CM4: From Hereford to Eternity

klayman · 05-17-2003, 04:27 AM

How a drunken Canadian became a football legend

I’ve thrown everything away. My job, my girl, my future, and moved to England, all for a shot at my dream job…coaching Hereford United. Dream job? The team is £1.5 million in debt, stuck in the lower echelon of the Nationwide Conference, and hopelessly going nowhere. I must be crazy.

As I arrive at the club, two things are clear: 1)We’re crap, and 2)We’re spending a lot of money on crappy players. Over the preseason I must do my best to eliminate both those problems. By the time everything the regular season rolls around, I’ve reduced the wage from £3100 over budget to £1700 over budget just by renegotiating contracts and transfers, as well I’ve brought in a few free transfers and loan signings to boost the club, and a competent bootroom staff to run the operations.

klayman · 05-17-2003, 04:29 AM

Hereford Staff:
Assistant Manager – John Cockrill (41, English) Former caretaker manager at Grimsby Town, very determined and talented with youngsters with a sharp eye for potential.

Coach – Richard O’Kelly (45, English) A solid fitness coach for the conference.

Coach – Bernard Day (41, English) Goalkeeper coach

Coach – Steve Cherry (42, English) Former English league goalkeeper who’s now a motivating goalkeeper coach with a sharp eye for ability.

Coach – Ian Carter (34, Canadian) Former Canadian National player, Carter is a good defensive coach.

Coach – Gerry Reddy (52, Irish) Great fitness and technique-based coached skilled with youngsters.

Coach – Neil Webb (39, English) Former English International, good general all around coach

Scout – Ron Jukes (36, English) Good Scout, skilled in spotting potential.

Scout – Ian John (30, English) Highly talented and determined scout, skilled in spotting potential and ability.

Scout – Dave Colley (33, English) Talented scout, skilled in spotting potential and ability. Could be a coach some day.

Scout – John Richards (33, English) Good scout, with above average skills. Potential to move up to coaching is present.

Physios – Carl Murray (51, English), Neil McDiarmid (46, English), Helen Williams (41, English), Ian Bailey (45, English)

klayman · 05-17-2003, 05:04 AM

Squad Overview:
Goalkeepers

Code:


Name                       Position(s)  Nat  Age  Caps Gls  Wages(p/w)     Expires   Value
Baker, Matthew                GK        ENG  22    -    -      £800        14.06.05    £12K
Gayle, Mark                   GK        ENG  32    -    -      £275         2.06.03    £12K
Griffiths, Ken                GK        ENG  18    -    -      £90         14.06.05    £12K

Name                       Apps     Gls    Con    Pens     Asts   Yel    Red    MoM    Av R
Baker, Matthew              38       3rd year with Hereford
Gayle, Mark                Played last year with Hednesford  
Griffiths, Ken             Played last year with 3rd Division Torquay

Baker is clearly established as the starter, and is a star on this team. He’s an above average player for the conference so we should do well with him. He also dropped from a £1500/week contract to his current which makes me happy. Gayle is a capable backup, but at 32 doesn’t really have a future with the club, and his contract won’t be renewed. Griffiths is a young backup with some potential. He’ll never be a star, but he might make a respectable lower league goalkeeper someday.

Defenders

Code:


Name                       Position(s)  Nat  Age  Caps Gls  Wages(p/w)     Expires   Value
Clarke, Matthew               DR        ENG  28    -    -      £750        31.05.03    £12K
James, Tony                   SW/DRC    WAL  23    -    -      £850        15.06.05    £12K
Rose, Michael                 DL        ENG  20    -    -      £475        31.05.03    £12K
Rossiter, Mark                DRC       IRL  19    -    -      £0           3.06.03    £65K
Teesdale, Richard             DC        ENG  19    -    -      £375        14.06.04    £12K
Todd, Christopher             DC        WAL  21    -    -      £550        14.06.04    £8K
Tretton, Andy                 DC        ENG  25    -    -      £750        15.06.04    £12K

Name                       Apps     Gls    Con    Pens     Asts   Yel    Red    MoM    Av R
Clarke, Matthew             38       1      5th Year with Hereford
James, Tony                 41       1      5th Year with Hereford
Rose, Michael               Played last year with Conference Chester
Rossiter, Mark              On season long loan from Premiership Sunderland
Teesdale, Richard           Rookie
Todd, Christopher           Played last year with 3rd Division Swansea 
Tretton, Andy               Played last year with 3rd Division Shrewsbury Town

