Nothing To Lose

Hereford FC entertain high-flying King’s Lynn on Saturday at Edgar Street, hoping to arrest a run of three games without a goal.

The Linnets are becoming a bit of a Poundland West Brom/Norwich/Burnley yo-yo club. Having cruised to the NLN title in 2019/20, they then found the next level up completely beyond them, and only stayed there for two seasons because of Covid.

On returning to the NLN this season, they’ve again proved themselves to be very hard to beat at this level, which all suggests that the gap between the fifth and sixth tiers is growing. Last season’s champions Gateshead will be coming straight back down, although if Fylde go up as champions, as seems likely, you’d imagine enough money will be thrown at it to ensure they’re OK.

Given that Hereford as a club on and off the pitch have not yet mastered the NLN, it would appear that some patience will be needed from supporters before the phoenix club is able to compete at the same level that HUFC typically operated at – a level that seems to have become a lot more expensive to sustain since HUFC operated at it. In a week when Reading announced losses for the year of £25m following a £31m loss the previous year, and salary costs 150% higher than the club’s income, Planet Football has never been loopier.

When the Bulls travelled to Norfolk to play King’s Lynn in December, they’d just lost to Darlington having played OK without scoring enough goals to avoid defeat. Again the Bulls go into this one having just lost to Darlington, having looked flat and not scored any goals at all, and they’ll be hoping that history doesn’t repeat itself with another loss.

The Linnets success this season has been built primarily on a staggeringly good home record, and away they’ve only won six of 19 games, which is one fewer than Hereford have managed. However, the Bulls have lost 11 away, whereas Kings Lynn have only lost four.

Swiss-born ex-Wrexham striker Gold Omotayo has 15 league goals this season, and at 6’ 4” will be a threat from set pieces.

They comfortably beat Spennymoor on Saturday, before losing the midweek top-of-the-table clash to Fylde, as the latter increasingly look like champions-elect. They’ll presumably come into this one a bit dejected from that loss, and indeed have only picked up five points from their last five games, a run that has allowed Fylde to place one hand on the NLN league winners’ trophy. Is it a trophy? Maybe it’s a shield. It’s never been something that’s been relevant enough for me to look up given Hereford’s record in the division to date. That said, Fylde don’t need it handed to them by poor form elsewhere as they’re coming good at just the right time.

The pressure is perhaps getting to Lynn manager Tommy Widdrington, who reportedly had to be ‘restrained’ after a supporter, presumably one of his own supporters, suggested to him after Tuesday’s game that a home loss to Fylde wasn’t acceptable, although presumably not using those words.

Far, far away from such high-pressure scenarios at the top of the table, a final points total in the low 50s should be enough to ensure another season of top-quality NLN football at Edgar Street next term, and the Bulls are currently on 49. However, as mentioned here a few weeks ago, there’s a feeling that any additional points will have to come through 0-0 draws given the bluntness of the Hereford attack. There is of course the option of playing returning Luke Haines, much-improved Zak Lilly or if-fit Orrin Pendley at centre back alongside Jamie Egan, and moving Aaron Amadi Holloway back up front, with Miles Storey playing just off him and McLean and Pinchard out wide, with Ty Barnett available off the bench if it isn’t working. That’s certainly what I’d do, but I’m not a manager. I’m not even a caretaker manager, so what do I know? I was convinced that Hereford was getting a bypass in the 1980s, that’s how bad my judgement is. That formation overhaul idea is of course reliant on AAH being fit to play, and after leaving the pitch gingerly last Saturday up at Darlington that’s not a certainty. Much of what’s gone well on the pitch for Hereford in recent months has been down to him, and his absence would make this a very tall order indeed.

In terms of shaking things up with incoming players, Yan Klukowski has suggested that "There is scope for (bringing in) one player in a certain area of the pitch”. It’s to be hoped that the certain area of the pitch in question is the opposition’s penalty area. Since that comment, Levi Andoh has left the club seemingly under something of a dark cloud, so in looking for a silver lining to that dark cloud it may have meant there was scope for two players to have been sneaked in before Thursday’s transfer deadline.

Talking of dark clouds, it was reported last week that there’s a ‘dark’ bit of the ground somewhere when the floodlights are on, so if it’s a dark cloudy day requiring artificial light the new striker (if there is one) could lurk in the dark bit and jump out when the ball approaches, taking the defenders by surprise and having a tap-in. It’s a struggle at the moment to think how else a goal will be scored, other than via a comedy own goal from the visitors, which are always enjoyable of course.

The clocks go forward on Saturday. Will the Bulls? Here’s hoping, because there’s now precisely nothing to lose.

COYW