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Following some excellent news recently regarding the ground lease and potential Blackfriars End development, spirits were lifted further by a lovely, dirty little win at Bishops Stortford last weekend, the sort of dirty little win that has been vanishingly unusual in recent seasons. All of this on top of what has generally been a season so far that has seen some good cheer and optimism returning to the club. Things are looking bright.
Things could look brighter still if Jordan Lyden’s name is on the teamsheet for this match, which could be on the cards as he suggested a little while ago this it was the one he was targeting for his comeback from injury. With Andy Williams’ own comeback edging towards becoming a reality, things could start hotting up in the new year rather than winding down to a slow, dull, narrow avoidance of relegation, as has been the case in recent seasons.
Huge thanks should go to Connor Stanley and Ethan Freemantle, who left the club this week. Both scored important winning goals and seemed to be smashing individuals. Is it too much to assume that the Harriers poacher’s return to Worcestershire with no move to extend his loan spell signals an imminence to Willo’s return?
New signing Reece Hall will presumably slot in at right back, with the excellent Aaron Skinner switching to the left.
Moors’ perennial golden boot Glen Taylor started the season like a scalded cat as he looks to bank his usual 25+ goals, but he’s slowed down a bit recently, and strike partner Will Harris, brought in from Gateshead in the summer, has matched Taylor, with both on nine league goals so far. It would be nice to see Jason Cowley edge past the pair of them over Christmas.
Moors sit in 11th position in the table, five points behind Hereford having played two games fewer. They lost 3-2 at home to Buxton last Saturday (with Taylor scoring one of the Moors goals), which means they’ve lost six of their last ten games and three of their last four, winning just two of those ten. They are very much ‘out of nick’.
Moors’ away record is reasonable, with five wins from 11 games on the road this season, although last time they travelled they got thumped 4-2 by struggling Gloucester. Given that Gloucester then lost at home to fellow-strugglers Darlington, that 4-2 looks very encouraging for the hosts here, although relying on form lines in this division is of course an exercise in futility.
In stark contrast to the approach taken by Hereford in recent seasons, much of what works for Spennymoor is thanks to continuity, with Taylor, defender James Curtis and midfielder Rob Ramshaw having all been with the club for the best part of a decade. All were missing from the defeat at Gloucester through a mixture of suspension and injury, with all returning last weekend in the loss at home to Buxton. If you can afford it, that sort of continuity is key, but perhaps the Moors old guard is past its peak, and with South Shields now on the scene Spennymoor are no longer the financially pre-eminent club in that corner of the country at this level.
The hosts will have to get the better of popular ex-Bull Ben Pollock here if they’re to emerge victorious, but Ramshaw was sent off against Buxton so may serve a one-match ban here.
In early September the Durham side emerged as comfortable 2-0 winners when the Bulls travelled up to the Brewery Field, with that game coming at the end of a fairly ropey spell for Hereford as the players had yet to gel as a squad after being thrown together in the summer. Things have picked up markedly since then, and it would be sweet to get some revenge and turn the tables in terms of both the result and the performance.
In four encounters, Hereford have yet to beat Moors at Edgar Street. Depending on your psychological inclination, this either means a win is long overdue or the fixture is irretrievably cursed. Curses are for Hollywood, and by association Wrexham. Cold, hard probability points to a long-overdue Hereford win.
As this is the last game before you-know-what, I’ll finish by wishing all readers a very merry Christmas. Here’s hoping that this impressive group of lads (and they do seem to be very much a collective group, due to the strength of their own characters and the ability of the management team to engender that team spirit) can send us into the holiday with another home win before a pair of derbies against Gloucester that, by their derby nature and the fact that the Tigers seem to be starting to rescue their season, won’t be at all easy to squeeze precious points out of.
COYW