Tony James is the key defender and leads our back 3. Todd, one of my two free signings, is probably the best all around defender of the bunch, and Rossiter is the most skilled. Rossiter's contract is expiring with Sunderland, and I hope to sign him over the summer. Tretton is a reliable backup, although overpriced, while Teesdale shows some promise. Rose is not in the teams plans right now, and his contract will in all likely hood not be renewed. Clarke is transfer listed and on his way out.

klayman · 05-17-2003, 05:54 AM

Defensive Midfield

Code:


Name                       Position(s)  Nat  Age  Caps Gls  Wages(p/w)     Expires   Value
MacDonald, Billy              DMC       SCO  25    -    -      £750        14.06.04    £8K
Purdie, Robert                MC        ENG  19    -    -      £210        14.06.04    £8K
Sawyers, Robert               D/DMLC    ENG  23    -    -      £700        30.06.04    £12K
Svard, Sebastien              D/DMLC    DEN  19    -    -      £0           3.06.03    £80K
Williams, Danny               MC        ENG  21    -    -      £750        30.06.03    £12K

Name                       Apps     Gls    Con    Pens     Asts   Yel    Red    MoM    Av R
MacDonald, Billy           Played last year with Scottish 2nd Div Stranraer
Purdie, Robert             Played last year with 1st Divison Leicester
Sawyers, Robert            Played last year with Conference Barnet
Svard, Sebastien           On season long loan from Premiership Arsenal
Williams, Danny            Played last year with 2nd Division Chesterfield

Billy MacDonald is the most talented and most experienced player we have here. He was our 2nd free signing and is the team's captain. Svard is a talented young player and will see plenty of time on the field. Sawyers and Williams are very capable backups, and will get some starts to injuries and fatigue. Williams is skilled enough to play up front as well. Purdie is just another body in case of injury, and shouldn't see too much playing time.

Attacking Midfield

Code:


Name                       Position(s)  Nat  Age  Caps Gls  Wages(p/w)     Expires   Value
Foley-Sheridan, Michael       AMC       IRL  19    -    -      £0           3.06.03    £40K

Name                       Apps     Gls    Con    Pens     Asts   Yel    Red    MoM    Av R
Foley-Sheridan, Michael    On season long loan from Premiership Liverpool

Foley-Sheridan is a very talented young midfielder. He's currently transfer listed by Liverpool and his contract expires at the end of the year, hopefully we can convince him to stay. We're dreadfully short at attacking options, but Danny Williams, Ben Smith, Jamie Pitman, and Albano Correia can all cover in times of crisis.

Right Midfield

Code:


Name                       Position(s)  Nat  Age  Caps Gls  Wages(p/w)     Expires   Value
Pitman, Jamie                 MRC       ENG  26    -    -      £700        31.05.03    £12K
Smith, Ben                    AMRC      ENG  19    -    -      £600        14.06.05    £12K

Name                       Apps     Gls    Con    Pens     Asts   Yel    Red    MoM    Av R
Pitman, Jamie              Played last year with Conference Woking
Smith, Ben                 Played last year with 3r division Southend

Smith is the standout at MR for us. Young and cultured, he should be a star here in the conference. Pitman has loads of talent as well, but we're not likely to resign him unless his wage demands decrease significantly. Both should see equal time on the right side.

Left Midfield

Code:


Name                       Position(s)  Nat  Age  Caps Gls  Wages(p/w)     Expires   Value
Parry, Paul                   AM/FL     WAL  22    -    -      £900        14.06.05    £12K

Name                       Apps     Gls    Con    Pens     Asts   Yel    Red    MoM    Av R
Parry, Paul                39        5     6th Year with Hereford

Parry has played his entire career with Hereford, and is an above average player for the conference. He took a pay cut from £1600/week, so he's one of my favorite players. He'll see plently of time due to a lack of options, but both Svard and Sawyers can fill in comfortably here without any worries from the manager.

klayman · 05-17-2003, 06:25 AM

Forwards

Code:


Name                       Position(s)  Nat  Age  Caps Gls  Wages(p/w)     Expires   Value
Correia, Albano               SC        POR  20    -    -      £450        30.06.03    £12K
Grant, John                   SC        ENG  21    -    -      £1K         31.05.03    £12K
Guinan, Steve                 SC        ENG  26    -    -      £900        14.06.04    £12K
Keegan, Paul                  SC        IRL  19    -    -      £0           3.06.03    £425K

