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Back to HQ for Hereford FC this Tuesday as they entertain Chester at Edgar Street, following a dogged win on the plastic at Buxton on Saturday.
Ten points from five games in 2023 for the Bulls actually puts them on target to scramble into the play-offs, but the tendency to regularly throw in performances like that at Gloucester will have pessimists and quite a lot of realists continuing to look at the prospect of play-off qualification as being unlikely, for now at least.
However, you can’t argue with the league table, and it shows Hereford as being just four points short of the top seven. Given the predominant form of the last two months that is staggering, but enough to cause the merest flicker of a raised eyebrow of hope from the pessimists even. The problem is that flying through the traditional National League North mid-table blob of ordinariness (currently running from Gloucester in 8th to Kidderminster in 15th - two places synonymous with northern England of course), is quite easy when you’re averaging two points a game. It was pushing on up into, and mixing it with, the sides with a bit more quality that proved to be beyond the Bulls last season, and that recent Gloucester loss suggests that Mr Hyde still lurks in the Hereford dressing room, even though Dr Jekyll’s made a very welcome comeback recently. Progress up the table will come to a grinding halt unless those defeats can be turned into draws, at least. There’s also still no reliable goalscorer at the club, like, at all.
Above Hereford, Scarborough are showing signs of implosion, but below the Bulls Alfreton have games in hand, Spennymoor are getting their act together post-Christmas exactly as they did last season and surely, surely Kidderminster can’t continue to be this bad?
Having misfired hopelessly last season, Chester have clicked this time around with new manager and club stalwart Calum McIntyre in charge. Ex-York striker Kurt Willoughby arrived at the club in the summer and has scored 13 league goals for them so far this season. Classy captain Declan Weeks will look to pull the strings in midfield, and will like nothing more than being allowed to do so by a home team sat deep and set up to draw 0-0. They had a dangerous attacking midfielder from Shrewsbury on loan in the form of Charlie Caton earlier in the season, but his loan ended on Saturday. However, they’ve brought in, on loan from Tranmere, Wales u-21 international Rhys Hughes as a replacement.
There’s no two ways about it – Chester are hard to beat. Only Kings Lynn this season have lost fewer games, and Tuesday’s visitors haven’t lost away since 20 August, their sole loss in 13 games away from the Deva. They’re unbeaten in 15 games. If Hereford go into this one hoping to nick a goal somehow whilst fielding a team with no-one up front it won’t work. The last time that was tried was against Peterborough Sports, which ended in defeat on a night that offered nothing even vaguely recognisable as entertainment. Chester offer more of a threat all over the park than Peterborough and will eat any overly defensive tactics from Hereford for breakfast; admittedly an evening breakfast.
Of course, one of Chester’s few defeats this season was at the hands of the Bulls in August, a Luke Haines rocket late in the game taking the points at the Deva. Haines will be missing for this one as he completes his suspension, so responsibility for the winning goal from a defender passes to Big Orrin, who is more than capable.
This game was originally scheduled for December when Chester were flying. Since then they’ve slowed markedly, drawing their last four games, including their two Christmas meetings with lowly Telford, so that postponement could be a real blessing. Last time out they drew at home to Curzon Ashton, which they wouldn’t have been happy about.
The Bulls could be without the pace and determination of Miles Storey for this one after he left the field injured on Saturday, but the latest loanee Dan Jarvis looks like a good find, and the home crowd will be looking forward to seeing what he can bring to the party for the rest of the season. Jack Holmes again looked dangerous as an impact substitute against Buxton when given a bit more time to have an impact than he was given at Gloucester.
I would prefer having a go at winning this by playing Aaron Amadi-Holloway up front and losing as a result of his absence at the back than sitting deep, playing without any attacking intent (or actual attackers) and pinching the 0-0 the tactics were designed to get. Zak Lilly’s return to fitness should allow AAH to go back up front, or, if the ex-Telford defender isn’t trusted as a starter, Levi Andoh could move inside with Mark Derricott playing at right back. Josh Gowling suggested after the Buxton game that he’s trying to get another striker in on loan too, so he could be spoilt for choice!
Hopefully the recent upturn will encourage the coaching staff to have the confidence and trust in the players to push the boat out and go for the win here at home, rather than set up in such a way as to make me drive home wondering why I bothered driving down in the first place.
This is going to be a lot harder than Scarborough, Farsley, Gloucester and Buxton, harder even than Pegasus, and 40% of those games were lost. A true test of this recent ‘upturn’ then.
COYW