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With Derbyshire subject to an amber weather warning last weekend the chances are that the pitch will be heavy, but given that Alfreton won’t be using it that only really applies as a consideration to the visitors.
Alfreton may be direct but they’re also effective. They finished fifth last season having lost just five of their home games, and were very difficult to beat away from home. They’ve had a solid start, but last Saturday got thumped 3-0 at lowly Gloucester having played the second half with ten men.
Lewis ‘The Leap’ Salmon is the Reds’ top scorer with six goals, which puts him fourth in the overall NLN goalscoring chart. The ex-Altrincham centre forward is only 21 and has started the season in a way that suggests that he may not finish it in the National League North, by which I mean he could become a smaller fish in a bigger pond higher up the pyramid, rather than meeting an unfortunate end getting squashed by Matt Rhead in training. He will miss out here though due to injury (not thought to be related to any Matt Rhead squashing incident).
At the other end of the pitch goalie George Willis is the Pele of timewasting in this division, ex-Bull Ken Digie now plays in front of Willis (and presumably spends a lot of each match rolling his eyes at the goalkeeper’s antics), and Dwayne Wiley, a key player/brick wall for the hosts, plays alongside Ken at centre back.
Striker Jordan Thewlis is proven at this level, and has four goals in seven league games this season, although his season has been injury-affected. He did play against Gloucester though so will presumably start here. Aforementioned 39-year-old club talisman Matt Rhead will miss out though as he’s a long-term injury absentee.
As for Hereford, Yusifu Ceesay goes up against his old club here, and if he’s motivated by that sufficiently to find another gear on top of what he’s shown for Hereford already he’ll be unplayable.
Just as the central defensive partnership of Downing and Howkins was starting to look established and solid, all of a sudden Downing has a hamstring that’s talking to him and Howkins is to serve a one-match ban for his two yellows on Saturday. It’s a situation that seems fairly typical of the season so far, but to their immense credit the squad are building momentum regardless.
Thankfully Big Kyle will be available for this one, before missing the trip to Chorley. If ever there was a need for a strong pairing in the middle of the backline it’s at Alfreton, and it’ll be a proper test of captain Nathan Cameron’s fitness as he gets back up to speed following injury. With a bit of luck Downing will be fit for the Chorley trip next Saturday.
Other than that and the ongoing striker situation, everything in the garden seems rosy all of a sudden.
Following Saturday’s eventful win against Curzon Ashton, the Bulls are now just two points shy of sixth place. There was a feeling last season that any time spent in the play-off positions would be very short-lived and a bit jammy given the propensity of the squad to regularly lose football matches. If this year’s squad can put together a run where they’re all actually fit and available at the same time for a few matches in a row it feels that establishing themselves towards the top of the table is well within the realms of possibility. Surely the injury luck will turn soon.
As so often seems to be the case, Hereford’s record in the head-to-heads between these clubs is improvable. They’ve won just one of the eight meetings; half have ended in draws though. There are, however, signs that these statistics are in the process of being revised as the Caddis era takes effect, a process that started with a correction of the poor record against the Nash last weekend, recovering from a losing position to boot!
Another correction here would take the Bulls above Alfreton, who are just a point better off, and by my reckoning could actually result in a jump into the top six, although that would take a very unlikely combination of results.
Still, that’s certainly something to play for and, without wishing to tempt fate, looks like it will inevitably happen soon anyway on the strength of the evidence of the last two matches.
And finally, if any Premier League scouts read these previews (and I assume they do, religiously) that Gordon Banksesque one-hander from Pondy in the second half on Saturday was a fluke. He’s rubbish.
COYW