Name                       Apps     Gls    Con    Pens     Asts   Yel    Red    MoM    Av R
Correia, Albano            Played last year with 2nd Division Bristol City
Grant, John                Played last year with 2nd Division Crewe
Guinan, Steve              Played last year with 3rd Division Shrewsbury Town
Keegan, Paul               On season long loan from Premiership Leeds

We're overpriced and short on talent up front this year. Paul Keegan is clearly the best player on the team, and should be the focus of our attack. He's tied up with Leeds until 2005, so we might look to loan him again next year if he does well. Guinan signed a reduced contract to continue playing for Hereford, and he has potential to be a threat, but at 26 is not going to get any better. Correia and Grant could be young stars at this level, but Correia has ridiculous wage demands, and his contract will not likely be extended, while Grant who is not talented enough to be the highest paid player on the team, would not redo his contract and is transfer listed.

Before the season starts, we transfer Ian Wright out of Hereford to lower league Chesham United on a free transfer. Ian, although a solid defender, wouldn't reduce his £1000/week wage, and we are solid at the back. Ron Jukes signs a contract with Scottish 3rd division club Stirling, and we are awarded £1K in compensation. I let Cockrill manage the club while I get a feel for the players, and he does very well, winning 5 friendlies while losing 2.

Our financial situation is dire, with a £1.3M bank loan that is sucking up £110K/Month repayments until the end of the year. We are coming to the end of a 3 year sponsorship deal that was worth £47.5K/season. Hopefully we can grab a better one in January when our current one runs out. We are currently £1700 over our £10,250/week wage budget. If we transfer out Grant and Clarke, that should put us just under the budget for the year.

klayman · 05-17-2003, 06:34 AM

A screenshot of my tactic is attached. We'll be playing fairly aggressive direct attacking football, both home and away. I'll probably have to settle into a more defensive stance once Winter comes around, but for now we're going in guns a blazing.

Our odds for promotion are at 50-1, while Dag and Red are the favorites with a 7-4 odds.

klayman · 05-17-2003, 07:05 AM

We lose Robert Sawyers to a dislocated shoulder for 2 months, which significantly hurts our depth.

Hereford vs Chester
1843 Bulls fans show up to see my managerial debut. Keegan gets hauled down in the area in the 34th min, and converts the penalty to put us up by one. So far we’re playing great defensively, as Christopher Todd is all over the place breaking up plays in his debut. On the kickoff to the Keegan goal, Williams feeds Parry in the midfield, and Parry darts through 3 defenders to the top of the box, where he crosses to Guinan who’s left with the wide open net, for a 2-0 lead. Chester settle down after that, and the game slows down considerably. It’s not until the 87th min that Chester GK Wayne Brown makes a poor clearance that sub Jamie Pitman pounces on, setting up Paul Parry for the 20 yard strike, and a 3-0 win.

We lose Todd to a groin strain from the match, and MacDonald to a head injury in training. Both will miss the next match.

Barnet vs Hereford
Barnet set the pace early, and 6 mins in force Baker into making a spectacular save to keep the game even. Before the half closes out, Mark Gower gets an excellent opportunity to put the home side up by one, but he blazes a Baker rebound over the bar from a tight angle. After a Danny Williams foul and yellow card in the 65th min, Barnet’s Ben Strevens finds himself all alone with a wide open net, but Baker somehow gets his fingertips to the ball and deflects it wide. Our first chance of the night comes 10 mins later, when Foley-Sheridan flicks a Correia corner into the box for Keegan, but Barnet’s GK Daniel Naisbitt comes up with a tremendous save. But just mins later we catch Barnet too far forward, and Paul Keegan draws Naisbitt out of position, leaving the easy strike for Steve Guinan, and a 1-0 win.

MacDonald and Todd are still not fit to play and will miss our next match.

