Oct 2000

Oct 1st:

STEVE Bull, currently lending a helping hand at Hereford United, has said that one day he would like to manage Wolves.

"I began my playing career at Tipton Town and went right up the ladder to finish with Wolves," Bull told the Sunday Mercury.

"Now I'm starting again with Hereford United in the Conference and want to work my way back up again. Managing Wolves is my ultimate aim - but I wouldn't just step into the job with no experience.

"Hereford is just like Wolves in the mid 80s with an old ground and tiles coming off the walls. But the players there respect it more.

Oct 2nd:

HEREFORD United goalkeeper Scott Cooksey has announced that his wife Clare has had a baby girl called Isabelle. The baby, born last week, is the first youngster in the Cooksey household and could be good practice as Scott intends to become a teacher when he eventually retires from the game.

Cooksey said: "I would like to take a postgraduate course in education. I don't think I would want to go down the road of PE, more likely primary school teaching with it's more varied range so I wouldn't get bored."

Oct 3rd:

HEREFORD United have announced that David Castro-Pearson has signed on permenant forms. He impressed after a trial and joins up with former Luton man Michael McIndoe at Edgar Street.

KINGSTONIAN 0 - 3 HEREFORD UNITED

The second 3-0 away win of the season came tonight at Kingsmeadow as United triumphed in a match which included an awful refereeing performance by Steve Rubery of Ilford. To say the least, the game was eventful if not for completely the right reasons, but United let the football do the talking as they outclassed Kingstonian.

Geoff Chapple, Kingstonian's boss, was away from the match for medical treatment and this result will not make him feel any better, and the refereeing performance will make it even worse!

United started well but the first chance went Kingstonian's way after a third of the first half. A cross from Eddie Akuamoah was hit well by Sammy Winston but Scott Cooksey blocked the effort, before the rebound went wide from Winston.

McIndoe got the first goal from a swerving free kick on eighteen minutes, and it came in off the far post, a superb effort from twenty yards to give Hereford the lead. It was the second free kick, after Chris Lane's first attempt had been cleared and Pitcher booked for a foul.

The second came just eight minutes later from a Gavin Williams left hand cross, which was headed in by Robin Elmes past Farrelly, the helpless Kingstonian goalkeeper.

Chris Lane almost made it 3-0 to the Bulls on thirty one minutes. Eddie Saunders held back Gavin Williams, and the referee awarded Chris Lane a penalty kick. However, the right back hit a low ball towards the corner before Farrelly dived to save superbly.

On thirty four minutes, Gary Patterson and Phil Robinson clashed after Patterson had performed a late challenge on the former Stoke captain, and the result was a sixteen man brawl! After the fracas, Colin Luckett was sent off for violent conduct whilst both Robinson and Patterson got away scot-free. Luckett could count himself unlucky to have been sent off as he didn't seem to have played a huge part in proceedings.

The game was not a dirty one but the statistic of twenty something freekicks reveals its niggly nature. Ian Wright, however, came off at half time with a neck injury and replaced by Matt Gardiner.

After half-time, Kingstonian came out attacking the Hereford goal and with just one minute of the half gone, Winston hit wide. Hereford came back with Lane, as his low shot was eventually scrambled away by the Kingstonian defence. Elmes then hit a shot wide from six yards out on fifty five minutes, and then Mark Harris' header called Cooksey into action at the other end.

On sixty four minutes, Steve Farrelly was sent off for serious foul play after the referee had consulted with the assistant. He waited for the referee to turn away, and then lashed out at Gavin Williams, perhaps accidentely through the follow-on from the clearance.

Hereford's domination enhanced with a two man advantage and eventually got their third goal on seventy nine minutes. Matt Clarke hit a superb fourty yard pass to Gavin Williams, who controlled well before hitting an excellent ball from fifteen yards past Farrelly.

Richard Hurst, Kingstonian's replacement 'keeper, kept United at bay for the final ten minutes. He made several good saves, and prevented several potential goals. However, Williams and Elmes looked impressive in attack and yet again McIndoe made a superb contribution to the Hereford shire from his left sided role.

The referee, as previously mentioned, played a huge part in proceedings. He was fussy, and penalised many offences in a normal game which included just one bad foul. Despite that, the following were booked; Pitcher (18), Winston (29) and Harriott (31) for fouls, and also the Hereford three of Wright (5), McIndoe (36) and Williams (65), all also for fouls.

An attendance of just 833 saw the game, and the next United match is vs Yeovil on Sunday, which should be a good turn out as the Somerset side are now top of the league. They went top with a 4-0 home win as Rushden crashed to a one goal defeat at Leigh RMI. Dagenham also won so remain in third position, just above Hereford.

Hereford - Cooksey, Lane, Clarke, Robinson, Wright, James, Rodgerson, Snape, McIndoe, Elmes, Williams
Substitutions - Gardiner (46).

Man of the Match - Michael McIndoe

Oct 5th:

LEE Evans, youth team goalkeeper, scored his first goal in the Midland Floodlit Youth League Northern Division as the side won 3-1 at Willenhall Town. A long clearance went over the home goalkeeper's head and into the net. United are currently top of the league.

AROUND 800 of the 1000 tickets for the Rushden match have now been sold. Please buy yours before they all go, either through the club on 01432 276666 or on the Bulls-Shop.com website. The game, scheduled for October 14th, is expected to be a sell-out and transport will be put on from the club. Again, call for details. Tickets will not be available on the day, so prior purchasing is vital.

Oct 6th:

NEW Conference referee Steve Rubery, who was in charge of the Kingstonian vs Hereford United match on Tuesday evening, told of his disappointment in the player's behaviour and that certain incidents will be reported to the FA.

Both sides will be reported to the FA after a 22-man brawl which was sparked off by a bad challenge on Phil Robinson by Gary Patterson. Meanwhile, one Hereford fan ran onto the pitch and will be reported by the referee and whether any disciplinary action will be taken is down to the FA and the Conference.

