Attack, Attack, Attack!

Hereford FC host Chorley on Tuesday evening, and whether you’re in the ‘keep the faith’ camp or the ‘something has to change’ one, there’s surely unanimity in believing that this match simply has to be won. Given the weather forecast, it simply has to be a two-pairs-of-socks match too.

Current form is of course woeful, but in front of a home crowd, with the new loanees looking like they’ve added quality to the team over the last two games (the latest recruit Marco Rus in particular) and good players such as Thierry Latty-Fairweather very gradually returning after injury, those recent improved performances could finally be turned into a winning improved performance here.

Not a great deal of communication seems to come down from 'upstairs' to the great unwashed at this self-styled fans-owned club, but presumably a loss here would lead to some difficult conversations. I think that would be a shame and I still cling, possibly naively, to the hope that this current form is a blip, but if this isn't won you'd have to say those conversations would be justified. Given the lack of communication it's hard to know what's what.

Given the above, if the players don’t come out and start like a demented house on fire, attacking the Chorley goal like absolute dervishes, all thoughts of being tactically cautious thrown to the wind, and in the process putting the game to bed before half-time, then I’m prepared to accept that probably something does have to change. If there are any motivational difficulties in getting up for this one it would be a huge concern, given the situation the club now finds itself in after a series of losses.

I hope and expect to see oodles of pride and passion and whatever that third word is on the Westons sign in the middle of the Len Weston Stand, unless that third word is cider, which would make no sense in this context and would be a rubbish thing to have oodles of before playing a game of football.

By half-time, I want to feel almost sorry for Chorley as they trudge, shell-shocked, off the pitch, wondering what’s happened to them, wondering how on earth the opposition can be in relegation trouble, wondering how to stop another three goals going in after the break.

There will hopefully be a desperation in the dressing room before this match to get out on the pitch to prove that the club is in a false position, to prove that injuries, illness and bad luck at both ends of the pitch have been the main contributory factors to this current awful run, and that it isn’t down to a lack of quality, application or motivation.

If the first half doesn’t go as above, and is the sort of cautious tip-toeing around waiting-for-a-gift-from-the-opposition one-dimensional approach that’s been too prevalent too frequently this season, it’ll be hugely disappointing, to say the least. 

Luckily, Chorley don’t travel well at all. They’ve lost six of their nine games away so far this season, and if Hereford are anything like as up for this match as they should be, that fallibility of the visitors when away from Lancashire should be exploitable.

Striker Connor Hall has an impressive 12 goals to his name this season, and was on the scoresheet in Saturday’s comfortable 3-0 home win against a very flat Curzon Ashton, whose recent form is as bad as Hereford’s. Overall, Hall has scored 34 in 81 games for the club.

Another to watch will be ex-Kidderminster and Wrexham midfielder Ollie Shenton. Fellow midfielder Jon Ustabasi was missing on Saturday, and hopefully will be again, as he’s scored six times this season. Ex-Bull Harvey Smith is now a regular in defence.

The Magpies had a solid season last time, ultimately losing to promoted York in the play-offs. However, manager Jamie Vermiglio surprisingly left in the summer to join promoted Buxton, with Evesham-born director of football Andy Preece changing roles as replacement.

The Bulls go into this one with Aaron Amadi-Holloway a doubt, having missed the Kings Lynn defeat with a groin strain. Harry Pinchard was also missing with flu-or-Covid. The former would be more of a miss, as it will mean 37-year-old Ty Barnett will have to lead the line again after putting in a full 90-minute shift just a few days ago. It would also give Josh Gowling fewer options at the back, with Luke Haines presumably chosen as a stand-in centre back again ahead of out-of-favour Orrin Pendley.

On the plus side, the aforementioned Thierry Latty-Fairweather is back in the squad, as is Ryan McLean following his suspension, and Kane Thompson-Sommers is starting to show glimpses again of his impressive form at the start of the season.

It’s not easy to find positives at the moment of course, but only eight of the Bulls’ 19 league games so far have been at home. That’s not to say that Edgar Street has been impregnable – as many games have been lost as have been won - with the last-but-one home loss against Peterborough Sports being unspeakably dreadful, but all the travel does seem to have taken its toll lately, and if those ‘spare’ home games can be won things will look a bit more promising. It's Spennymoor away after this, and unusually that looks very winnable this season, followed by those three spare home games in a row. However, it probably says all that needs to be said if that’s the best I can do in terms of positives.

Going to Kings Lynn feeling like it's some sort of on-a-wing-and-a-prayer situation, like they're Man City and we're a bunch of useless vegetables, is utterly defeatist. They're Kings Lynn. We're, thankfully, not. We finished 13 points above them when promoted to the NLN. What has happened to the ambition at the club? This is not the right mindset. An upturn is needed and it has to start here, it really, really does, with a firestorm of attacking intent.

COYW