Moor Of The Same?

Hereford FC make the long trip up to County Durham this Saturday to lock horns with play-off placed Spennymoor, looking to build on Tuesday night’s dramatic and hugely gutsy win at Chester.

Moors’ perennial golden boot Glen Taylor has started the season like a scalded cat with four goals already as he looks to bank his usual 25+ goals, whereas strike partner William Harris, newly arrived from Gateshead, has actually gone one better and scored five. That’s quite a potent-looking partnership, even if William Harris sounds more like a distinguished author from Maine who writes boring and interminably long allegorical novels, rather than a footballer with an eye for goal.

Moors sit in sixth position having drawn 3-3 away at newcomers Warrington on Tuesday night, which means that they’ve slowed down a little recently, taking just two points from their last three games, and that strike force may be potent but conceding three to Warrington may suggest a weakness at the back that can be exploited.

Jamie Chandler is the new manager at the Brewery Field, and brought in ex-Bull Ben Pollock from Boston and Sam Fielding from Bradford Park Avenue over the summer, along with the aforementioned Harris. Pollock was on the scoresheet on Tuesday and seems to be enjoying an excellent start to the season at his new club.

Josh Popoola was reportedly a threat against Warrington, with a name not so much like that of a dry, urbane New England author, more an excitable college radio DJ from South Dakota. In reality he’s a 19-year-old loanee defender from Stockport who is with Moors for the rest of September, and seems to be brimming with enthusiasm and a desire to impress – a dangerous combination.

At the other end of his career, 41-year-old James Curtis is still at the club having signed a new deal in the summer, and he gives the side a reassuring wealth of experience at the back, both in terms of defending and managing the poor fella in black who assumed he was the referee. He has only played once this season though, so age may be catching up with him at last. Either that or he’s being used as an impact timewaster off the bench when needed.

In terms of northeastern pre-eminence at this level, South Shields, despite being the divisional new boys, seem to have deeper pockets than Moors, who themselves have benefitted in the past from a beneficent benefactor. The Mariners poached dangerous striker Paul Blackett, among others, from the Durham side in the summer, so Saturday’s hosts have done well to find a replacement in Harris, and to enjoy a reasonable start to the season.

In stark contrast to Hereford, much of Spennymoor’s success is built on continuity, with Taylor, Curtis and midfielder Rob Ramshaw having been with the club for the best part of a decade.

Unlike Moors’ prolific front two, the Bulls’ expensive crown jewels Andy Williams and Jason Cowley have had something of a non-start to their seasons due to injury. Paul Caddis will be hoping that he’s getting all of his bad luck out of the way in the first month of his fledgling managerial career, as injuries, one or two 50/50 decisions and the rub of the green generally haven’t gone for him.

The bluntness of the Bulls attack so far this season, so familiar to last season, looks to be entirely down to the absence of that theoretically potent front two, as opposed to last season when it seemed to be down to ultra-conservative tactics in employing Ty Barnett alone up top chasing his own flick-ons. If that’s the case, it would appear that things will improve markedly when Willo and Cowley return.

Prior to Tuesday night, Paul Downing’s arrival as Kyle Howkins’ (presumably) temporary replacement had been one of the few silver linings in what has been a resolutely cloudy sky for the Bulls in recent weeks. Indeed, Son of Eric of this parish has suggested that even he could play alongside Downing and ‘look reasonable’, such is the defender’s quality. Now, I haven’t seen our match reporter in full flight with his boots on so perhaps I shouldn’t pass judgement, but that seems like post-Chester euphoria talking to me, but if the injuries do keep coming perhaps it’s something for Mr Caddis to consider.

Another cause for optimism is that Stoke City loanee Sonny Singh offered an encouraging glimpse at Chester of what he might bring to the party during his five-month stay at Edgar Street, before tiring in the second half. Once up to full match fitness he could be a key piece of the jigsaw as the midfield enforcer the starting XI has arguably been lacking to date.

Despite the recent travails, that glorious comeback at Chester could be just the sort of catalyst to spark the season back into life and consign those last few weeks to blip territory. The fight and determination that Paul Caddis claimed pre-season would be a hallmark of his team emerged in spades at the Deva, and hopefully that attitude and application will stay put in the scrap for points in a 5-3-1-1 formation until that strike-pairing cavalry return from the treatment room, resulting in a full-strength side hopefully doing more than just scrapping for points. Hanging on to the coattails of the play-off teams for now and then coming through later on, just as our friends Kidderminster did last time, would be absolutely fine by me.

One note of caution though – last season was characterised by the odd heroic away performance (and spectacular winning goal at Chester) amid a tsunami of mediocrity generally. No-one wants to see that again.

Finally, for those fans who went to Tamworth but didn’t manage to get to Chester, commiserations. Life really can be a bummer sometimes.

COYW