"I've never seen anthing like that before," the thirty seven year old told the Daily Telegraph. "There was a mass confrontation and it will be up to the FA whether they ask Kingstonian for a copy of the video."

Kingstonian had two players sent off and each side had three booked as the Bulls strolled to a 3-0 away victory, closing the gap on the leading pack of Rushden & Diamonds and Yeovil Town.

Oct 6th:

FROM the Independent:

Since they dropped out of the Football League in 1997, Hereford United have failed to mount a serious challenge for a return. This season, though, the situation is different.

After Tuesday's 3-0 win at Kingstonian, the Bulls are in fourth place in the Nationwide Conference, eight points behind the new leaders: managerless Yeovil Town.

The man who deserves most of the credit for Hereford's resurgence is Graham Turner, the former Wolves and Aston Villa manager. He has a dual role at Edgar Street: as Director of Football he takes charge of coaching and picks the team, and as chairman he is also the boss off the pitch.

Turner is the club's major shareholder but, as he is anxious to make clear, he does not try to emulate some of his rival chairmen and buy success. "I couldn't afford to fund the club," he said. "Our income comes from football and other fund-raising activities."

Despite running the club "on a shoestring", as Turner puts it, the Bulls have kept a professional playing staff. "We still have ambitions to get back into the League, and to do so it's vital that we remain full-time," he added. "We have 14 full-time pros, of whom nine are 21 or under, and four part-timers. Our wage bill is smaller than a number of fully part-time clubs in this league."

Oct 7th:

ON average, the Hereford United home crowd is 16% higher than at this stage last season, according to confguide.com, the independent Conference website. The Edgar Street crowd's rise is the best in the league, and only Rushden & Diamonds come close with a 14% increase.

If the crowds now become the average for the season, Rushden will have a 41% increase but Hereford will still be in second place with 16%. Conference crowds on average, however, are down and Telford (playing at Worcester), Scarborough, Doncaster, Kettering, Stevenage and Nuneaton are all more than 25% down, with Telford at a huge 41%. All stats compare to average attendances at this time last season, and new sides Chester, Dagenham, Leigh and Boston are not included.

Meanwhile Graham Turner wants to play the Conference leaders twice in a week, and beat them both in an attempt to close the gap on both Yeovil and Rushden.

He said: "What we want to do is come up against the leaders two weeks running, and to do that we must win on Sunday. Yeovil are in a great position and on paper it will be a cracking game for us to come up against the leaders at this time."

Yeovil, however, only went top in the week with a 4-0 home win against Dover, and will want to cement their position. "We have had them watched and they are a good side who play at a high tempo. They have a big target man in Warren Patmore and are very rugged at the back. We need to pick up good points from these two games, and we need to put our home record right."

"We are capable of playing well. We did for much of the game at Dagenham last week and we did for the first half-hour at Kingstonian when we went 2-0 up and could have gone further ahead. Circumstances changed the nature of the game in that one after the sending-off, but we were well worth the win."

"We are hoping Yeovil might bring 500-600, and if that is the case we will get 3,000 or more". He justifies this as Yeovil are top, have a good away following and the match is on Sunday with no Premiership or international distractions.

HALESOWEN Town are keen to bring Steve Piearce back to the Grove. The striker was a firm favourite with supporters before moving to Edgar Street

"We know Steve is coming back from injury and we made an inquiry," confirmed Town general manager Colin Brookes. "It could have suit both parties but Graham Turner said he needs all his strikers at the moment."

Oct 8th:

HEREFORD UNITED 2 - 2 YEOVIL TOWN

Yeovil traditionally have been Hereford's bogey side and had won five out of the six league encounters between the two sides since Hereford's return to non-league football. Yeovil also won 3-0 against the Bulls in the McMillan Trophy last season, but this game had slightly more resting on it. Yeovil were top of the league, and Hereford in fourth. The situation at the top meant Yeovil were one point ahead of Rushden and seven of Hereford.

Hereford went into the match boosted by the return of Paul Sturgess to the squad, but he was not to make an immediate return to the first team as Matt Clarke's performances at left-back have been nothing short of outstanding this season. Meanwhile, Ian Wright failed to overcome a neck injury and was replaced by Matt Gardiner and Craig Hanson replaced by Ian Rodgerson.

Defender Paul Steele missed out with a groin injury and his replacement was Tom White, who spent some time at Edgar Street on loan last season. Yeovil striker Nick Crittenden made the game after an injury.

The action started early and Hereford took the lead with their opening attempt on goal. A Michael McIndoe corner from the right side after just ninety seconds was headed in by Matt Gardiner on his first start for the club. The goalkeeper, former Hereford man Tony Pennock, was nowhere to be seen.

The Hereford lead wasn't to last long as on three minutes, a twenty five yard screamer from Warren Patmore levelled the score at 1-1. Yeovil then piled on the pressure, with Darren Way hitting just wide from a similar range and the away side had the best of the early play. However, Gavin Williams almost got away with blue murder on sixteen minutes as he punched the ball, Maradona style, past the far post. However, the assistant spotted the offence and Williams was promptly booked by the referee. Soon after, McIndoe headed just wide. John Snape also hit a good shot at a Glover's defender

On twenty two minutes, Barrington Belgrave, who scored the winner last time Yeovil visited Edgar Street, struck again with a low clean shot. The ball flew past Scott Cooksey. He cut past Matt Clarke before beating Cooksey from close range.

A Chris Lane free kick from twenty yards out was hit low into the goalkeeper's hands, then Gavin Williams' header went just over when he really should hasve given the home side the lead. On thirty six minutes, a Yeovil free kick was the result of a foul by Tony James, who was booked for his infringement of the rules.

