Return Of The Maz

Hereford FC travel up to Darlington this weekend (hopefully on Friday night like a proper swanky moneybags club) looking to add another three points away from home to those hard-earned at Rushall in the wind this week.

Whilst it was a shame to see Tom Pugh return to Scunthorpe, the return of Maziar Kouhyar should send ripples of eager anticipation through the battle-hardened exteriors of Bulls fans everywhere

Admittedly Maz (pictured) has changed a bit since his move to York, but if he can bring with him the same form and ability to unlock defences that earned him his move north in the first place, this month could be a very happy, exciting and entertaining one, especially if he plays in a swimming costume.

Darlo were in the top three for much of last season before utterly running out of puff, and that puff remains absent. They’ve spent the whole of the season in the relegation places, and have won just once at home in 14 attempts.

They’re onto their third manager of the season following Alun Armstrong and then Josh Gowling getting the boot. New gaffer Steve Watson won his first game in charge but then lost his next two, which brings us up to Saturday’s game (their game on Tuesday against Scunthorpe was postponed). They’ve lost five of their last six, are eight points from safety, and seemingly running on vapours.

The Bulls have won just two of the nine matches between these clubs, but apart from in the case of Kings Lynn, who remain stubbornly bogeyish, some of those awful head-to-head records are being revised this season, and the Bulls won the reverse fixture between these two at Edgar Street in August 1-0 courtesy of a delicious goal from now-departed Connor Stanley.

Quakers goalie Tommy Taylor was very good in that game, but one of the more unsavoury strings to his bow, time wasting, may not be uppermost in his mind here given that a draw is absolutely no good to his team. That and the fact that they’re at home should create space for Hereford to exploit up top.

Striker and dark arts merchant Jacob Hazel got 19 goals for the Quakers last season but departed for Boston before Christmas. Gowling took a punt on the fitness of Akwasi Asante in bringing in the former National League North goal machine as Hazel’s replacement from Chesterfield, and that punt didn’t pay off. A fully fit Asante could arguably keep Darlo in the division almost single-handedly, but unfortunately the Dutchman hasn’t been fully fit for the vast majority of the current decade. He’s managed no goals in seven games for his new club, and a groin injury may restrict him to a substitute appearance at best here. Saturday’s hosts have managed four goals in eight games in the absence of any contribution from the player they would have been relying on to get them out of trouble. It was always a risky strategy.

Talking of injuries, the visitors’ treatment table is still seeing plenty of use, as it has all season. Paul Downing will miss this trip with a recurrence of his hamstring niggle, Jordan Lyden is still out with a sore ankle, and Andy Williams still seems only capable of cameos. It feels like it’s only a matter of time though before one of those cameos against tiring defenders produces a goal or two again.

With both wingers flying and Kouhyar and or Alex Babos pulling the strings in the middle, there’s some exciting potency to the Hereford attack. Add Jason Cowley into that mix, a Jason Cowley who will presumably have sprinted up to Darlington on adrenaline alone as he’s set to be let loose following suspension, and the long-suffering Darlington defence should have plenty to worry about.

At the back, Downing will of course be a big miss, but there were signs at Rushall that Curtis Pond was through his recent little form wobble. Captain Nathan Cameron will presumably be slotted in alongside the reassuringly returned Kyle Howkins.

New signing Collins Tanor is intriguing. He has arrived on a sharing arrangement with parent club Stratford Town or possibly FC Stratford, and that town is of course famous for one thing, and it’s not football, but you get the feeling that Paul Caddis could pick someone up at random off Bishops Meadow and he’d turn out to be a rough diamond. It’ll be fascinating to see what the much-travelled ex-Man City nomad is capable of if he’s given the chance.

It used to be the case that Hereford specialised in finding a way to not beat teams absolutely everyone else had beaten. This squad, however, have picked up decent points against Bishops Stortford, Gloucester, Darlington and Banbury so far this season (Kings Lynn obviously don’t count). Whilst it’s easy to sympathise with Quakers fans given the torrid time they’ve had since August, any such feelings will be put on hold for this as it’s an absolutely golden opportunity to snaffle another three points on the road and consolidate that play-off position.

COYW