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A lunchtime start for Hereford FC this Saturday as they kick off at 12:30pm at Kings Lynn. With the town being virtually in Holland the National League has made the sensible decision to bring the match forward to avoid a clash with the 3pm Netherlands v USA game, which is being played in a faraway land where you’d presumably be congratulated rather than chucked out of a football stadium for uttering homophobic remarks.
If you were to leave High Town at about 4am you should comfortably get to the ground in time for this one.
An almost unrecognisably improved Bulls side showed up last Saturday against Darlington, offering supporters some hope of an upturn during what’s been a miserable few weeks. Of course, the outcome was still a loss, a loss is a loss, and in a results-based business a loss doesn’t cut the mustard, but Josh Gowling’s post-match utterings and general demeanour show that he’s far from a beaten man and is still well up for the challenge, which is hugely encouraging. He was also much more upset about losing on Saturday than he was happy about the improved performance – just as it should be.
Demeanour can only take you so far though, as, er, no-one has ever said, and the Bulls recent record doesn’t give much hope of coming away from East Anglia with a win. Hereford have lost for fun lately, coming away empty handed from four of their last five games, and the 1-0 win at Telford during that run masked a thoroughly lacklustre performance.
The squad continues to be riddled with injuries, but the emergency loanees James Melhado and Richard Dinanga looked like they’ll make a positive contribution and let no-one down at least in their time with the club, which is initially a month. If Gowling wanted to think outside the box a bit in using the loan market, Kevin de Bruyne will now be kicking his heels for a few weeks. That could add a few to the gate next Tuesday night against Chorley.
Kings Lynn, contrastingly, are in a very healthy position in the table, three points behind leaders Brackley but with three games in hand, games that have accrued as they went one round further than Hereford in the FA Cup. They went out of that competition last weekend, losing 3-0 at home to Stevenage, with all three goals coming in a short spell after half-time. Prior to that the hosts were well in the game.
Those of a nervous disposition should probably look away now, because they’ve won seven and lost none of their eight home league games this season. The one draw was way back in August against Leamington. One tiny chink of light may be that they lost at home on penalties in the Trophy recently to Hemel Hempstead, although they may have rested a few for that. Another straw to clutch at is that five points from their last four games home and away hints that perhaps they’re slowing down a bit.
Swiss-born ex-Wrexham striker Gold Omotayo has seven league goals this season, and at 6’ 4” will be a threat from set pieces. Theo Widdrington has scored six from midfield.
Relegated to the National League North last season, the Linnets found things too tough in the division above since their promotion in 2019/20, in fact they were completely found out and would have come straight back down but for Covid. A reasonably unpleasant bunch of chancers in their NLN championship winning season, I must admit I thought they might struggle again this season (after all it wasn’t that long ago that they finished behind Hereford in the Southern League Premier Central Division), but they’ve looked to be head and shoulders above everyone else really so far.
This brings to mind another seemingly futile trip east some years ago, with a bit of a raggle-taggle Bulls outfit not expected to go well at league leaders Boston, in what turned out to be a 4-3 HUFC win. Admittedly Saturday’s visitors will have to do something that is still a bit of a rarity if they’re to emulate that win - play well two games in a row. Indeed, they’ll have to kick on again markedly from the Darlington match to stand a chance here. Until that consistency is found it’s not easy to make a case for play-off participation anytime soon.
However, there was more balance to the formation with Son of Eric’s Harry-Kane midfield last Saturday, and when Ryan Lloyd and Thierry Latty-Fairweather are back in contention, joining a fit-again Jack Evans, an unbanned Ryan McLean, the class of Aaron Amadi-Holloway, and the spirit of Ty Barnett and Miles Storey, it becomes absolutely possible to envisage a run of decent results, good and entertaining performances, and brighter times ahead.
It would be a massive confidence boost if that could all start in Norfolk at lunchtime on Saturday. I’ve just got a funny feeling in my bones that it might go well. Either that or I’ve got gout.
COYW