Aaron Downes speaks out as Hereford fall at first FA Cup hurdle

Hereford boss Aaron Downes has spoken to the media after Hereford were knocked out of the FA Cup by Stafford Rangers.

The lower-ranked side beat the Bulls 3-2.

Hereford Out Of The Cup

Stafford go through to the next round after defeating Hereford 3-2.

Danny Waldron put Hereford ahead in the first half.

But three Stafford goals in the second half put the tie beyond Hereford despite Cawley Cox pulling one back.

3004 watched the tie so Hereford should receive some revenue from the game as well as the losers 'prize' from the FA.

Hereford 1-0 Ahead At Stafford

At the break it is:

Stafford 0 Hereford 1

Team news: Stafford Rangers v Hereford FC

Hereford FC enter the FA Cup at the second round qualifying stage of the competition, away at Stafford Rangers. 

Harrison Iwunze is among the Hereford substitutes as Aaron Downes alters his starting eleven from the team that beat South Shields 6-0 last week.  

He drops out of the starting eleven, as does Kyle Howkins and Cawley Cox. Harry Tustin, Danny Waldron and Jordan Williamson start. 

Hereford: Richardson, James, Kandola, Merritt, Skinner, Bitemo, Tustin, Spokes, Phillips, Williamson, Waldron. Subs: Iwunze, Willis, Cox, Roberts, Lewis, Tolley, Howkins. 

Graham Turner Interview With Sky In August 2001

BN goes back 25 years for this article in which Hereford United manager Graham Turner was interviewed by Sky Sports.

GRAHAM Turner has been interviewed about his time at Hereford United by Sky Sports for their website (http://www.skysports.com), ahead of Saturday's season opening against Barnet, live on Sky Sports.

The interview, by Joe Bernstein, is featured below:

You can't think of Hereford United without the image of Ronnie Radford's goal and a jubilant pitch invasion by hundreds of fans, all wearing Parka coats, flashing through the mind.

Trouble, is that famous - nay, legendary - FA Cup win against Newcastle was 30 years ago and life has been rough at Edgar Street since then.

This season marks their fifth attempt to regain Football League status, snatched away by Brighton's Robbie Reinelt on a dramatic May afternoon in 1997.

Graham Turner was the manager then and, despite offering his resignation within hours of relegation, remains the manager today - and he is now chairman as well.

"Every time a potential cup giantkilling is featured on TV, they show the Hereford goals against Newcastle. We're not sick of it at all, we have a picture of Ronnie Radford's goal hitting the net in the boardroom," he says.

"Like many clubs, Hereford have found it difficult to survive in the modern era. We've had to live on our wits, and will have to carry on doing the same."

It was only Turner's personal intervention that kept the club afloat. After the club were loaned £1million by property developers - money that Hereford still owe - the chairman decided he wanted out. With nobody else willing to buy his 35 per cent stake, Turner stumped up the money to become the club's major shareholder and chairman.

"I wake up every morning and think it was a ridiculous thing to do," admits Turner.

"I'm a football man but circumstances meant I had to do something or the club really looked as if it was going to fold. I thought a few years later, I would be able to sell the shares but so far nobody wants them!

"The real reason I got involved was for the fans. When we dropped out of the league, I felt responsible despite not being allowed to sign players for a lot of that season.

"The fans sent a delegation around to let me know they wanted me to stay on. I doubt that happens to many managers whose team drop out of the league. It was the start of a fantastic relationship with the supporters.

"Hereford have among the largest support in the country based on population. If we do well in the Conference this season, we would average 3,500 and the town's population is only 65,000. Our supporters are involved in the decision-making process.

Turner believes his side can mount a serious promotion challenge this season and Barnet - who dropped out of the League in May - will be a good test on Saturday in front of the Sky Sports cameras.

"We have a couple of players who catch the eye," said Turner. "I have managed at a high level and in my opinion one of our youngsters Gavin Williams is capable of being a First Division player. He will play as a striker on Saturday, he's very quick and mobile and came through the youth ranks.

