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With 21 National League North games remaining and Hereford looking nervously over their shoulder, Downes insists the situation is recoverable.
“I am absolutely honoured to be given this opportunity and cannot wait to get started,” he said after being appointed on a contract running until the end of the 2026 season.
The 41-year-old arrives at Edgar Street after spells as assistant manager at Torquay United FC and Cheltenham Town FC, and previously steered Torquay clear of relegation trouble during a testing interim spell in 2024.
A former promotion-winning captain with Cheltenham, Downes now takes on his first permanent managerial role knowing the scale of the task facing the Bulls.
He admitted the league table has not reflected expectations at Edgar Street this term but believes survival is firmly within reach.
“While the league table shows that the season has not gone as everyone at the MandM Edgar Street Stadium hoped it would, I am confident that there is more than enough time to turn things round,” he said.
Chairman Chris Ammonds revealed Downes had already “put forward a detailed plan to navigate us through the rest of the season” before talks were even concluded, underlining how prepared the new boss was for the task ahead.
In a statement, the new gaffer pointed to adjustments rather than wholesale change as the first step.
“With tweaks to our set-up and a few new additions, we will be able to climb the table towards safety.”
Those “tweaks” are expected to come quickly, with chairman Chris Ammonds confirming the club will support the new boss in refreshing the squad in the coming days and weeks.
Downes revealed he had been monitoring Hereford closely before applying for the role and made it clear he targeted the job as soon as it became available.
“After several years as an assistant manager, I have been waiting for the right opportunity to become a number one and as soon as the role at Hereford FC became available, I expressed a strong interest.”
The former Torquay United FC interim boss believes the supporters could play a decisive role in the run-in.
“Having played against Hereford on a number of occasions I know how passionate the supporters here are and have no doubt that, if we all pull together, we will be able to secure the points required from the final 21 games to ensure this great club remains in the National League North going into the 2026/27 season.”
The target has been set and now the work begins, starting with Darlington at Sixways on Tuesday evening.