Hereford United F.C.
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| Hereford United F.C | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Hereford United Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Whites, The Bulls | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 1924 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Edgar Street, Hereford | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capacity | 8,843 (2,761 Seated) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman |  Graham Turner |
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| Manager | Graham Turner |
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| League | Football League Two | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005-06 | Conference National, 2nd | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hereford United Football Club is a football club based in Hereford, England. They currently play in League Two having won promotion from the Conference National via the play-offs, after a nine season absence from the Football League. As a non-league club Hereford developed a reputation for giant-killing particularly in the FA Cup, with their most famous victory being over Newcastle United in the 1971-72 Third Round.
Hereford play at Edgar Street and their nicknames are 'The Whites' and the 'The Bulls' after the local breed of cattle. The club has been managed by Graham Turner since 1995 and he became the majority shareholder of the club during the 1997-98 season.
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[edit] History
In the early 1920s there were four leading amateur clubs in Hereford and it was believed that a higher class of football could be sustained if they were to amalgamate. Both Hereford City and Hereford Thistle decided to remain independent while St Martins and RAOC (Rotherwas) decided to merge, and thus Hereford United was formed in 1924 with Dr E.W. Maples as chairman. The new club joined the Birmingham Combination League and began playing their home matches at Edgar Street, ground-sharing with Hereford City. The first competitive match was against Atherstone United in August 1924 which ended in a 2-3 defeat. The following week Hereford travelled to Kidderminster Harriers for an FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round, losing 2-7.
[edit] The early years (1924-1939)
Hereford spent four seasons in the Birmingham Combination League and there were many large scorelines in the early years. The club was well-supported with gates of over 2,000 for the big matches. One of the most notable players of the early years was Viv Gregory who was a prolific goalscorer, scoring 60 goals in one season. Indeed Hereford managed to score over 100 goals in the 1926-27 and 1927-28 seasons.
Hereford were elected to the Birmingham League for the 1928-29 season by virtue of their impressive league performances and reaching the final of the Birmingham Senior Cup. They finished 11th in their first season and had a record attendance of 5,000 for their second successive cup final match, a record which stood for eighteen years. Hereford's average league finishing position was 8th in the first half of the 1930s. A highlight was reaching the FA Cup First Round for the first time in 1932-33, losing 1-2 to Accrington Stanley. By 1938-39 the standard of the Birmingham League had dropped with only 11 teams participating, and attendances at Edgar Street had also dropped. A public meeting was called and it was decided that the club would apply to join the Southern League, an application which was accepted. Subsequently the club became a limited company.
[edit] The Southern League years (1939-1972)
Hereford’s first season in the Southern League (1945-46) saw them finish second to Chelmsford City, a team who had been controversially awarded points for unplayed matches. Second place was again achieved in 1950-51 behind Merthyr Tydfil.
In 1958-59 the Southern League was split into two sections: North-West and South-East. The winners of each section would contest a play-off to decide the winner of the league. Hereford won the North-West section but were beaten by Bedford Town in the play-off.
A minor blip in 1964-65 saw the club relegated but this was quickly rectified with promotion the following season. Hereford finally won election to the Football League in 1971-72, after finishing second in the league, largely thanks to their excellent FA Cup run.
[edit] The Football League years (1972-1997)
In their first season in the Football League Hereford finished runners-up to Southport in the Fourth Division and were promoted to the Third Division.
The next two seasons saw Hereford finish eighteenth and twelfth before taking the Third Division title in 1975-76 – the club’s greatest honour. However the following season saw Hereford finish bottom of the Second Division and they were relegated.
The club were again relegated from the Third Division the following season and so were back in the Fourth Division for the 1978-79 season. Hereford were to remain in this division for the next nineteen seasons. The club generally finished the seasons in minor positions (including seventeenth for five consecutive seasons) and even had to apply for re-election to the League in 1979-80, 1980-81 and 1982-83. 1984-85 was a better season for Hereford when they finished 5th. It wasn't until 1995-96 that Hereford challenged for promotion again, when the club went from nineteenth position to sixth position in two months to secure a play-off place. They failed to progress to the play-off final, losing 2-4 on aggregate to Darlington.