"Paul Parry looked the part a couple of years ago before he got glandular fever. But he's got a lot of ability wide on the left and scored a good goal against Everton in pre-season.

"Two years ago, we played Leicester in the FA Cup and Paul went on a terrific run past two defenders and hit the post with a shot. If it had gone in, he might have become as well-known as Ronnie Radford!"

Although Hereford are in the Conference, their manager Turner has an impressive CV.

He took Shrewsbury from Division Four to top eight in the old Division Two with a young side that included Steve Ogrizovic and Nigel Pearson.

He then went on to Aston Villa in 1984, Doug Ellis' first managerial appointment in his second spell at Villa Park.

"The timing wasn't great because the European Cup-winning side was breaking up and our good young players like Steve Hodge, Martin Keown and Mark Walters weren't quite ready," he recalls.

Turner went from Villa Park to spend nearly eight years at Wolves, again taking them from the bottom rung of league football into the First Division and then paying the price for missing out on promotion to the Premiership.

"The first two or three seasons at Wolves were great and then Sir Jack Hayward came in and expectations went through the roof," he admits.

"In my first two years, we won two championships, went to Wembley and put a million pounds in the bank. But the money went into a magnificent stadium and I started getting flak from the fans because we weren't challenging for the Premiership.

"We had an FA Cup quarter-final at Chelsea in 1994 and decided I would resign if we lost. We were beaten 1-0 and I decided I'd had enough.

I'm still friendly with Sir Jack and visited him in the Bahamas this summer. I think his biggest mistake was he didn't get actively involved, he really wasn't around that often, and I think he would accept that now."

With promotion play-offs from the Conference looking likely - there is a proposal on the table that Conference teams who finish between second and fifth go into play-off matches and meet the Conference champions for the right to win promotion - there may be a couple of chapters to add in Turner's Football League book.

GRAHAM TURNER CHATLINES
Playing Career: Chester 1967-72, Shrewsbury 1972-83
Managerial career: Shrewsbury 1978-84, Aston Villa 1984-86, Wolves 1986-94, Hereford 1995-

Predict the Conference champions: If not us, Doncaster Rovers. They were destitute when they were relegated into the Conference but have re-organised, moved ground and look a good side now

Star Conference player: Gavin Williams of Hereford. And Ken Charlery, who is with Boston. He has a good pedigree for a striker in this division.

Best player you worked with: Steve Bull at Wolves was the best at what he did, which was scoring goals. He was a coach here at Hereford last season.

Your dream for this season: There is prize money for winning games in the FA Cup from the very first qualifying round. So it would be financially so important for us if we could have a cup run like two years ago when we took Leicester to a replay.  

A Look Back To The FA Cup This Weekend In 2016

With the FA Cup taking place this afternoon BN looks back to September 17th 2016 and a tie at Sutton Coldfield.

Mills Seals Hereford Cup Victory

Hereford progressed to the next round of the FA Cup with a last gasp victory over Sutton Coldfield courtesy of a John Mills penalty. Hereford went behind through a Ryan Edmunds shot, before Mills equalised. Mike Symons scored in the second-half, before Trainer again scored to equal proceedings, but it was left to Mills who fired home a last minute penalty to send Hereford through.

 

There Was a One Minute Silence For Shaw Lane's Daniel Wilkinson Who Passed Away Last Week

Peter Beadle named an unchanged side for Hereford, who last played against Winchester seven days ago winning 2-0. Sutton Coldfield included former Shrewsbury striker Luke Rodgers up top, whilst there were a couple of former Bulls' links. 'Keeper James Wren once trialled at Hereford, whilst Steven Leslie spent two loans spells at Edgar Street in 2011, scoring four times in twenty one games.

The hosts started well and Phil Trainer smashed an effort from outside of the box against the crossbar, with the rebound hitting Alex Harris and bouncing behind for a corner. Sutton Coldfield continued to press and a corner was nodded down to Rodgers, but his shot was pushed away by Harris. Hereford had their first opportunity of the game after a burst from Ross Staley, saw the ball eventually fell to Symons, but he was off-target from a good position.

