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Some pressure will have been taken off by that Bromsgrove result, but a convincing performance in the league is what’s really needed.
Thankfully, since Hereford were promoted to the NLN they’ve played Blyth six times and won each time, so with seven supposedly being the luckiest number out of all the numbers ever invented this looks absolutely nailed on as a home banker.
If further evidence were needed for such unbridled optimism, even Marc Richards and Tim Harris were able to mastermind a win against Saturday’s visitors during their fun-filled time in charge.
It looks likely that Spartans, currently just a place below the slow-starting Bulls, are on a downward trajectory, destined to shortly take up their traditional role keeping Bradford company at the foot of the table. Wins against Gloucester (home) and Buxton (away) in August suggested that they had it in them to buck that trend this season, but they’ve since lost two and drawn at home to Farsley Celtic, which isn’t very scary form. They’re now perfectly capable of going about 20 league games without a win. In fact, they started last season in exactly the same way, winning a couple before losing nine on the bounce, a run that started on the equivalent weekend in 2021 as this Saturday’s game. So, the omens are about as good as they’re ever going to get.
That said, they did join Hereford in the next round of the Cup last weekend with a 2-0 home win against Guiseley.
Ex-Gateshead man JJ O’Donnell scored 14 last season, and for a left-sided midfielder in a struggling team that was quite a return. He has yet to get off the mark this season – uh-oh.
Centre back Jack Bodenham recently joined the club on loan from South Shields, and was with Hereford on loan from Cardiff for a few months back in autumn 2019. I vaguely recall him being OK, but never destined to be the next Tamika Mkandawire in any way, shape or form.
The Bulls bounce into this one on the back of that win over Bromsgrove. It was a potential banana skin that had to be successfully navigated, and that was done. Good news financially, and indeed for the self-respect of the club, but it’s now back to the serious business of rebuilding league form.
Jack Evans missed last Saturday’s game with a swollen ankle, but will hopefully be back here, presumably at the expense of Thierry Latty-Fairweather. Gowling may tweak things again as he looks for the magic formula, but the big question will be whether Zak Lilly misses out as he did last week, meaning that Luke Haines will be back in defence, as opposed to shielding that defence in a defensive midfield position, where some people think he might be more constructively employed.
Emergency loanee goalkeeper Harvey Wiles-Richards should feature again, with Brad Wade out for a while injured, and his replacement Cian Tyler now on international duty with Wales under-21s, having missed last weekend’s match to avoid being cup-tied. In a month of huge goalkeeping upheaval at the club, it has also been reported by the Soaraway Sun, no less, that the club wants Liverpool and England starlet Luke Hewitson on loan. The last Liverpool loanee goalie I can recall was quite useful, but oh what a lifetime ago those League 1 games against Leeds feel like when these days it’s Blyth Spartans.
Two other considerations for the gaffer are whether to start with Miles Storey or newbie James Caton, and whether to give Aaron Amadi-Holloway the first hour or the last half-hour if, as seems to be the case, ninety minutes are still beyond him. It would also be interesting to see what striker Lekan Osideko can bring to the party if he’s given ten minutes or so at the end, by which time the game will hopefully have long since been won.
New signing Jack Holmes also comes into the reckoning, although he looks like a fairly typical Hereford midfielder rather than an atypical massive centre back, which is a bit of a shame.
And should anyone question the size of the backroom staff at Edgar Street, Spennymoor, as part of a mass-defenestration this week, have appointed ‘club ambassador’ Jason Ainsley as interim manager. When there’s a ‘club ambassador’ on the payroll at Hereford that may be the time to moan about over-inflatedness. This is the National League North. ‘Club ambassador’? Anyone would think that football at this level has got a bit above itself and male egos have kicked in. I blame David Dein for that filtered-down effect, although I blame David Dein for most things. He’s got a book out. It’s about him. Of course it is.
Incidentally, Spennymoor sit three points above Hereford in the table having lost just one game as opposed to the Bulls, who have lost half of their eight games. Possibly a bit premature to call in the club ambassador.
Just as you know exactly what’s going to happen against Brackley, the same applies to Blyth, just in a much happier way. This really should be won, but the Bulls will have to concentrate at the back and be clinical up front. It’s then straight into a Tuesday night encounter with everyone’s favourite other club Leamington on the back of two wins, with a golden opportunity to make that recent sticky patch of form a distant memory.
This one needs to be put to bed first though, and anything other than a win at home to Blyth would be a very, very bad look.
COYW