a loanee from Scunthorpe, a smattering of experience at Football League level at left back, and Michael Bakare has now scored in each of his two games for the club, which, alongside his overall impact on those games, has meant that the departure of Lenell John-Lewis hasn’t been felt as keenly.
Talking of which, although Grimsby are clearly rubbish at League 2 level, the fact that The Shop and Giles Coke are starting for them two levels higher than where they started the season offers yet more evidence that this Hereford squad is probably better than mid-table in the National League North.
Despite some rotation being a possibility, over the course of the Bulls’ current ten-game unbeaten run several of the squad have played their way to virtually automatic selection. Hall, Grimes, captain Hodgkiss and Owen-Evans should start if fit, although it seems that the togetherness and contribution of the whole squad has been the star performer and key factor in that run.
So, two clubs with very different build-ups to this: one game a month against two games a week, is that hungry vs jaded or rusty vs match fit? Who knows. Given those variables I’m going with 3-0 being more-or-less inevitable based solely on hazy and almost certainly inaccurate recollection on my part, with a trip to Wembley to follow. Let’s all ‘ave a disco - soundtrack courtesy of Paul Weller, inane DJ bantz from Martin Tyler, pizzas courtesy of the not-so-grand old Duke of York.
Weller, Tyler, York…your boys are gonna take one hell of a beating.
COYW