Attendance: 9,004
Hereford United: Hughes, Carver, Naylor, McLaughlin, Tucker, Tavener, Evans, Jenkins, Redrobe, Gregory, Mallender.
Opposition: Johnson, Fagan, Farrimond, Moore, Yeats, Stevenson, Tynan, Palios, Loyden, Young, McAuley
League Position: 11th (6 games in), the win for Tranmere sent them top.
Colin's Comments: Some things haven't changed much in 50 years, with Addison acknowledging that the team haven't been at their best at home. Although, I think we could all probably cope with the disappointment of a poor performance in the previous game resulting in only getting a point against visiting Watford.
In the Opposition: Where do you start with their squad? Their Scottish born player manager Ron Yeats who sadly passed away in September won two titles and an FA Cup in a 10 year spell at Liverpool and was made an honorary Scouser in 2009. Fellow Scot Tommy Lawrence had an almost identical career, he passed away in 2018, his latter days though were best remembered for this heart melting interview in 2015.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-31188264
Ray Matthias holds the record for most appearances for Tranmere (637, 64-85). Kit Fagan is the son of former Liverpool boot room member Joe Fagan who would manage Liverpool in the mid '80s. Kit manages to put the "how old am I" boot in by being 74 himself. Brains of the outfit, Mark Palios got a mention in the last programme, a player who would go on to be the FA's main man. The "Meet the Rovers" page has Tommy Tynan in the squad, a name that will be familiar as he was a lower league player that was full of goals, as Hereford found to their cost in the League Cup against a very handy Newport County team in 1980. Anyway it wasn't Tommy, it was a typo. It was a fellow scouser Bobby (misspelt Bobbie on the back page), they were both born in Liverpool on 17th November and 7th December 1955 respectively. Cousins maybe? Hopefully not twins.
Finally, you will be relieved to learn, Ronnie Moore. He would play roughly half of his over 600 games at Tranmere before going into management for 30 years, which would include a double promotion winning spell at Rotherham.
Fan of the Week: Or rather 100 fans of the week, looking at a packed terrace photo. Even the infamous Bulls News photographers struggle to get that many in the net.
Edgar Street Chatter: Plenty going on as ever in and around 1970's Edgar Street, including the programme editor jinxing the evening by celebrating that Hereford had gone 12 months unbeaten at Edgar Street. This puts into context how excellent Hereford were, given Colin Addison had taken the opportunity in his notes to bemoan the fact that they weren't hitting the high notes at home.
Third Division Round Up: This article clocks that Tranmere were on the verge of achieving a rare feat (starting the season with five clean sheets), something that they accomplished in this match despite the efforts of in-form Brian Evans.
Supporters' Corner: It looks like it is full steam ahead with the project of the day, the extension of the main stand with the building of the now Block D and integrated social facilities. The new stand would increase the main stand capacity from 900 to 1,300, with a further 1,200 seats quite literally jammed into the upper deck of the Len Weston. 1970s fans' bladders were clearly made of sterner stuff.
I believe the two new stands gave Hereford the distinction of being the only team outside the top flight of English football to have two stands with cantilevered roofs.
Going by Car: Check out "The Aerobats 73".
In the Charts: Young Love by Donny Osmond is at No.1
He's One of Our Own: Steve Blatherwick was born on 20th September 1973. He played 10 times for Hereford on loan from Nottingham Forest in the 95-96 play-off season, scoring once in a 2-2 draw against Exeter - well twice really, as he also conceded an own goal. His "club" would become Chesterfield where he would play over 200 games, but not before commanding a fee of £150k when Burnley bought him from Nottingham Forest.
Click on photos to enlarge.