Hereford had a shout for a penalty turned down after a handball appeal, following a clumsy clearance after a Staley cross. Later on in the half, good build up let to Tristam Plummer putting a superb ball but Symons failed to make a clean connection from close-range and the ball fell away to danger. In the 39th minute, Sutton Coldfield took the lead with a classic route one. A long-ball forward was collected by Edmunds, and from 18 yards, the forward smashed into the back of the net despite the best efforts of Harris to keep it out.

Sutton Coldfield Scored First

 

There was a quick response though from Hereford. Staley found space to find Plummer; he slid it through into the path of Mills and the leading marksman made no mistake from 8 yards to make it 1-1.

Tristan Plummer Provided The Cross From Which John Mills Scored

Immediately after half-time, Hereford turned it around. Similar to the opener for Sutton Coldfield, a long ball forward wasn't dealt with and Symons finished well from close-range to make it 2-1 to the Bulls. Soon after, Jake Sinclar replaced Plummer as Beadle opted to freshen up his eleven.

 

Mike Symons Scores Hereford's Second Goal

Sinclar looked lively; his early cross from the right was met with a first-time volley from Mills, which curled just past the post. Both sides had further chances with Jamie Edge catching a sweet right-foot half-volley, which flew past the post. Despite this it was the home side who drew level, with just over five minutes remaining. A long throw caused havoc in the box and Trainer was on hand to equalise.

Trainer Heads Towards Goal

Yet, in the dying seconds of the game, Hereford were awarded a penalty. A throw into the box was challenged for by Symons, and he crossed low with his left-foot, only for it to hit a hand and divert into the side netting. After strong appeals, the referee pointed to the spot. Mills stepped forward, despite his miss last weekend at Winchester, and scored, to send Hereford into the next round.

A Cross From Mike Symons Appeared To Hit A Defenders Hand As It Went Into The Side Netting

John Mills Took The PenaltyAnd Made No Mistake

880 were in attendance in north Birmingham as Hereford sealed a late path through to the next round of the FA Cup. Hereford are next in action a week today, when they visit high flying Tiverton in a top of the table clash. The FA Cup draw takes place on Monday at midday where Hereford will find out their next round opponents.

Hereford: Harris, Oates, Parry, Green, Barker, Plummer, Purdie, Edge, Staley, Symons, Mills.

Subs: Horsell, Edwards, Willets, Sinclair, Huntbach. 

FA Cup Preview

This preview from NL's Sam Elliott:

The Enterprise National League North and South clubs are about to begin their FA Cup journeys with some intriguing ties in prospect.

The competition starts for 48 of our clubs this weekend, and of course one team in particular know exactly how important it all is.

Little did anyone at Macclesfield know what was around the corner this time last year.

The club went on to create one of the biggest FA Cup headlines in history when they defeated the holders, Premier League Crystal Palace, in front of a worldwide audience.

John Rooney’s greatest hour won’t ever be forgotten, but he has urged the hunters not to become the hunted - Redcar Athletic want to slay the Silkmen.

Darlington have a similar task after being drawn to play Northern League Redcar Town.

They aren’t the only team looking to avoid becoming the second qualifying round story.

Lower Breck lie in wait for Chester, who are struggling for result of a sudden and Phil Parkinson is demanding compete focus.

Leaders Hereford are also on the road to a lower ranked club - they’ll need to be cautious at Stafford Rangers.

There will be some all National League North ties as Morecambe meet managerless Southport, with AFC Telford United drawn to play Worksop Town, Marine and Radcliffe playing and Bedford Town on hosting duties against King’s Lynn Town. 

 

Hereford Has History In The FA Cup Said Downes

Hereford manager Aaron Downes has been speaking about the FA Cup ahead of tomorrow's tie at Stafford.

"This club has unbelievable history," Downes told BBC Hereford and Worcester.

"Everybody knows Hereford because of the history of the FA Cup.

"I want to do it justice, no I can't guarantee we'll go to Stafford Ragers and win, but I want to do it justice because this club has got such history in the Cup.

