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| Tate Campbell Scored Hereford Second Goal |
Andy Smith braved the weather to watch Hereford gain a valuable three points at Kings Lynn yesterday.
A cold grey day, perfect for the long schlep over the Fens to Kings Lynn. The Walks is a funny old place, the ground being basically within a park; its proper old school, one big stand down one side with the other sides being somewhat more basic. I paid my £24.50 for a seat in the stand plus programme. Also paid £5 to park my car by the team coach. As I arrived early, I checked into the bar. A few locals but only a limited range of refreshments; £2 got you a cup of instant coffee. Didn’t try the beer….
Taking my seat in the stand after catching up with Ruth on the text and Keith on Radio HFC comms, I take in the surroundings. The pitch looks a bit knackered to be honest, the goal areas already showing signs of wear and only about 70% grass coverage across the whole surface.
Interesting team lineup; Campbell the new signing is playing, Willow on the bench along with McGlyn and Lewis Hudson. Also worth noting for the second match in succession, both games of course being in East Anglia, we have a female referee. Let’s hope she is as good as the one we had on Tuesday who I thought did well and kept the game running.
Just contemplating on the game itself. The last time I came here was the last game of the photocopier salesman/PE teacher management duo that we had. A shocking performance then and if I remember rightly, they got sacked immediately after that game so hopefully it’ll be better today!
Just as the teams come out Norfolk Constabulary’s finest decided to join our supporters in their end of the ground, must be half a dozen of the boys in blue in there, so in hope they enjoy the game.
Teams come out, Kings Lynn in the usual blue yellow, the mighty Hereford in the change strip of black shirts, red shorts. The officials wearing luminous green with black shorts.
As for the keepers, Robertson is in pink whilst the KL the keeper is in bright Orange, so he looks like a highway worker in his hi viz suit…..
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| The Colourful Keepers With Alex Babos Who Captained Hereford |
We line up 5-3-2 and Andoh is the only one on the left side of the pitch. New boy Campbell’s seems keen to make a bit of a name for himself I think, in the first few minutes, being very busy but not actually achieving much.
First corner for Kings Lynn after 12 minutes sees a poor clearance from Richardson as he kicked it out but it swerved back and fortunately came nothing. There followed an interesting run of play where Kings Lynn had a lot of possession, pushing it through the middle and got to take their chance. Richardson in goal pushed away for a corner which again came to nothing.
We had a break in play whilst the Alex Babos gets some treatment from a bit of a nasty knock. Players all taking a drink, with Rooney the one coming up to have a word with the players rather than PC himself.
The action starts again as both teams basically cancel each other out. Then Campbell nearly got his first goal, going up with the keeper; he had his back to goal, the ball bounced off him and the keeper but it went over - lucky break Kings Lynn!
A free kick on the left resulting from a nasty tap on White, where he went down like a sack of spuds about 30 yards out. Kings Lynn all lining up on the 18 yard line when Cowley goes up but its straight to the keeper. One thing I have noticed though is from watching Campbell; as the Ball is coming in to him at height he keeps putting his arm up so he’s going to see a handball at some point…..
After half an hour you can’t really say either team has got control of this match; each has had opportunities to score and nothing has come from either end. We get the first yellow card just in the 40th minute from an incident top left of the pitch at the Kings Lynn end. The result is a free kick for Hereford, which the Kings Lynn fraternity are not happy with! Babos with the free kick into a crowded 6 yard box with everyone marked up tightly. It comes in too low and Kings Lynn clear.
We then concede a freekick top right, 18 yards out just on the stroke at halftime and we get a yellow card for our trouble. Ball is cleared and moved up the pitch to find Campbell, who has a go and scores!
After the restart we get another free kick high up the pitch almost in the top left corner. Alex Babos to take into a crowded 6 yard area, but ends up in a melee with a free kick given to Kings Lynn.
First half peters out in sleet; not brilliant football neither side really on top. We got the lucky break and scored a reasonably good goal. Let’s see what the second half and bring we shouldn’t lose this though.
Over halftime there were interesting conversations in the queue for refreshments, with some Kings Lynn fans not happy. They don’t reckon their players are up to much. Interesting comment but that is reflected in the performance really; they haven’t got anything in the middle and anything they do get up front they just don’t seem to be able to put away.
So, kicking off the second half, it’s Kings Lynn with the kick-off no changes in either lineup.
Two minutes into the second half Kings Lynn got another yellow card for a cynical foul on our left back. Freekick to be taken by Richardson the keeper who gives it a long punt up field.
15 minutes into the second half, and it’s snowing, fortunately not settling. The battle of attrition in the middle continues and halfway through the second half we get a free kick outside the Kings Lynn area, but just before it’s taken Skinner is called over by Caddis who has a word in his ear and then Skinner goes onto chat to Babos. He’s clearly got instructions from the boss to do something interesting with this kick, but it came to nothing.
Kings Lynn make the first substitution at 25 minutes in and shortly after that they have a break on goal, keeper off line with the goal wide open and they put it over the bar. Clearly not their day today!
On the half hour, we get a corner just as we bring on a sub, Skinner coming off and Lewis Hudson the Skipper coming on. The corner cleared. More attritional stuff follows, but our backline and midfield keep things under control.
Second of the Hereford subs with Mitchell going off and Tate Campbell on meaning we have two Campbells playing for us – Two soups anyone?
Judging by the subs it looks like Caddis is playing out for a one nil.
Kings Lynn are really trying to throw the kitchen sink at this and they’re just not getting any positive things in the last part of the pitch. They’ve had several attempts but they just can’t get the ball in thankfully, including a shot which Richardson tips over the bar for a corner, which is cleared.
40 minutes into the half, Mr. Richardson, repeated his trick from Needham on Tuesday night and goes down with cramps. I could be being cynical but I think he’s playing for time……
Another sub for Hereford, Jason Cowley off DJ Sturridge on.
Kings Lynn get a corner late into the game; everybody marked up in the box, lots of pushing and shoving, ball swinging in and over the bar.
Kings Lynn manager doesn’t look happy; he’s chivvying his players along but his head down and body language suggest he is given up.
Hereford free kick on 25 yards out on the right 4-man wall but it gets skied into the car park behind the goal.
Willow comes on for a cameo replacing Jaden White but two minutes left to play I reckon.
There’s a late corner for Kings Lynn in the five minutes additional time. Coulson has just come on for them and gets caught on the head. He’s on the deck getting some serious treatment with two physios are on patching him up and he ends up with a big bandage on his head. He then proceeds to run around to no great effect.
It’s a frantic end of the game with Kings Lynn literally throwing everything at it and we’re holding out, our back line dealing with every threat.
We get the second in the dying minutes of the match thanks to Tate Campbell.
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| Andy Williams Helping To Celebrate Tate Campbell's Goal |
A good team performance on a poor pitch that was cutting up and in not very nice conditions. Crowd of 1030, probably 100 or so from the Shire, who left happy.
I was pleased with the performance and even more pleased to get back into the car and put the seat heaters on for the trek back to Kent.
Hereford: Richardson, Andoh, Preston, Howkins, Skinner, Robinson, Mitchell, Babos, White, Cowley, R. Campbell.
Subs: Hudson, T. Campbell, McGlynn, Williams, Sturridge.