History of Hereford United F.C.

The History of Hereford United Football Club covers the 84 year existence of Hereford United Football Club. For an overview of the club itself, see Hereford United F.C..

1924–1945

Before the formation of Hereford United 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. After a meeting in the city, both Hereford City F.C. and Hereford Thistle F.C. 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 the local athletics ground on Edgar Street, where Hereford City also played their matches. 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.

Hereford spent four seasons in the Birmingham Combination League, with a best finish of 4th. 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.

1945–1966

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'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.

1966–1986

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. 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 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.

1986–2006

Decline and relegation

The 1989-90 season again saw a mediocre performance in the league, with the club again finishing 17th. They were more successful in the Cup competitions, particularly the Welsh Cup which became the club's first major silverware for 14 years. They scored nine goals past Connah's Quay Nomads in Round 3, where Paul Burton became the youngest Hereford player to score a hat-trick, at the age of 16. After wins over Kidderminster Harriers and Bangor City, they beat rivals Cardiff City 3-0 at Ninian Park in the first leg of the semi-final, before holding on in the return at Edgar Street to reach the final for the first time since 1981. On 13 May 1990 they met Wrexham at Cardiff Arms Park and won 2-1, thanks to an 84th minute winner from Ian Benbow.

In the FA Cup, Hereford reached the Fourth Round for the first time in eight years, after a memorable victory over Walsall. With three minutes left on the clock, Hereford were 1-0 down but a penalty drew them level, then long-serving player Mel Pejic scored the winner in the 89th minute. The reward was a home tie against Manchester United, who were then 15th in the First Division. In front of the last five figure crowd at Edgar Street to date, Hereford were defeated by a Clayton Blackmore 84th minute winner. This relived the pressure of dismissal that manager Alex Ferguson was reported to be under at the time, and the Red Devils went on to win the Cup that season. [ [http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/01/25/hereford_out_to_add_to_their_l.html Hereford out to add to their Little Book of FA Cup Shocks] Guardian Unlimited, 25 January 2008. Retrieved on 8 May 2008.] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/6096520.stm How Robins saved Ferguson's job] BBC Sport, 4 November 2006. Retrieved on 8 May 2008.]

The early part of the 1990s saw little progress in terms of the club's Football League position, with seventeenth position being attained on no less than five consecutive occasions, under five different managers. Indeed both Colin Addison and John Sillett were brought back for a season each in an attempt to revive the club, with little success. However the club managed to hit form under Graham Turner, who joined at the beginning of the 1995-96 season. In early 1996 the club mounted a challenge for promotion when they went from nineteenth position to sixth position in two months, securing an unlikely play-off place. However they were unable to sustain this form in the play-offs, losing over two legs to Darlington. The season was also notable for the fact that Steve White, with 29 goals, was the highest league goalscorer in the top four divisions of English football thus emulating Dixie McNeil who achieved the same feat twenty years previously.

The season that followed, 1996-97, saw a complete reverse in the club's fortunes. With debts mounting and the club having made a loss of over £300,000, Turner was forced to sell key players such as White and Richard Wilkins. A terrible run of form when the club went three months without a win meant they were sucked into the relegation dogfight. Brighton & Hove Albion, with their own well documented troubles, had seemed destined for relegation for much of the season. But they climbed above Hereford on the penultimate day of the season, leaving the Bulls 24th and bottom of the entire Football League. Both teams were level on points, and Hereford had a better goal difference, but the goals scored rule was in effect and Brighton had scored more goals. On 3 May 1997 the two clubs met in a relegation decider at Edgar Street, which was the subject of considerable media interest as one club would relegate the other. Hereford needed a win to survive while Brighton only required a draw thanks to their having scored more goals. A capacity crowd saw Hereford take the lead in the first half through an own goal by Kerry Mayo from Tony Agana's cross. Brighton equalised in the second half against the run of play through Robbie Reinelt, who snapped up the rebound after a shot crashed against the post. In the last minute Hereford had a chance to save themselves but leading scorer Adrian Foster shot weakly at the goalkeeper when one-on-one. The final whistle blew and Hereford were relegated after 25 years in the Football League. Graham Turner subsequently resigned as manager but withdrew his resignation after strong support from the board and supporters. The general belief around the club at the time was that the club were merely 'on loan' to the Conference, but it would prove to be a long road back.

Financial crisis in the Conference

By May 1997 the club had severe financial problems with debts of over £1 million, and a sizeable list of creditors. Chairman Peter Hill and the board secured two loans of £500,000 from a developing company to pay off some but not all of the creditors. As part of the arrangement control of the two leases on the Edgar Street stadium was also passed to the developers. By November 1997 matters off the field overshadowed the team's performances with the club in crisis with running costs mounting up and wages unpaid. Eventually a Company Voluntary Agreement was proposed to avoid the club being wound up by creditors, including the Inland Revenue to whom over £140,000 was owed alone. When Hill walked away from the club at the end of the 1997-98 season, Graham Turner bought the majority shareholding and took on the burden of the debt, along with Joan Fennessy. Had he not bought the shares it is likely the club would have gone under as nobody else came forward to take control of the club. On the pitch Hereford could only finish sixth in their first Conference season with the highlights being double wins over rivals Kidderminster Harriers and Cheltenham Town. Most notably a run to the FA Cup Third Round saw a memorable triumph over Brighton at Edgar Street which was featured on Match of the Day.