"I'll do everything I can to make sure we sort ourselves out and make sure we are organised for Saturday.

"I keep saying it I'm so proud to be manager of this football club at the minute.

"I'll maintain working ever so hard to try and keep the feel-good factor we have got going." 

I Won't Take Stafford Lightly Said Downes

Ahead of tomorrow's FA Cup tie at Stafford Rangers, Aaron Downes has been talking to BBC Hereford and Worcester.

"I definitely won't be taking them lightly, that's for sure," said the Hereford manager.

"I think they've won ten or eleven games this season.

"They are in great form, they are a good experienced side, they've got a manager who knows what he is doing.

"And they've sold a lot of tickets so real massive credit to both sets of supporters.

"We'll be taking a really big following but their home support will be very high as well.

"It will be a proper cup tie which is great for everybody involved.

"They will really fancy it, they are in good form like us.

"So it will be a tight, tough game.

"We've got to make sure we approach it in the right manner."  

News Round Up

Hereford FC Under 18's have been drawn to play Stourport Swifts in the Second Qualifying Round of the FA Youth Cup. The tie is expected to be played on September 29th or 30th at Edgar Street.

The FA Cup Third Round Qualifying draw will be announced at 1pm on Monday 21 September. No new clubs enter at this stage. Ties take place on October 3rd.

Hednesford Town have signed teenage goalkeeper Will Murdock on loan from Manchester United. 

Hereford vice-captain Kam Kandola has been nominated for the Non-League Player prize at the Asian Football Awards 2026 which take place on September 29th. 

Dagenham have confirmed that former Hereford striker Remaye Campbell has joined the club from Hemel Hempstead with a deal until the end of the season. 

Dean To Manage Brackley

Gareth Dean is the new Brackley manager. He takes over from Andy Whing.

This from Brackley: 

The legendary Saints captain, Gareth Dean, will take charge until the end of the season, supported by Ali Worby and returning club favourite James Armson.

Following the resignation of Andy Whing as First Team Manager, the Board would also like to thank his assistant, Craig Pead, and wish him every success for the future.

Now, in true Brackley Town fashion, it is time to begin a new chapter.

As is so often the case at Brackley Town, when the club needs someone to step up, one man is never far away.

Our legendary captain, Gareth Dean, simply cannot say no. Now, he’s back in the dugout.
Although Gaz hung up his boots at the end of last season, he has remained heavily involved behind the scenes, helping with recruitment and working on plans for the future of our club.

Gaz will take charge of the team until the end of the season, working alongside Joe Taylor as the club looks for the right person to lead the Saints into next season.

Gaz will not be doing it alone. Joining him in the dugout will be Ali Worby, who has once again stepped up when our club needs him.

Finally, another familiar and much-loved face at BTFC will form part of the new management team. Welcome back to St James Park, James Armson.

This group will undoubtedly be hugely popular with our supporters. Between them, they know this club. They know what it means to wear the Brackley shirt, and they know exactly what Brackley Town means to the people who support it.

Now it is time for everyone to get behind them.

Join us as Gaz, Ali, Jimmy and our young Saints begin this exciting new era against AFC Portchester in our opening Emirates FA Cup fixture.

Bring your voices, passion and Brackley pride. Let’s fill the stands, create an unforgettable atmosphere and give the new management team and players the support they need from the very first whistle.

This is more than just a cup fixture; it is the beginning of a new journey for Brackley Town Football Club.

2500 Expected For Stafford v Hereford

 

With a big crowd expected here's what Stafford have told their supporters in advance of tomorrow's tie.

Saturday is going to be a very special occasion at the Stan Robinson Stadium.

We are expecting a crowd in the region of 2,500 supporters for our FA Cup tie against Hereford, and before anything else, we want to say a very simple THANK YOU.

Thank you for backing Stafford Rangers.

Thank you for coming through the gates.

And thank you for believing in the project of making Rangers successful again.

The growth in support around the club has been fantastic, and seeing so many people getting behind the Rangers is something everyone at the club is incredibly proud of.