[edit] 1996-97: Disaster
Whilst the previous season had been successful on the pitch, the financial situation was a very different story. There was major financial mismanagement behind the scenes and the club made a loss of over £300,000. Manager Graham Turner was forced to sell key players from his promotion-chasing side, including star striker Steve White and midfield playmaker Richard Wilkins. In addition first choice goalkeeper Chris MacKenzie was out injured for the entire season.
Worse was to follow as a terrible run of form meant the Bulls were sucked into the relegation dogfight. Brighton, with their own financial and stadium problems, had seemed destined for relegation for much of the season. But they had undergone an astonishing revival and climbed above Hereford on the penultimate day of the season, leaving the Bulls at the bottom of the Football League and staring relegation in the face. On the last day of the season the two teams met in a relegation-decider at Edgar Street. Going into the game they were level on points with the Bulls having a superior goal-difference. Crucially however Brighton had scored more goals. Hereford had to win to survive whilst Brighton only needed a draw. Hereford dominated the first half and an own goal by Kerry Mayo put them 1-0 up, but disaster struck in the second half. Against the run of play Brighton equalised through substitute Robbie Reinelt. A weak kick by goalkeeper Andy de Bont barely reached the halfway line and Brighton attacked. A shot hit the post and Reinelt snapped up the rebound to silence Edgar Street. Right at the death striker Adrian Foster had a golden opportunity to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, but had his shot saved when one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The final whistle blew and Hereford were relegated. 3 May 1997 is regarded as the worst day in the club's history. Graham Turner subsequently resigned as manager but the board and supporters wanted him to stay, so he withdrew his resignation.
[edit] The Conference years (1997-2006)
[edit] Financial Crisis
By May 1997 the club had severe financial problems with debts of over £1 million. The chairman Peter Hill and the board of directors secured two loans of £500,000 from property developers to pay off some but not all of the creditors. They also arranged for the Edgar Street lease to be handed over to the developers, a crucial and ultimately costly decision. By November 1997 the club was in crisis with running costs mounting up and wages not being paid. A CVA was proposed to avoid the club being wound up by creditors, including the Inland Revenue to whom over £140,000 was owed alone. The conduct of the chairman and certain directors during this period was severely questioned by supporters. When Hill walked away from the club, Graham Turner bought the majority shareholding, eventually managing to stabilise the club's finances after a terrific struggle to keep the club alive. Had he not bought the shares it is likely the club would have gone under.
The terms of the CVA meant Graham Turner was unable to purchase players and was frequently forced to sell key players to keep the club afloat. A prime example was Neil Grayson, top scorer with 16 goals in 1997-98, who was sold to Cheltenham in March 1998 after only seven months at the club. Another notable sale was that of Gavin Mahon, currently playing in the Premiership with Watford, who was sold to Brentford for an eventual fee of £130,000.
With only one promotion place and several well-funded teams in the Conference, hopes of a swift return to the league were dashed when Hereford could only finish sixth in 1997-98, and there was little success in the seasons that followed. However a decent run in the FA Cup, which saw a 2-1 defeat of Brighton, brought in much needed cash. Indeed the club relied heavily on decent runs in the Cup during these bleak financial seasons, which they had again in 1999-00 where £200,000 earned from prize money and television revenue meant the club were able to hang on to several promising young players. A run to the semi-final of the FA Trophy in 2000-01 also helped the finances.