The terms of the CVA prevented Graham Turner from purchasing any players, and the dire financial situation meant any reasonable offers for players had to be accepted. A prime example was Neil Grayson, top scorer with 16 goals in that first Conference season, who was sold to Cheltenham in March 1998 after only seven months at the club. Grayson was also the last player to have been purchased for a fee by Hereford as he had arrived before the CVA came into effect. Another notable sale was that of Gavin Mahon who was sold to Brentford midway through the following season. Mahon had been an ever-present in the side and his transfer eventually earned £130,000 for the club.

The club relied heavily on decent runs in the cup competitions during these bleak financial seasons, and in 1999-00 they progressed to the FA Cup Third Round again. Having disposed of Burgess Hill, York City and Hartlepool United, they drew then Premiership side Leicester City at Edgar Street, which was again a feature match on Match of the Day. Leicester fielded their first team which featured the likes of Tim Flowers, Emile Heskey and Robbie Savage against a Hereford side that featured part time goalkeeper Mark Jones (a farmer), midfielder John Snape (an electrician) and striker Rob Elmes (a teacher). Hereford forced a replay after a 0-0 draw although they came close to winning after Paul Parry, who had come through the youth system at Hereford, shot against the post with Flowers beaten. In the replay at Filbert Street Hereford took a shock lead in the first half through Paul Fewings. Leicester recovered to equalise through Matt Elliott and the match went into extra time. Leicester then went a man down after an injury to Andy Impey but Hereford had tired and could not capitalise on their advantage. In the second half of extra time Leicester scored the winning goal through Muzzy Izzet but Hereford again came close to forcing penalties when Gavin Williams nearly converted Ian Wright's header.

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.

The journey back to the Football League

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.

An excellent start was made to the 2003-04 season with the club heading the table in the first part of the season, before three costly defeats and the distraction of cup competitions eroded the advantage. Chester City took up the lead in the table which they would lose only briefly on their way to the Conference title, which they claimed in their penultimate match. Both clubs had a faultless run-in to the end of the season, with Hereford winning 11 straight matches; the first being a 9-0 televised away win at Dagenham & Redbridge, and the eleventh coming against Chester on the final day of the season in front of Hereford's largest Conference home attendance. It was Hereford's best season statistically in the Conference, but key home defeats to Leigh RMI, Woking, Tamworth and Burton had proved very costly indeed with Hereford finishing just one point behind Chester with 91 points, 28 wins, 103 goals and a goal difference of 59. This counted for little in the play-offs where Hereford were eliminated by Aldershot Town on penalties in the semi-finals, playing with ten men for 100 minutes of the match after a controversial red card for Andrew Tretton.

2004-05 again ended in failure in the play-offs with the club having lost striker Steve Guinan, midfielder Ben Smith, full back Michael Rose and goalkeeper Matt Baker to Football League clubs. This time it was Stevenage Borough who disposed of the Conference runners-up although Hereford only moved into 2nd position on the final day of the season, eventually finishing on 74 points while Barnet were running away with the Conference title. The club did enjoy extended runs in the Football League Trophy and FA Trophy competitions. Another positive was the settling of the CVA in September 2004, the club finally turning the corner financially.

The 2005-06 season saw Hereford finally secure promotion via the play-offs after a third consecutive 2nd place, despite an indifferent first half of the season averaging seventh position. The turning point was the introduction of local teenager Andy Williams which led to a 16 match unbeaten run in the league. Indeed from the start of December to the end of the season, Hereford were only beaten once in the league. Notable comebacks in the league against Grays Athletic and champions Accrington Stanley helped preserve the best defensive record in the Conference, with six defeats and just 33 league goals conceded all season. The play-off campaign started identically to the previous two seasons with Hereford drawing 1-1 away, this time to Morecambe. In the home leg the match went into extra time with the scores level at 2-2, after three goals in the opening twelve minutes. Guy Ipoua scored the winner in the 107th minute sparking a pitch invasion, and setting up a showdown against Halifax Town in the final at Walker's Stadium, Leicester. Approximately 10,000 of the 15,499 attendance were Hereford supporters who saw their team win promotion after a 3-2 win. Halifax took the lead twice in normal time only to be pegged back twice; by Williams' diving header in the first half and substitute Ipoua, with ten minutes to go to force extra time. The winner came in the 109th minute from full back Ryan Green, and sealed Hereford's return to the Football League after nine years of Conference football.

2006–

Their first season back in the Football League saw the club acquit itself well against the leading clubs in League Two, recording victories over five of the eventual top eight clubs at the end of the season. In February 2007 a notable 4-1 away win over Lincoln City, perennial play-off contenders, lifted the club into ninth position in the league and within seven points of the play-off positions. However of the remaining 13 matches Hereford could only win one and draw five - failing to score a goal in 10 matches. This poor form dropped the club into 16th position by the end of the season. Hereford did record victories over higher graded opposition in both the Carling Cup and FA Cup, defeating Coventry City and Port Vale respectively.

Wholesale changes in the squad were made for the start of the current season, with new arrivals in almost every position on the pitch. A 4-1 win over League One side, and former Conference rivals, Yeovil Town in the Carling Cup set up an away tie at Birmingham City which the Blues won 2-1. The game was overshadowed somewhat by a debate over ticket prices: the Premier League club wanting to charge greatly reduced prices for season ticket holders, and Hereford not wishing to lose out financially in a somewhat rare cup-tie. The clubs failed to agree on this issue, and the Football League had to set the prices in the end.

At the end of the 2007-08 season they were promoted from League Two, despite being tipped to struggle, thus making it two promotions in three seasons. They also equalled their best performance in the FA Cup, being knocked out in the Fourth Round by eventual finalists Cardiff City.

References