STAFFORD RANGERS v HEREFORD

FA CUP 2ND QUALIFYING ROUND

Saturday 19th September | 3.00pm

IMPORTANT – THIS IS AN ALL-TICKET MATCH

Please make sure you have your ticket with you when you arrive.

https://staffordrangersfc.ktckts.com/event/srffacq2/fa-cup-v-hereford-segregated

With such a large crowd expected, please allow plenty of time for your journey and entry into the stadium.

GATES OPEN – 12.00 NOON

Home supporters should enter via the entrance to the right-hand side of the Social Club as you look at the building.

The Lotus side of the ground is allocated to Hereford supporters.

FOOD, DRINK & ENTERTAINMENT

There will be plenty happening before kick-off, so come early and enjoy the occasion.

We will have:

• A selection of bars available in the Social Club
• A further bar at the back of the stand
• An additional outlet at the Shed End
• Tuck shop in the Jon Downing
• World famous pies available
• Hot drinks
• The Club Shop located behind the Main Stand

LIVE MUSIC

A live band will be performing before kick-off:

12.45pm – 1.30pm
1.45pm – 2.45pm

Steph Hughes and then duo Andy & Stacey will also be performing in the Jon Downing Social Room.

HALF-TIME ENTERTAINMENT

Local dance troupe Fusion will be showcasing their skills during the half-time entertainment.

And, of course, Bobby Badger will be entertaining everyone as usual!

PARKING – PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY

Parking will be challenging with such a large crowd, which is one of the reasons we are opening the ground at 12 noon.

Please arrive early where possible.

Please do not park on the grass verge opposite the stadium. You may receive a parking ticket.

We also ask everyone parking in the surrounding area to be respectful and considerate towards our neighbours.

LET’S MAKE THE WHOLE GROUND ROCK

With such a large attendance, we cannot have supporters moving around the ground to follow the direction of attack or migrate behind the goal. Please try and stay in your chosen area.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t make the whole stadium loud!

Let’s spread the noise around the Stan Robinson Stadium and make sure the players know exactly how much support they have.

Sing. Shout. Cheer. Get behind the Rangers.

Wouldn’t it great to see Stafford Rangers progress into the next round of the FA Cup.

DON’T RUSH HOME AFTER THE FINAL WHISTLE

The day doesn’t have to finish when the football does!

Please feel free to stay with us after the game, have a drink and enjoy the atmosphere at Marston Road.

The Jon Downing Social Room will remain open until 6.30pm.

The Members Bar will be open until midnight.

And, if the weather is kind to us, we’ll look to keep an outside bar open too, giving everyone the opportunity to relax, enjoy the surroundings and make the most of the pleasure of Marston Road.

2,500 PEOPLE. ONE CLUB. ONE RANGERS.

Thank you for being part of this.

Thank you for backing Stafford Rangers.

And thank you for backing the project of making Rangers successful again.

Most importantly, enjoy the game and enjoy your day with us.

Let’s make Saturday a day to remember. 

Over 2500 Tickets Sold For Stafford v Hereford Cup Tie

Stafford Rangers have reported that they have sold over 2500 tickets for tomorrow's FA Cup tie against Hereford.

Only 100 home tickets remain on sale.

It's currently unknown how many away tickets have been sold. 

 

The Cup, romance and six appeal

The romance of the Cup gives us a temporary break this weekend from what has been a staggeringly, pinch-me-I’m-dreamingly good start for Hereford FC in the National League North.

It hardly needs saying that places don’t come much more romantic than Staffordshire (a weekend in Stoke or Paris? No contest), and the Bulls travel to Stafford Rangers for a second qualifying round tie that will go to a replay if the sides are drawing at the end of 90ish minutes. The draw could have been considerably kinder, and Stafford away may as well be sponsored by Fyffes given how it screams ‘banana skin’.

Talking of romance, this Bulls side has been very easy to fall in love with. Hard-nosed long-term pessimists on the Len Weston Terrace were unanimously, unprecedentedly thrumming with appreciation last Saturday like giddy teenage girls at a Taylor Swift concert at what was a truly impressive performance, arguably the best of the Hereford FC era.