Hereford were continually flagged offside by the linesman on the near side who seemed to like the offside rule a little too much! Meanwhile, the opposite assistant didn't seem to understand the rule as he rarely flagged. The home side made a surge at the end of the half but to no avail, as Yeovil went in 2-1 up at half time.

How Barrington Belgrave missed at the start of the second half is anyone's guess, but somehow he did! With fifty four minutes on the clock, Terry Skiverton was cautioned for unsporting behaviour.

A penalty was awarded when Yeovil's Darren Way handballed inside the area. Chris Lane, who had scored two but missed one from the spot this season, stepped up. Tony Pennock saved the ball low to his right and lengthened Lane's success rate to just 50%.

John Snape was booked for unsporting behaviour on sixty eight minutes. Craig Hanson made a great run down the left side on sixty nine minutes, before slotting a low ball through to Gavin Williams. The Welsh striker couldn't fail to score, especially as Pennock had gone to challenge Hanson. Just after the goal, a brawl broke out just inside the Hereford half. Twenty one players were involved, including Tony Pennock who had travelled over half of the field to get involved, but Scott Cooksey kept out of trouble. Yeovil then bought off Andy Lindegaard for Brad Peters.

A Smith foul resulted in a yellow card, and a free kick to Hereford. Chris Lane hit a good ball just wide, but the referee told him to retake it. The second attempt was charged down by the Yeovil wall. Peters was cautioned on seventy seven minutes for unsporting behaviour.

Barrington Belgrave should have sealed the match for Yeovil soon after, but hit a low ball into the side netting and also fell over in the process, making a bit of a fool of himself!

Terry Skiverton was sent off with eight minutes to go for a second bookable offence. Then Hanson was injured in a challenge, and replaced by Kerry Giddings. With one minute left, Nick Crittenden came off for James Bent and then Gavin Williams was sent off for a second bookable offence.

An attendance of 3,393, the largest of the season at Edgar Street, included 377 from Yeovil Town saw an eventful game but both sides cannot argue with the result. The referee, Mr D Spicer from Hampshire, was in control for the majority and had a sound match. All in all, the result was a fair one and with Rushden & Diamonds drawing 0-0 at home with Boston United, none of the top four picked up full points over the weekend. Hereford must pick up something to close the gap on the top two when they visit Rushden next weekend, with the Northamptonshire side going top on goal difference. The gap between them and Hereford is at seven points, and Graham Turner will be eager to close the gap.

Hereford - Cooksey, Lane, Clarke, Robinson, Gardiner, James, Hanson, Snape, Elmes, Williams, McIndoe

Substitutions - Giddings (86)

Man of the match - Michael McIndoe

Oct 9th:

GAVIN Williams has had a cracking start to the season, marred by his sending off yesterday, but is now on five goals and is looking forward to this season at Edgar Street.

Since moving to a striking role, he has improved his strikerate and said: "I'm not really an out and out goalscorer but I'm on a bit of a run at the moment. I don't really set myself goal targets. If you don't get them you'll be disappointed."

Mel Stein is his agent and he also looks after Paul Gascoigne so Gavin shouldn't be too much of a handful! Various clubs have looked at Williams and Luton were the most notable ones. Despite this, he is happy at Edgar Street and signed a new two year contract in the summer.

"You hear things about that, but nothing really happened. I'm not really interested in any of that speculation, I find it quite distracting really, I just want to do well for Hereford", said Williams.

He joined United as a YTS in 1995 in a move from Cardiff. "I was with Cardiff but they messed me about as far as signing me, so I came here and had a trial. Straight after the game Dick Bate asked me to sign YTS forms", Williams said.

Highlights in his career include the cup run last season. "Obviously the cup run stands out. Leicester was a great atmosphere and a great occasion. Of course the lowest part of anyone's career is getting relegated, even if you're YTS it still hurts."

To strengthen links with local youngsters, the club have announced that local schools can get free tickets for pupils. Head teachers can get upto fifty tickets for games and Jane Griffiths, the Junior Bulls co-ordinator, told the Nationwide Website that is a very good offer.

"It is hoped that children who have not had the experience of watching live football will benefit from the offer," she said.

Oct 10th:

IN the latest FA Non-League Club Directory, Hereford have won the prestigious award as best FA Cup team from the non-league pyramid. After they defeated York City, Hartlepool United and came close to ousting current Premiership leaders Leicester City, and were eliminated only after extra time in the replay.

Ian Wright was also named in the Conference team of the year.

Oct 11th:

AFTER their 1-0 win over Woking last night, Yeovil Town face the winners of the Hereford United vs Kettering Town tie which is due to be played next week. Meanwhile in the southern section Dover were eliminated after a 1-0 defeat against Kingstonian. Nuneaton beat Scarborough 2-0 in the northern section.

Oct 12th:

HEREFORD United's reserve team faces an away trip to Newport County in the first round of the FA Youth Cup after beating Bath Cith 6-1 in the qualifying round. The match will be played on October 25th, 2000.

HEREFORD United's young striker Gavin Williams faces a one match ban after being set off against Yeovil on Sunday. The ban, starting fourteen days after the incident took place, will mean he will miss Hereford's FA Cup 4th qualifying round tie. News on the draw, which is on Monday, will be posted in the evening.

RUSHDEN & Diamonds' very own radio station, Radio Diamonds, will cover the Hereford United match at Nene Park live next Saturday, kick off 3pm. Their coverage will begin at 10am and end at 6pm, and the coverage can be received on 1503 kHz AM. The station may not be received with any quality in Herefordshire, but the game will also be broadcast online. Click here to receive the live coverage at the above time.

Meanwhile, coverage can also be received through local stations BBC Hereford & Worcester (94.7 mHz FM) and Classic Gold (954 kHz AM).