At the start of the 2001-02 season Hereford's future looked bleak, with debts of over £1.2 million owed to developers who also held the lease on Edgar Street. It seemed as though the only option to repay the debt was the redevelopment of Edgar Street and at the time, it looked as if the club would have to relocate. After a humiliating 4-1 defeat to Hayes, Graham Turner stepped down as manager to concentrate on more pressing financial issues. Player-coach Phil Robinson assumed managerial responsibilities and Hereford managed to have another run in the FA Cup. In the Fourth Qualifying Round Hereford were drawn away at Dover and came away with a 1-0 win, Gavin Williams scoring the priceless goal. The First Round match at home to Wrexham was televised live on the BBC and the money earned from this fixture kept the club alive. Graham Turner has said that had Hereford not beaten Dover, they would probably have not made it into 2002.
Hereford eventually finished seventeenth in the Conference after briefly being drawn into the relegation dogfight, Phil Robinson scoring the goal that guaranteed safety in the 1-0 win over Dagenham. Major changes were made for the 2002-03 season as only six players were retained. With the chance to completely rebuild the squad and the prospect of two promotion places to the League, Graham Turner decided to remain at the club despite handing in his resignation to the board along with company secretary Joan Fennessy. The team he assembled showed great promise, finishing sixth just outside the play-offs.
[edit] Pushing For Promotion
Hereford made an excellent start to the 2003-04 season and were not often out of the top two. After 13 matches they were five points clear at the top with 10 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat. The season was to be their best ever, statistically, in the Conference. However key defeats to Leigh RMI, Tamworth and Burton proved very costly indeed. Hereford were four points off the top in February 2004 as they started a tremendous 11 match winning sequence in the run-in to the championship. This run started with a sensational 9-0 away win at Dagenham. A hat-trick from David Brown (footballer), two goals apiece from Steve Guinan and Danny Williams, a penalty from Tony James (footballer) and an effort from Mark Beesley made it an unforgettable night for Hereford and equalled a Conference record in the process.
However Mark Wright's Chester City were in an unbeaten run of their own and, although Hereford emerged victorious when the teams met on the last day of the season, Chester had already wrapped up the title. Nevertheless Hereford had amassed 91 points, 28 wins, 103 goals and a goal difference of 59. In the play-offs Hereford met Aldershot Town, drawing 1-1 in the first leg. The second leg at Edgar Street was controversial as Hereford's Andrew Tretton was sent off when a yellow card seemed more appropriate. Unfortunately Hereford lost the inevitable penalty shoot-out to a side who had finished 21 points below them in the league. Indeed eventual play-off winners Shrewsbury had finished 17 points behind Hereford in third.
The following season saw several key players who had been instrumental in the previous season’s title challenge depart for League clubs. Hereford finished second in Conference again although the statistics were not as impressive this time around. They again failed to progress past the play-off semi final, this time losing to Stevenage. However this season saw the club reach a financial milestone when they settled the terms of the CVA in September 2004. The creditors accepted a deal that they had rejected twelve months previously.
[edit] Third Time Lucky
The 2005-06 season saw Hereford finally regain their League status after nine seasons of Conference football. They finished as runners-up for the third successive season, this time to Accrington Stanley, and won the play-off final after a thrilling 3-2 victory over Halifax Town. Hereford had finished the season with the best defensive record in the Conference with 6 defeats and just 33 goals conceded, compared with Accrington's record of 7 defeats and 45 goals conceded. They did not score as many goals as in previous seasons, saving them for when they were needed in the playoffs.
Hereford played Morecambe in the semi-final and drew 1-1 in the first leg, as in the previous two seasons. However they made sure it was a case of third time lucky by winning 3-2 in the second leg thanks to a header from captain Tamika Mkandawire, a second goal from Andy Williams and an extra time winner from Guy Ipoua which ultimately took them into the final and sparked a pitch invasion.
The final took place at Leicester's Walkers Stadium in front of a crowd of 15,499 (including roughly 10,000 Hereford fans). Hereford came from behind twice to force extra time thanks to goals from Williams and super-sub Ipoua. The hero this time was Ryan Green who curled the ball into the goal from 18 yards in the 109th minute. Hereford held on to win, despite some nervous moments when goalkeeper Wayne Brown went down injured, and lifted the trophy.