Jack Tolley’s cameo last weekend suggested that he’s ready to be involved at this level when called upon, and Liam Roberts showed the quality of his crossing when he came on in the second half. If Aaron Downes is considering any rotation here those two could see some action, with the ever-capable Keziah Martin also possibly getting a start in the middle or on the left, and Danny Waldron perhaps set for his first 90 minutes in a Hereford shirt, a shirt that was stretched to ripping point by various South Shields players last weekend.

Their defenders were admittedly in a state of some shock by the time Jordan Williamson was introduced against them, but his contribution was considerable and could see him involved more significantly here.

Will Merrett improves with every game and was one of about ten candidates for man of the match last Saturday. Eleven in fact, given the assist from Theo Richardson for one of the later goals. ‘One of the later goals’ – what IS going on?! The FGR loanee and Kyle Howkins, with Kyle in monstrously good form, is proving to be some centre-back partnership.

The latter looked like he’d picked up a slight knock towards the end against South Shields, and perhaps the manager will consider giving him a rest, with Kam Kandola able to slot into central defence with fresher legs following his three-week suspension.

Stafford ply their trade two levels below Hereford, and currently sit second in their bit of the Northern Premier structure. However, as is always the case at this time of year, lower-level sides have already been busily beavering away in the FA Cup and FA Trophy, meaning that they’ve only played a handful of league games, in Stafford’s case six, so there’s not a huge amount to go on in terms of league form, but they’ve won eight of their last ten league games across last season and this one, which is good form in anyone’s book. However, like Hereford they narrowly avoided relegation last time.

Rangers have a proud history in the non-league game, and were founder members of the Football Conference in 1986, the fifth level of English football still known by many as the GM Vauxhall Conference – surely one of the best value-for-money sponsorships in football given that it stopped being that 28 years ago.

It’s certain that Stafford will be more up for a fight than South Shields were last weekend, and if their goalie and two defenders do any intricate little passing triangles in their own penalty area it’ll be accidental rather than tactical. Hereford will have to match them physically early on to win the right to attempt to out-football them.

There’s an HUFC link between the clubs in the form of Stafford’s goalkeeping coach Scott Cooksey, United’s goalie at the turn of the century, who on his day was quite brilliant. Current goalie Russell Saunders may have to be Cookseyesque in this game to repel a rampaging Bulls side that oozes six appeal. Linkages between the two clubs extend to Stafford having been managed by Phil Robinson, Steve Bull, Neil Grayson and Steve Burr at various times.

Ex-Curzon Ashton centre forward Scott Bakkor has been described by his manager as being ‘the best number 9 in the division’. Admittedly he would say that, but Bakkor scored 23 at Runcorn last season and will need to be shut down here in the same way Paul Blackett was last week. 

This is a big game for the in-form hosts and they’ll make it very difficult for the visitors, who will know they’ve been in a game afterwards regardless of the result. Tricky one.

Finally, if you took a little bit of that 33/1 about Hereford’s title chances a few short weeks ago, good luck to you as they now trade at 5/1. League and Cup double? That’s going to be considerably bigger than 33/1.

COYW

Whing Leaves Brackley

 

Former Hereford FC assistant manager Andy Whing has parted company with Brackley who are currently 21st in the National North League.

This from Brackley:

The Board has today accepted the resignation of Andy Whing as first team manager. Andy was appointed in February 2026 and oversaw the second half of the 2025/26 National League season, a campaign which ultimately ended in relegation to National League North.

This season Andy has brought together a young squad with a lot of potential. Throughout his tenure, Andy has represented Brackley Town Football Club with professionalism and integrity.

The Board would like to place on record its sincere thanks to Andy for his efforts during his time at the Club and we are genuinely grateful for the work he has put in with the players and staff. The Board fully respects Andy’s decision and we wish him the very best for the future.

A unity and a togetherness have always been strengths at our club. We urge all supporters to come together and to get behind the team on Saturday and in these coming weeks.

The Club will provide an update in due course ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup tie