Oct 13th:

HEREFORD United player-coach Phil Robinson feels Hereford United are ready for league leaders Rushden & Diamonds. The Bulls drew 2-2 with Yeovil last Sunday and that result allowed the richest club in non-league football to return to the top of the league at the expense of Yeovil. A Rushden win would put them ten points clear of Hereford, but a United win would close the gap to just four points.

Robinson said: "The last few weeks have really been a test for us and a gauge of where we are so far this season. I thought against Yeovil last week, who are top of the league, we showed that we are capable of doing well this season. We were the better team on the day and should have won the game. If you analyse the statistics from the game they must have had two shots on target, and unfortunately they went in."

"It is really hard to compete with Rushden and their spending power. If in doubt, they go and spend a bit more money as they did with two strikers in the summer. It will be a real test, but our away form has been good and hopefully we can continue that. If we can beat Rushden it pegs them back a bit - it would be awful to see them going on too far ahead.

"But there is a real good buzz about the club at the moment. The lads have been excellent in training, the mood before each game has been pretty good and the last two results have put us in a good frame of mind. It will be a great occasion to go and play in and a good stage to put on a good performance."

All the tickets for the match have been sold so a full house should be expected at Nene Park.

Oct 14th:

RUSHDEN & DIAMONDS 1 - 0 HEREFORD UNITED

The superb Nene Park was the setting for the Conference's game of the day as Hereford United, in third, took on Rushden & Diamonds, the Manchester United of non-league football, in second place. There were 1200 United fans present, as Hereford sold their own allocation, the 4,188 crowd could have been more if Rushden had sold their areas. However, they hadn't as there were clearly empty spaces. The atmosphere, despite being outnumbered almost three to one, was most certainly at the away end as the United faithful outsung Rushden for most of the game.

Hereford made several changes to the side that drew 2-2 with Yeovil at Edgar Street last Sunday with Ian Wright returning in defence to replace Matt Gardiner. Ian Rodgerson and Craig Hanson were both out so Paul Parry played on the right side of midfield. However, the biggest shock came up front with Gavin Williams partnered by a player that everyone had heard of but nobody knew played for Hereford United. Graham Turner revealed his new signing, fourty year old Jimmy Quinn, signed on a non-contract basis. Quinn has played for the likes of Blackburn, West Ham and almost fifty times for Northern Ireland.

Former Kingstonian defender Tarkan Mustafa took to the field for Rushden after he had passed a late fitness test, but it was Hereford ho pushed from the off. In the opening minute, Chris Lane hit a thirty yard free kick over the crossbar. From then on, both sides made the game a fairly exciting affair albeit with a distinct lack of chances. However, on four minutes, Duane Darby managed to miss the target after a great Rushden buildup.

On seventeen minutes, Andy Burgess hit just wide from a Jackson ball, and eight minutes later Jimmy Quinn had a header saved by Rushden's Billy Turley. Rushden then made several long-range attempts at the United goal, most notably from Burgess, but it failed to cause any trouble for Scott Cooksey. With five minutes of the half left, Gary Butterworth was booked for a late challenge on Phil Robinson and with one minute left, a Brady free kick just missed the target.

Rushden came out for the second half revitalised, they looked fresh and took the game to Hereford. This didn't help United's cause, but Gary Butterworth almost handed the lead to United on fifty minutes when heading a ball back to Turley! However, the goalkeeper managed to prevent an embarresing situation.

Ten minutes after the break, Rushden opened the scoring through their top scorer Justin Jackson, who scored his ninth goal of the season. A long ball from Andy Burgess was trapped by Jackson, ten yards out, who rounded Cooksey before hitting the ball into the net from an acute angle. The full blame of the goal cannot go to Cooksey, as his defence deserted him for the moment.

Just three minutes later, Jackson had a shot from the left which Cooksey somehow tipped over the bar. With twenty two minutes left, the home side were reduced to ten men when striker Duane Darby was ejected by referee Mr. A. Hogg of Sheffield. After being booked nine minutes earlier for unsporting behaviour (he blocked United taking a throw-in), Darby made a bad foul on United midfielder John Snape and was promptly sent off, his second red card in as many games.

Rushden still had the best of the play with only ten men, however, and should have made the score beyond doubt. They couldn't convert pressure into goals and this allowed United to fight back. With six minutes left Quinn missed a close range header, and United almost made Rushden pay when they had a good spell of pressure just two minutes from time. Ian Wright hit a good ball goalwards from a McIndoe corner which was tipped over by former Northampton Town 'keeper Turley.

With both Quinn and Quiggin making their debuts for United, this game was never going to be easy! The opposition didn't help, Rushden having paid more money on their squad in the summer than the whole of Division Three. However, Hereford didn't look their normal self, with Paul Parry and Tony James looking out of form. Rushden probably just deserved their win, but when one compares the hundreds of thousands Rushden have spent compared to nothing spent on United's squad, Rushden should have won comfortably. It just goes to show that money isn't everything and Hereford can be title challengers as team spirit goes a long, long way.

Hereford - Cooksey, Lane, Clarke, Robinson, Wright, James, Parry, Snape, Quinn, Williams, McIndoe

Substitutions - Quiggin (69)

Man of the match - Justin Jackson

Oct 15th:

VETERAN striker Jimmy Quinn has signed for Hereford United, but the deal was kept under wraps by Hereford boss Graham Turner. Obviously to surprise Rushden in yesterday's match, Quinn is understood to be playing for the Bulls on a non-contract deal whilst he hopes to return to management soon.

Quinn, celebrating his fourty first birthday next month, was a Northern Irish international. He was recently released by Northwich but has played for the likes of Blackburn, Leicester, West Ham and Bradford in a distinguished career. He has also had two spells in management, with Swindon and Reading, albeit with limited success.

I also think he could be the oldest ever player to make a debut, or even play, for Hereford United, but I stand to be corrected!

PHIL Robinson, Hereford's player-coach, is confident that United can challenge for the title, despite their defeat at Rushden yesterday. However, home form will have to improve but overall he is satisfied with the current situation.

