Home sweet home

 

At last Hereford FC return home – not Worcester, not Redditch – actual home, as they host bottom club Leamington at Edgar Street. Hopefully the club’s recent absence from the city will ensure that there’s a big and noisy crowd in to encourage the side to another win and a continued move up the table.

This is also a chance for Hereford to do a double double, following Saturday’s win at Worksop. In October, the Bulls won 2-1 in Warwickshire, with I-Lani Edwards arguably enjoying his best game in a Bulls shirt.

Last weekend was a very good one in the quest for safety, with none of the other sides in the bottom seven winning. Things are now starting to look a bit more encouraging.

The visitors have endured something of a difficult season. After Shrewsbury swooped for the Brakes’ star striker Cally Stewart mid-way through last season they really struggled, and more-or-less stopped scoring. That goal shyness has continued into this season, and they’ve only managed 26 goals in 35 games.

However, they’re doing a good impression at the moment of being the Wolves of the National League North. Everyone knows they’re down, including them, but they’re not going down without a fight, following a 2-1 win last midweek against Telford and an impressive 1-1 draw on Saturday at home to possibly-stuttering Fylde. A 95^th minute equaliser ensured that they go into this on a two-match unbeaten run.

Their away form this season though is terrible. That win at Telford was their only one this season, and came after a wait of almost a year. They’ve conceded on average more than two goals a game in their 18 away games. With the Bulls exhibiting some new-found goalscoring prowess, they’ll surely fancy this.

Birmingham City loanee Frank Tattum looks to be their dangerman, with two goals in two games. The aforementioned I-Lani Edwards joined Leamington on loan from Villa after his spell at Hereford, but returned to his parent club after the Brakes’ game against Fylde at the weekend. His ability will presumably be missed.

A win could see Hereford move out of the relegation zone for the first time in a while. Being outside the bottom four with multiple games in hand over everyone around them would be a much more reassuring look. For the second midweek running, Kidderminster could do us a favour at Aggborough, this time by beating Peterborough.

Aaron Downes has hinted at continual rotation from now until the end of the season given the fixture pile-up. Whether that means he’ll rest Andy Williams or gamble on the Bulls striker’s goal on Saturday signalling the start of a purple patch, and giving him another start accordingly, remains to be seen. George Munday and Mikey Lane will be itching to play some part here. Munday has played five times for the club but this will be his first taste of a game at Edgar Street. 

Compared to that, Cormac Daly’s virtually due a testimonial without having actually played a proper home game for the club. Eight games in, many fans will be getting their first look at the talented 18-year-old.

Of the players actually contracted to the club, a quick word on Theo Richardson. The Bulls keeper was hugely influential in ensuring that the points went to the away side on Saturday. He should enjoy a very warm welcome from the Meadow End before kick off. I hope he’s around next season.

It would be timely indeed here for the Bulls to end their recent sequence of winning alternate games under Aaron Downes, and recording back-to-back victories. Not that I’m knocking winning alternate games of course, it’s a much more agreeable pattern than what preceded the new manager. In fact, it’s got the club into a position whereby this isn’t the complete and utter must-win it was looking like being a week or so back. Having said that, Hereford haven’t recovered their league position sufficiently yet to be anything other than very annoyed if they don’t beat already-down Leamington at home, given that they’re still third-bottom and have a string of tricky games coming up after this. It’s a must-ish win.

In terms of those tricky games, Fylde are showing very slight signs of promotion chasing nerves having picked up just one point from their last two, and Macclesfield similarly aren’t in scintillating form. It would be useful if one or both were indeed choking.

Adam Rooney’s departure should free up a bit of room in the budget should it be required, and it seems sensible not to look to cover the coaching element of his role by bringing a new staff member in, given Harry Pell’s presence and older heads like Willo able to chip in too with words of advice for the younger players.

Incidentally, winning every remaining game rather than alternate ones would see the Bulls finish on 80 points, comfortably sufficient to qualify for the play-offs. Stranger things have happened…OK, maybe they haven’t.

COYW