[edit] Back In The League (2006-07)
Hereford played their first Football League game since 1997 away to Stockport on 5 August 2006, winning 2-0, with goals from Stuart Fleetwood and Tamika Mkandawire. In the League Cup they beat Coventry 3-1 with Fleetwood scoring a hat-trick. However in the Second Round they lost to Leicester 1-3. Hereford's league form has been mixed so far, with three wins away from home, and they are currently in a mid-table position. They also made an appearance on Soccer AM 'Crossbar Challenge and hit the bar 3 times. That equalled Northampton Town's record from a few seasons ago; however Soccer AM's presenter (Tim Lovejoy) did say 'Hereford United are officially the best team in the world'.
In the FA Cup, Hereford defeated Shrewsbury Town 2-0 in a First Round Replay, after drawing the first game 0-0 at Gay Meadow. Alan Connell curled home a fine free-kick before Luke Webb struck his first professional goal to send United into the second round. On 2 December 2006 Hereford defeated Port Vale 4-0 in the Second Round. Webb scored another spectacular goal, Rob Purdie scored twice, including a penalty and Andy Ferrell scored his first of the season to round off the Bulls' biggest win of the season to date. They have drawn Bristol Rovers in the Third Round at the Memorial Stadium. The club's leading goalscorer is Rob Purdie (as of 2nd December) who has scored nine goals in all competitions. Eight of these goals have been penalties.
[edit] FA Cup tradition
Hereford's exploits in the FA Cup were steady performances to the First Round on several occasions before they reached the Second Round for the first time in 1948-49, losing 2-1 to Exeter. In fact Hereford managed to reach the Second Round six times in nine seasons.
1958-59 saw them reach the Third Round for the first time, quite an achievement for a Southern League club. In the Second Round they had defeated QPR 6-1 which was a record win by a non-league club over a league club at the time. Hereford played Sheffield Wednesday at Edgar Street in front of a record crowd of 18,114 but lost 3-0. This is still the highest attendance ever for the club. Hereford did not reach the Third Round again until 1965-66 where they were defeated 2-1 by Bedford Town.
As a non-league club, Hereford defeated league opposition 12 times in the FA Cup. The most notable cup run during their nine years in the Conference was in the 1999-00 season. Hereford progressed to the Third Round after defeating Burgess Hill, York and Hartlepool.
They drew then Premiership side Leicester at Edgar Street, extended highlights of which were shown on Match of the Day. Hereford fielded a team that contained three part-timers (farmer/goalkeeper Mark Jones, electrician/midfielder John Snape and teacher/striker Rob Elmes) - and 19-year-old winger Paul Parry. With minutes to go and the score at 0-0, Parry started a great run, took on the Leicester defence and shot past Tim Flowers, only to be denied by the post. The match finished 0-0 in front of a crowd of 7,795, the largest attendance at Edgar Street in recent years.
The caption reads "Brian Owen (centre) slams the ball past Newcastle goalkeeper McFaul for Hereford's 17th second goal on Monday."
In the replay at Filbert Street Paul Fewings gave Hereford a shock lead in the first half after his header from Parry's cross deflected in off the Leicester goalkeeper. Matt Elliott equalised for Leicester in the second half but after 90 minutes, it remained 1-1. Leicester then went a man down after an injury to Impey but Hereford could not capitalise. It took Leicester until the second half of extra time to take the lead when a diving header from Muzzy Izzet went through Jones' legs, but Hereford did not give up and came close to forcing penalties through Gavin Williams.
[edit] The Newcastle Giant-Killing
The club’s most famous cup run came in the 1971-72 season when they played ten FA Cup matches, of which five were replays. In the Second Round it took Hereford two replays to defeat Northampton but the team waiting for them in the Third Round was none other than Newcastle of the First Division.
Newcastle were held 2-2 at St James' Park before the replay at Edgar Street, which was covered by the BBC. Newcastle scored after 82 minutes through Malcolm Macdonald but then Ronnie Radford scored an 30-yard screamer at the Meadow End to make it 1-1, prompting a pitch invasion. Hereford had brought on Ricky George just minutes before, and it was George who scored the winner in extra time.
