Pre-Season 2002/03

A look back to July 2002 and pre-season at Hereford United. 

HEREFORD United manager Graham Turner spoke to BBC Hereford & Worcester's Nicola Goodwin on Friday Sport. 

NG: Hereford United players have returned to Edgar Street this week to start pre-season training. Manager Graham Turner was left with just six contracted players at the end of last season. He has begun a recruitment campaign. This week he has announced that another three players Andy Tretton, John Grant and Michael Rose will be joining the club. Earlier today I popped over to Edgar Street to speak to Graham about his new signings just before the players went off on a rather nasty run.

GT: Yes and a lot more to come I hope. Its common knowledge that we only retained six players from last season. I have signed five more and we have several trialists in with us at the moment and I am hoping before the season starts, well before the season starts, we finish up with a squad of 17 or 18 players.I have been delighted with what we have signed so far. They all look good athletes, lean and mean, and I think we still need one or two other positions filled, a striker is one of the main targets, another mid-field player. 

But so far I am well pleased with what I have seen and the pre-season have got underway, we have had our first two days and there is a good spirit amongst them. It is nice to see so many new faces about the place. I think people do become stale in the same place year in year out and I am sure supporters will be looking forward to see these new players that we have got in.

NG: You named three new men earlier this week. Why did you decide to bring them to Edgar Street? What attracted you?

GT: Well it was a combination of things. In the case of Andy Tretton, he is an experienced central defender. It gives me an option now of changing the system and going with three central defenders, him and Tony James and Ian Wright. We will have a lot of experience back there. Andy Tretton is a good central defender, a good defender who is not bad on the ball as well. We will expect him to a little bit, if we are playing three central defenders, a little bit constructive as well as being able to defend. 

In John Grant, a 20 year old striker, very quick, very mobile, a lot of potential, a lot of scope, comes very very highly recommended by the people who worked with him for several years at Crewe, particularly Dario Gradi, who I think is well respected in the game has given him a high recommendation and so we've taken a chance with him. We have seen him play a couple of times and we know that he has got enough at 20 years of age to make an impact in the Conference. 

And young Michael Rose left back from Chester, again he is only a young lad, 19 years of age, started his career at Manchester United. And sometimes when you get released by a club the size of Manchester United where a player thinks he has got the world at his feet, it can have a devastating effect on them and although he had a season at Chester, and I think started about 38 games for Chester, he was not offered a new contract. I think the change of manager there disrupted things a little bit and so I think we have cashed in on the situation by obtaining his services here. I have got great hopes for Michael Rose, I think he is going to go on to be a very good player. 

Add to that Ben Smith and Jamie Pitman that we signed earlier, one or two players coming in on trial next week. One of interest who has been recommended to me by a former senior player out of Wolves, who is playing in the Premiership now. He has been released by a Premiership club, and the player said just have a look at him. He is a good player, he will do you a world of good as a midfield player. So we are going to have a look at him. 

Goalkeepers, I have several goalkeepers coming in on trial. It's good, there is a bit of buzz about the place at the moment and I think some of that is largely due to Richard O'Kelly who is taking part of the training. He is a keen, enthusiastic man and has got a good sense of humour and I think the players so far have responded very well to him. So, yes there is a buzz about the place, we are all upbeat and we cannot wait for the season to start.

NG: Pre-season must be more important now because of the amount of changes taking place in the squad.

GT: Well, there are two purposes for pre-season. You have got to get the players fit and you have got to get the pattern of playing in the team and with so many new faces in there we are going to have to work hard on our pattern of play and we have got to work hard on the team play and the practice matches will be important to us. It is not going to gel straight away, there is going to be misunderstandings between players and groups of players but all that should come together and we hope before the start of the season but it certainly takes a little bit of time when you have got so many new faces in for it to gel.