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After the romance of the Cup it’s Alfreton away for Hereford FC on Saturday, the sort of romantic date that kicks you under the table when the waiter isn’t looking and then lies down for ages on the restaurant floor pretending to be injured - OK maybe that last bit doesn't quite work.
This is the first of three games back-to-back against top six clubs, and that clutch of games will determine to a significant extent whether late autumn/early winter will be ‘oooh I love this time of year with its twinkly lights and bobbing apples’ or ‘urgh isn’t it dark all the time’.
The Reds do what they do under the carefully (cynically?) calibrated auspices of long-term manager Billy Heath, they do it to be competitive as a small club with tiny home crowds, and generally it’s an approach recently that has worked, resulting in play-off participation in each of the last two seasons. Heath is now in his seventh season of giving post-match interviews describing something very different to what everyone else saw.
Ex-Bull and different-club-every-season merchant Ken Digie has moved up a division with Tamworth. Also departed is Matt Rhead, for several seasons something of a club talisman. However, as ever they’ve recruited really shrewdly, which in fairness is far more of a contributary factor to their recent success than any perceived unsavoury tactics on the pitch.
Big ex-Telford and Alvechurch Dutch midfielder Jed Abbey arrived at the Impact Arena in the summer from South Shields. Youngster and fellow midfielder Billy Fewster also joined in the summer from Notts Forest and looks like a real find. His middle name is Storm so he’s under a bit of pressure from his parents to be something above average. You can’t be called Storm and be nothing much, otherwise you’d have to change it to Light Drizzle.
Zimbabwean striker David Moyo has played for 12 clubs in the last 12 seasons, and was brought in this season from Chorley, for whom he failed to score. He’s got three though this season in eight games. Central defender Max Hunt seems to have played for every semi-pro club in Derbyshire, and actually Derby County itself. He’s also found the time to venture south for spells with our old friends Yeovil and Aldershot.
Goalkeeper George Willis, timewaster par excellence over the last few seasons, and unchecked as such entirely by NLN referees, seems recently to have sped up a bit with his goal kicks even when his team isn’t losing. Maybe he’s gained a conscience, and when he isn’t wasting time he’s a very good goalkeeper.
Like Kings Lynn, they’re something of a bogey team for the Bulls. Hereford FC haven’t won away at Alfreton at all, and have only beaten them once at home.
Last season in this fixture they identified Jordan Lyden as a threat and kicked him out of the game. They’ll presumably try to do the same this season to Tate Campbell. Needless to say the referee won’t be wise to it until it’s too late and Tate has to leave the pitch properly injured, not to be seen before Christmas. I don’t know how much access Paul Caddis has to the ref before the game, but if it’s just a handshake and hello he might try to squeeze in ‘Don’t let them kick Tate out of the game’ instead of ‘hello’.
The Reds had their FA Cup tie at Biggleswade postponed last Saturday, and again on Tuesday. In the league, they’re as tough as ever to get anything out of. They won at Aggborough and beat Kings Lynn 3-0 at home, two results that look very good on paper.
Like Hereford, Scunthorpe, Chorley and no-one else, they’ve lost just one game this season. They’re unbeaten in 18 at home. Their one-dimensional approach is predictable but seemingly very difficult to beat. The Bulls defence will have to show some gutsy resilience in the face of a bombardment of long throws, long diags, and long spells of lying down faking injury if the hosts are leading.
The visitors go into this one needing to bounce back following defeat in the Cup last Saturday against Bishops Stortford. Injury setbacks to Aaron Skinner, Jason Cowley and Alex Babos, in terms of their existing injuries looking worse than had been thought to varying degrees, isn’t good news. On a brighter note, Yusifu Ceesay should start against his old club here, and the Barcelona-born wide man looks to be hitting the sort of form that was so enjoyable to watch last season.
Another full midweek without a game should be beneficial in nursing some of the 80% fit back to 100%, and a win here, as tough as it will be, will see the Bulls jump back into the play-off places and leapfrog Alfreton in the process.
Given the injury situation it would be nice to bring Jarrod Bowen in to fill a hole and score another goal for Hereford against Alfreton, but he’s probably busy this weekend.
Jarrod or not, this ends 1-3 all day long courtesy of another Bulls counterattacking masterclass, with at least one goal from our mercurial Catalan winger.
COYW