"It has been a very good start for the club and for ourselves, particularly with our away form. If we can just get rid of that habit of drawing at home, I am sure people who have been to the home games will realise we have done enough to win most of them. We have totally dominated games but haven't managed to put the ball in the back of the net", Robinson told the Evening News.

"We are confident we can stay in there, and I think if there are a couple of clubs up there chasing Rushden, there is a chance they may slip up. We have to be in a position to put pressure on them, and if they do slip up, to go past them."

Robinson is enjoying life at Edgar Street, both on and off the field. "I felt that I settled in pretty quickly because they are a great bunch of lads to work with. They have been very responsive to our sessions, they are young and enthusiastic and there is hardly any need to motivate them in training - they do that themselves. I am certainly enjoying myself in there, and feel my form has been quite good and hopefully I can continue with that and score more goals."

Oct 16th:

THE fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup has drawn Hereford United with Woking, with the match to be played in Surrey a week on Saturday. The game is one of three all-Conference games in the round, with Southport travelling to Doncaster and Nuneaton hosting Stevenage.

Oct 17th:

NEW Hereford striker Jimmy Quinn has been talking to the Nationwide website about his move to Edgar Street. He is looking for a management role but, for now, he's staying in Hereford. "I'm available for as long as Hereford want me. I was travelling up to Northwich and that was rather a long way but Hereford is only an hour from my home in Cirencester. There are a lot of good players at Hereford and I'm looking forward to it."

"I am at Hereford on a non-contract basis for as long as Graham Turner wants me," said Quinn.

Meanwhile, Phil Robinson has told the Evening News that United hjave great away support and has commended it. "The fans have been fantastic so far. They have still managed to get behind us even though we haven't been winning."

After the defeat at Rushden, he praised the United team for their efforts. "It's sometimes hard to break a side down after they have had a player sent off. It can give a side a lift and they battled away well," said Robinson. "We did all we could to break them down but they managed to hang on. They went a goal up and got everybody back behind the ball."

HEREFORD UNITED 0 - 1 KETTERING TOWN

The Nationwide Variety Club Trophy was never going to be very high on Graham Turner's priority list this season, but the performance seen at Edgar Street tonight was appalling, and not just from the home side.

Both sides made changes to their teams from the weekend matches. Hereford drafted in Craig Hanson for John Snape, and Gavin Williams missed out on the action as Jimmy Quiggin partnered Jimmy Quinn in the two attacking roles. Meanwhile, Kettering, who lie one from bottom of the Conference table, fielded Kevin Tye in goal as a replacement for Steve Wilson. Steve Wilkinson and Dale Watkins made up their front two, and Martin Matthews replaced former Barnet player Robert Codner in defence.

The winners of the Variety Trophy gain automatic entry to the Auto Windscreens Shield, something that Hereford missed out on this season and gives the competition an extra importance. However, the quarter final draw had already been made before tonight's game, with the winners travelling to Yeovil Town on a Tuesday night.

In the early minutes, the game started with some excitement but that soon wore off and we were left with a drab affair. On twenty six minutes, good build-up play on the left resulted in a cross to the feet of James Quiggin, just five yards out. However, the new signing somehow managed to scoop the ball wide of the target leaving the Kettering goalkeeper with very little to do.

Hereford were awarded a penalty on the half hour, when Hanson was brought down by the defender. After two recent misses, defender Chris Lane didn't step up, and it was Michael McIndoe's responsibility to hit the ball. He stepped up but the low ball struck the outside of the right post, meaning Hereford have failed to score the last three of their penalties. The rain then started falling and the pitch looked to become slippier, which obviously didn't help the players cause.

With Hereford shooting towards the Meadow End in the second half, they should have made the advantage of shooting towards the home end. United did create an early attack, but they soon saw Kettering take the bull by the horn, if you'll excuse the pun! Just five minutes after the interval, Phil Robinson made a bad challenge on a Kettering striker within the Hereford United penalty area, and the referee, Mr R Lewis of Shrewsbury, pointed to the spot. Carl Adams then stepped up to slot the ball past Cooksey, and give the away side the lead.

The crowd, consisting of just 604 and five from Kettering, didn't have much to shout about from that point onwards as United made little effort to gain an equaliser. They retained much of the possession and kept the ball witin the Kettering hlaf, but failed to create much in the way of chances. The introduction of James Wall, Robin Elmes and Kerry Giddings made no impact and in the last minute, even Scott Cooksey went up into the Kettering penalty area when Hereford had a corner. Unfortunately, Cooksey could open his scoring account! To say that it was one way would be a misinterpretation, however, as Kettering also made several attacking chances but none were good enough to trouble Cooksey.

Paul Parry had some good touches, as did McIndoe, but neither was impressive. An equaliser would have resulted in an extra half an hour of extra time, and the game was so dire that many fans would have left before the end if that had been the case.

Overall, the United players were not streching themselves to win the match, but nor were Kettering. United were eliminated by a side who played no better than themselves, but just got lucky on the penalty. A disappointing crowd on a disappointing night in the rain, lets home the home form picks up soon - starting with a win against Dover on Saturday

Hereford - Cooksey, Lane, Clarke, Robinson, Wright, James, Parry, Hanson, McIndoe, Quinn, Quiggin
Substitutions - Wall, Elmes, Giddings

Man of the Match - Not awarded.

Oct 19th:

HEREFORD United have announced that a few rowdy supporters who were ejected from Nene Park last Saturday are to be banned. The United directors have released the following statement:

"Any supporter arrested at a match or in the vicinity of a match or ejected from the ground for football-related offences will be banned from Edgar Street with immediate effect."

HUISA have announced that they support the clubs measures.