Hereford had reached the Fourth Round for the first time in their history and their next opponents would be again First Division standard in the form of West Ham United. After a 0-0 draw at Edgar Street, the Bulls were finally knocked out of the FA Cup in the replay at Upton Park, losing 3-1 thanks to a Geoff Hurst hat-trick.
Radford’s goal subsequently became one of the most famous and televised goals ever and, coupled with the commentary of John Motson, it was voted Goal of the Season. In 2002, it ranked 97th in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Sporting Moments. Until recently the goal was featured in the opening credits for Match of the Day and the feat is always referred to by commentators and pundits when the FA Cup comes round each year.
In all Hereford have reached the Fourth Round on six occasions (1971-72 v West Ham, 1973-74 v Bristol C, 1976-77 v Middlesbrough, 1981-82 v Leicester, 1989-90 v Man Utd and 1991-92 v Nottm Forest).
[edit] Current squad
As of 27 October 2006
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[edit] Reserves & Youth Team
The Reserves currently do not play in a league, instead 'behind-closed-doors' fixtures are arranged regularly. The Youth Team play in the Football League Puma Youth Alliance and players are recruited from the Pershore College Football Academy.
[edit] Club Staff
- Chairman / Director of Football / Manager: Graham Turner
- Company Secretary / Director: Joan Fennessy
- First Team Coach: John Trewick
- Goalkeeping Coach: Bernard Day
- Fitness Coach: Tony Ford
- Physiotherapist: Wayne Jones
[edit] Managers
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[edit] Notable players
- Steve Bull
- John Charles
- Rob Elmes
- Ricky George
- Jimmy Harvey
- David Icke
- Tony James
- Dixie McNeil
- Paul Parry
- Mel Pejic
- Stewart Phillips
- Chris Price
- Ronnie Radford
- Eric Redrobe
- Dudley Tyler
- Steve White
- Gavin Williams
[edit] Records
- Biggest Win: 11-0 v Thynnes Athletic (FA Cup Preliminary Round 1947-48)
- Biggest League Win: 9-0 v Dagenham & Redbridge (Conference National 2003-04)
- Highest Attendance: 18,114 v Sheffield Wednesday (FA Cup Third Round 1957-58)
- Most Points In A Season: 91 (Conference National 2003-04)
- Most League Goals Scored In A Season: 124 (Southern League North-West 1964-65)
- Fewest League Goals Conceded In A Season: 30 (Southern League 1971-72)
- Most Appearances For Club: 523 - Mel Pejic (412 league appearances)
- Most Goals For Club: 126 - Stewart Phillips (95 league goals)
- Highest Transfer Fee Paid: £80,000 - Dean Smith from Walsall
- Highest Transfer Fee Received: £445,000 - Darren Peacock to Queens Park Rangers
[edit] Honours
- Second Division (now Football League Championship): Best Season: 22nd position (1976-77)
- Third Division (now Football League One): Champions (1975-76)
- Fourth Division (now Football League Two): Runners-Up (1972-73), Play-offs (1995-96)
- Conference National: Runners-Up (2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06), Play-off Winners (2005-06)
- Southern League: Runners-Up (1945-46, 1950-51, 1971-72)
- Welsh FA Cup: Winners (1989-90), Runners-Up (1967-68, 1975-76, 1980-81)
- Southern League Cup: Winners (1951-52, 1956-57, 1958-59)
[edit] External links
| Football League Two, 2006-2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Accrington Stanley | Barnet | Boston United | Bristol Rovers | Bury | Chester City | Darlington | Grimsby Town | Hartlepool United | Hereford United | Lincoln City | Macclesfield Town | Mansfield Town | Milton Keynes Dons | Notts County | Peterborough United | Rochdale | Shrewsbury Town | Stockport County | Swindon Town | Torquay United | Walsall | Wrexham | Wycombe Wanderers edit |
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