Oct 20th:

GRAHAM Turner is determined to beat Dover tomorrow, and will give the team a 'kick up the backside' to do so! After Quinn and Quiggin played on Tuesday against Kettering, Turner commented on their performances: "Quiggin got in to some good goalscoring positions and had probably our best chance, while Quinn set up a number of opportunities for his colleagues". "It'll be a kick up the backside job for Saturday, we'll watch a video of Tuesday's performance and hopefully I can get them right for it again", said Turner.

Oct 21st:

HEREFORD UNITED 4 - 2 DOVER ATHLETIC

After only one win in their previous seven matches, Graham Turner was eager to get his side back to winning ways this afternoon as Hereford United entertained Dover Athletic. United were abysmal in midweek, when they were eliminated from the Nationwide Variety Trophy at home to Kettering Town, but Turner implied that it was a waste of time, as United couldn't make any money from the competition. Meanwhile Dover Athletic were last weekend disappointed after drawing 2-2 with Morecambe, and manager Bill Williams was also looking for a win to move his side up from fourteenth place.

The Bulls made four changes to the side which lost to Kettering on Tuesday night; Matt Gardiner replaced Tony James, Paul Parry and Craig Hanson were dropped for John Snape and Ian Rodgerson, and in attack Gavin Williams returned to partner Jimmy Quinn. Dover were without five players; utility player Jake Leberl missed the game with a knee injury, Stuart Munday, a defender, was suspended, and Dave Clarke had a ruptured ankle ligament. Meanwhile, James Virgo was recovering from a heart operation and Steve Brown was also out with a virus.

In the opening half, the affair was very drab and the home fans became quite agitated with the performance of Hereford. Comparisons were being made to the defeat on Tuesday, and some players were singled out for poor performances - Jimmy Quinn being the main culprit. However, their criticisms were not unjust, as the Bulls were 2-0 down within the opening eight minutes.

Neil Le Bihan, not the most prolific Conference goalscorer this season by a long way, made Hereford pay for two defensive errors. The first, on six minutes, came from a throw in, and Anthony Hogg's cross from the right which went deep into the area. Le Bihan then knocked the ball in from close range at the far post, unmarked by the Hereford defence. Scott Cooksey got a hand to the ball on its way through, but it was not enough to prevent Dover taking the lead.

If the first goal was easy, the second goal just a minute later was gift-wrapped and handed to Dover by the home defence! A Steve Norman corner fell to the unmarked Le Bihan, who couldn't fail to score past a helpless Cooksey, who cannot be faulted for the goal as his defence left him open. John Snape had the perfect chance to clear, but he failed to do so and Le Bihan made him pay the ultimate penalty.

United will be disappointed that they didn't close the gap before half time, especially when they were handed the perfect opportunity to do so through a penalty. Captain Ian Wright was brought down by Lee Shearer. The former Northern Ireland striker, celebrating his fourty first birthday next month, stepped up and missed in spectacular fashion. His effort almost went closer to the corner flag that the goal, leaving a very relieved Dover defence! The miss was Hereford's fourth from the spot in the previous five matches, and Graham Turner will have to do something to rectify the situation.

However, Hereford could so easily have levelled the scores before the break. Both Ian Wright and later Gavin Williams had efforts cleared very close to the goalline, with Williams and McIndoe linking well again to cause trouble for an ordinary Dover defence. The away side were quick, though, in the first half, to stub out any Hereford attacks and this made Jimmy Quinn look particularly bad.

Dover almost increased their lead to 3-0 at the end of the first half, when Carruthers received a good ball but the Dover midfielder couldn't find the touch to pass Cooksey, who smothered the ball at the final moment.

United looked under par in the first half, with the likes of Jimmy Quinn and Matthew Gardiner looking particularly disappointing. Graham Turner must have had words with the team at half time, as they came out looking refreshed. The Hereford boss also made two fundamental substitutions at half time when Matt Gardiner was replaced by Tony James and Robin Elmes entered the field of play at the expense of Jimmy Quinn. It only took fourty five seconds for the effects to become apparent, as a long Chris Lane ball met with Matt Clarke in the area, who controlled well before beating Dover 'keeper Paul Hyde from the edge of the six yard area. Clarke celebrated his first goal for the club in almost two years, after moving from Kidderminster Harriers in November 1998.

Hyde's afternoon was destined to get much worse as the game progressed. On fifty three minutes, Ian Wright drew the scores at 2-2 when he beat Hyde from close range. A throw in on the far side met Elmes, who knocked the ball through to United's captain to do the honours.

Just two minutes later, Robin Elmes, who had replaced the appalling Jimmy Quinn at half time, made his mark on proceedings with a third goal. Hereford gained the lead as Michael McIndoe's cross was hit through a cluster of players, and then it was cleanly headed goalwards by Elmes, and beat the goalkeeper easily.

Elmes doubled his goal tally for the match and put the match beyond Dover's reach soon after, as his partner up-front Gavin Williams hit a ball back to Lane. The Liverpudlian knocked a good ball into the box, which Elmes met with a superb drive from just ten yards out.

Dover never looked like getting back into the match after a shocking ten minutes of defending, and Hereford took the game to the away side. It was a surprise that they didn't increase the scoreline. The confidence in the United side was apparent - the likes of John Snape looked revived from an atrocious first half, and Lane, Clarke, Robinson and James looked much improved. Williams and McIndoe showed their skill as the half progressed, and Robin Elmes was winning balls in the air, something that hasn't been seen this season. Ian Wright and Ian Rodgerson were consistent, and formed a great team overall commanded from the back by influential goalkeeper Scott Cooksey.

United should have increased their advantage, but efforts from Williams, Elmes, McIndoe and also Rodgerson were wasted. Nevertheless, United fans will go home happy with the second half performance and the victory. Dover, however, could have made it very interesting in the final few minutes if they hadn't missed a close shot, but Scott Cooksey managed to keep Hereford's advantage in tact.

Referee, Mr K Pike of Gillingham, Kent, officiated the game to a reasonable standard; better than some that have been at Edgar Street this season, and cautioned Le Bihan, Hyde, Carruthers and Godden of Dover, and Hereford's McIndoe in front of a crowd of 1,903, the lowest at Edgar Street this season in the Conference.

The Dover fans must have been devastated to go home as losers after such a good start. They looked like an average Conference side in the opening fourty five minutes, but an increase in the Bulls tempo put paid to any hopes immediately after the break.

Hereford - Cooksey, Lane, Clarke, Robinson, Wright, Gardiner, Rodgerson, Snape, McIndoe, Quinn, Williams
Substitutions - Elmes, James

Man of the Match - Ian Wright

Oct 22nd:

AFTER yesterday's results, William Hill bookmakers have Hereford as joint fourth for the title at 15/1, along with Southport. Rushden remain favourites at 8/5, but are four point behind Yeovil in the league, who are still second favourites at 11/4. Chester are 13/1, with United and Southport at 15/1.

Meanwhile, at the other end, Kingstonian are 250/1, Hednesford and Forest Green at 300/1, Woking at 350/1, with Northwich and Kettering rank outsiders at 500/1.

FORMER United player Steve Devine has told the Evening News about his career since he left Edgar Street in 1993, after seven solid years in the first team, amassing 272 appearances.

"Obviously we had a couple of good cup runs, the game against Manchester United comes to mind. It was a good club and they were good to me and I enjoyed my time there," he said. "I've still got a house in Leominster so I've still got my connections with the people, I've very fond memories", said Devine, reflecting on his time at Hereford.

Since leaving, he went on to play part-time and is now at Gresley Rovers, and also a Derby County sports therapist.

"When I first left Hereford I went to Corby and then I had three years at Hednesford with the Cup run and the Middlesbrough game. Then I went to Gresley the year they won promotion and then I went back to Hednesford.

"I enjoyed my time and whilst I was playing part-time I went to university and got myself a proper job!"

Despite playing in defence at Edgar Street, Devine has reverted to his former position. "Before I went to Hereford I played midfield and since I left I've played a lot of games in midfield. I've always enjoyed playing there, it just happened that I could do a job at the back and I was happy just to play."

DOVER striker Neil Le Bihan told the press yesterday than luck was most certainly on Hereford's side in the second half.

"It was ready made for Elmes. He hasn't been playing as well as last season but he did the job today. We felt it was our lucky day but obviously not" said Le Bihan.

"I think we knew Hereford would take a rollicking at half time and Elmes made a big difference in the second half", he continued.

Meanwhile, Graham Turner underlined the main turning point in the match: "Clarke's goal was vital straight after the break".

Oct 24th:

HEREFORD United face a distinct possibility of a striker crisis for the FA Cup fourth qualifying match at Woking next Saturday.

Gavin Williams is suspended after being sent off against Yeovil two weeks ago, and Jimmy Quiggin and Jimmy Quinn are cup tied after appearing for Bolmere St. Michaels and Cirencester Town respectively.

Whether Kerry Giddings and Steve Piearce will be fit is not yet known, but Robin Elmes will play up front.

Elmes hasn't had the best start to the season, but was delighted with Saturday's performance: "It hasn't been going too well for me this season. But having scored two against Dover I hope to use it as a springboard to kick-start the rest of the season for me".

Oct 25th:

HEREFORD United today were invited to participate in this season's Auto Windscreens Shield competition as a last resort to make up numbers after fellow Conference side Kingstonian were refused entry on ground standards.

Originally, the Bulls had thought that they had missed out on qualification as the top seven sides qualified for the competition along with the winners of the Nationwide McMillan Trophy (now the Variety Club Trophy) had won the right to go through, but Kingstonian's ground was not up to regulation standard. Hereford United, who finished in eighth place last season, were next in line so natural successors to Kingstonian.

The draw for the first round of the competition will be held on Thursday, 26th October.

WITH the FA Cup upon us again, Graham Turner is looking forward to the match against Woking on Saturday. he told the Hereford Times : "Saturday's match at Woking is vitally important to us in terms of both prestige and finance. We've still got very fond memories of our great cup run last season. But, in order to earn the glamour ties, we have to win several potentially awkward matches."

Last season, a live TV match and two games against Premiership side Leicester City made it a great run for United, both financially and in promoting the club. On Saturday's away draw, Turner said : "I think it couldn't have been tougher".

HUISA Chairman Keith Wargen is also looking forward to a large home support at Kingfield. "It is probably our most important match of the season and there has been a tremendous amount of interest in travelling to Woking. We hope to take four coaches", he told the Hereford Times. The Swede Worshipping will also take place and two females will participate for the first time - Pauline Williams and Helen Weaver joining the group on the pitch.

Oct 26th:

RUMPOUR had it that the first round draw of the Auto Windscreen Sheild was today, but apparently it is not until Saturday. Also, a new sponsor will be announced for the competition at the draw. Many people thought that United were away at Leyton Orient, but this has been dismissed.

United were allowed into the competition after Kingstonian were thrown out as their ground doesn't meet the required standard, and naturally Graham Turner was delighted! he told the Evening News : "We were told about five weeks ago that Kingstonian might have a problem. It's great news".

BOTH the reserve team and youth team were in action last night at Hereford made bids to progress in both the league and the cup.

The reserves beat Kidderminster 2-0 thanks to goals from Piearce and Andrew Moran, who lobbed the Kiddie 'keeper for his goal in the first half from twenty yards out. Five strikers played - Giddings, Elmes, Moran, Piearce and Quiggin. Also, Dave Castro-Pearson played a good game in midfield to help his push for the first team.

Meanwhile, the reserves travelled to Newport in the FA Cup First Round, and came home with a 2-2 draw. It was announced that the replay is at Edgar Street on November 2nd.

October 27th:

TOMORROW's FA Cup tie at Woking will not be easy for Hereford United, but manager Graham Turner hopes to welcome back Steve Piearce and Kerry Giddings to the first team. Both played in the week against Kidderminster for the reserves, but United will be without Gavin Williams who is suspended. Also out are Jimmy Quinn and Jimmy Quiggin, but Robin Elmes is certain to start.

Graham Turner said: "We enjoyed a tremendous run last year in the Cup, and it would be nice to get somewhere near emulating that. But to get to the glamorous ties you have to get through the awkward ones, and this will certainly be a tricky tie for us."

In the last match between the two sides, United ran away with the game as 3-0 away winners. "They are an improved side since we went down there, and they had a good win against Forest Green last week", said Turner. "I think we can forget all about that league game -- they will be far tougher opposition this time and it is the FA Cup."

Oct 28th:

WOKING 1 - 0 HEREFORD UNITED

FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round.

Hereford United were eliminated from the FA Cup at the fourth qualifying round as they fell 1-0 to a poor Woking side. The game, which was played in torrential rain and a strong wind, was always going to be hard work for both sides and it was Woking who took their chance and earn a place in the first round.

Hereford went into the match without strikers Gavin Williams and Jimmy Quinn, who were suspended, and Jimmy Quiggin who was cup tied. Also out was Paul Parry, so United named Robin Elmes and Kerry Giddings up front, with Steve Piearce on the bench. Tony James started along side Ian Wright in defence. In the last match between the two sides, United emerged 3-0 winners but it was not to be anything like as easy for the Bulls, especially as the weather spoilted a potentially exciting cup tie.

The home side were also missing strikers, as front two Martin Randall and Charlie Griffin were out, and Mark Druce was on-loan at Oxford City. Woking started upfront with Teague and Perkins.

Both teams started brightly but the winbd prevented a good game as passes were almost impossible. Woking had a distinct advantage as Hereford were kicking into the wind, but the away side almost took the lead early on. Robin Elmes kicked an attempt across goal, on eleven minutes, and soon after Chris Lane hit a thirty yard effort which was tipped over by the goalkeeper.

Hereford continued to pressurise the Woking goal but their goalkeeper, Vince Matassa, made several saves to keep United out. On the midway mark in the half, McIndoe hit a freekick from the left which reached Elmes on the far post. The German and PE teacher headed a ball low into the corner, but the goalkeeper saved well.

Woking fought back and had several good efforts in the space of about five minutes. Two good efforts came with Cooksey managing to keep his clean sheet but that all changed on thirty minutes. United were made to pay when Nick Roddis found Jamie Pitman with a cross from the right, and he former United midfielder jumped above the defence to header a ball off the crossbar and into Scott Cooksey's net from six yards.

From then on the rain continued to fall but in larger proportions, and both sides were unable to play to their usual standards. Puddles emerged on the pitch, and the Hereford fans had no covering. The referee must have thought about calling off the match, but made no attempt in abandoning. Both sides continued to attack, with Kerry Giddings hitting a good ball goalwards which deflected behind for a corner.

The second half saw Hereford pressurise the Woking goal, as the home side had no attempt to beat Scott Cooksey. However, worsening conditions meant United couldn't attack with their usual flair, and a change in the wind direction meant nearly every long ball went out of play. The pitch became a bog, with players slipping and missing tackles all over. Why it wasn't called off is anyone's guess!

Further efforts came, most notably from Chris Lane and then Steve Piearce, but the United substitute saw his effort saved well by Matassa when one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

The referee, Mr M. Yerby, booked four players on the afternoon. All were booked for fouls not helped by the atrocious conditions. Roddis and West for Woking in the first half, and then Teague and Hereford's Clarke in the second. To be fair, none actually looked like bookings. A crowd of 2,076 watched the game, with about a fifth of them going home very wet and very disappointed. I know its an old chiche, but at least the Bulls can now concentrate on the league.

Hereford - Cooksey, Lane, Clarke, Robinson, Wright, James, Rodgerson, Snape, McIndoe, Elmes, Giddings
Substitutions - Piearce (75), Hanson (80)

Man of the Match - Jamie Pitman

Oct 29th:

ACCORDING to Hereford boss Graham Turner, the Conference participants in the the competition formerly known as the Auto Windscreen Shield will impress.

"I think it is a brilliant thing for the Conference, providing the clubs who are in there do well", said Turner. "The pattern of promoted clubs who have come out of the Conference has seen teams like Macclesfield, Cheltenham and now Kidderminster do well in their first season. It shows there is not much of a gap now. I would expect Conference clubs to do well in the competition. It shows there is not much of a gap now."

Without the FA Cup, this competition will be the top cup competition for Hereford United this season.

Oct 30th:

GRAHAM Turner has said that he was hugely disappointed after United's elimination from the FA Cup on Saturday.

"To go out of the FA Cup was a big disappointment. It hurt me and hurt the players and is a disaster in terms of interest and in terms of finances", he said.

However, United will enter the Auto Windscreen Shield draw, but no one seems to know when it is due to take place!

KEITH Wargen, HUISA Chairman, can't wait for November 7th when the BS Group and Chelverton Properties visit Edgar Street for a fans forum regarding the Edgar Street site. The two companies hold the lease to the site after loaning the club £1 million.

Wargen said: "This is an opportunity we have been waiting for and should allow us to find out how safe it will be for us to assume we can stay at Edgar street. We have heard about the club's plans. We have also had the chairman of Herefordshire Council Terry James' plan. We now need to know about Chelverton and the Bristol Stadium Group's plans."

"We also need to know about the loan. Our need to pay it back and hopefully get on with playing football instead of worrying about money", he continued.

Finally according to ClubCall, (09068 121645), Hereford United should be covered for the damage to the stadium which occured during the storms or gale force winds on Sunday night. Damage to the main stand occured, and also to the floodlights.