Hereford vs Margate
Danny Williams goes down with an injury in the 1st min of play, and we're down to just 2 DMCs on the squad. Foley-Sheridan sets the pace for whats to come, when he fires a diving header off a Rossiter long throw in, that Margate GK Phil Smith is lucky to come up with. Smith's luck doesn't hold out, and he's injured in the 27th min, and Foley-Sheridan takes advantage with a blast to the top corner just 2 mins later. Margate respond off the kick off, but Baker is lucky to have a long shot hit the goal post and stay out. In the 56th min, Margate score off a corner to tie it up, but Paul Keegan is able to draw the defenders and feed a wide open Foley-Sheridan, who makes no mistake, just 3 mins later for the 2-1 win.

klayman · 05-17-2003, 08:20 AM

We lose Correia and Rose to training injuries. Correia is lost for 2 months with a torn groin, while Rose is only out for a week. We do get MacDonald and Todd back and both are in the lineup for our next match.

Nuneaton Borough vs Hereford
Foley-Sheridan wastes no time continuing his great play, and just one minute in he feeds a great through ball to Paul Parry, whose cross is blasted by Steve Guinan. Boro’s GK Chris Taylor makes a fantastic save, but it’s Foley-Sheridan with the rebound and easy chance for the quick lead. Boro equalize in the 28th min with a short flick off a corner and the game is knotted at 1 at the break. James makes a crucial interception in the 49th min, getting the ball to Foley-Sheridan, who feeds Jamie Pitman behind the Boro defense, and Pitman makes no mistake on the breakaway for a 2-1 lead. Pittman then catches Boro on the counter, with a long ball to John Grant who crosses for Steve Guinan and its 3-1 Hereford in the 72nd min. Nuneaton Borough never threatens after than, and we take the 3-1 win.

Christopher Todd goes down again, this time for 2 weeks with a gashed leg. We post losses of £184k for the month of August, which is devastating. But there is not much I can do until we get rid of the bank loan, so we’re likely looking at receivership by Christmas. We’re shut out of the Conference Awards for August, no big deal.

We get two weeks off before our next match, which should clear up some of the injuries and early fatigue. The English transfer window closes at the end of August and we were unable to ship out Grant or Clarke, but we get some offers on Clarke for the January transfer window and begin negotiations.

klayman · 05-17-2003, 09:54 AM

The day before the match, Clarke accepts an offer from lower league club Accrington Stanley, and we accept the part exchange of Simon Carden plus £1K cash. Carden is a 23 year old forward with tons of pace and acceleration. He’s got average skills for the conference, but can provide cover for the AMC and SC spots. He agrees to a £500/week contract, so we only save £250/week from the transfer, but it is still a good deal for us. The transfer goes through, which I didn’t think would happen until January. Guess I don’t quite understand the new transfer rules as well as I thought I did

Hereford vs Yeovil
Carden is on the bench as we welcome Yeovil to Edgar Street. Andy Tretton, playing for an injured Christopher Todd, brings down a player in the area just 15 mins in, and ex-Hereford United player Gavin Williams puts home the penalty shot. We respond just 7 mins later, when Jamie Pitman fires a 30 yard bullet, that Yeovil GK Chris Weale can barely handle, and Foley-Sheridan knocks home the rebound…but wait. Foley-Sheridan is offside, no goal. We get that back just before the break though, as captain Billy MacDonald finds Steve Guinan on the flank, and Guinan feeds a perfect cross to a streaking Paul Keegan to even things up. We continue the pressure to start the 2nd half, and Foley-Sheridan finds Keegan all alone for the breakaway, but Keegan puts it inches wide of the post. Yeovil respond in the 72nd min, catching us on the break, but Baker absolutely robs Gavin Williams from in close, and both teams settle for a 1-1 draw.

Kettering vs Hereford
We sit on top of the conference with 13 points, while Kettering languish behind in 15th spot with only 1 win. Carden gets a start over Guinan and makes the most of it as Paul Keegan finds him streaking to the net, and somehow his weak header beats 2 defenders and the Kettering GK for Carden’s first goal as a Bull 23 mins in. Keegan has a chance to put us up by 2 in the 29th, when Danny Williams freekick deflects off the wall to the waiting Keegan, but his effort is dismal. Kettering equalize in the 36th min with a weak shortside effort that Baker should have had. Carden goes down with an injury in the 2nd half, and Steve Guinan comes on to replace him. We catch a huge break in the 2nd, when Kettering score on a beautiful one time effort, but a horrible call by the assistant calls it back on the offside. That breaths some life into the game, and Keegan feeds Paul Parry wide open at the top of the box in the 61st min. Parry’s shot cannons off the crossbar, but off GK Ian Bowling and into the net for an own goal. Kettering pressure off the kickoff, and 5 mins later they find a hole in the defense to bury the ball past Baker for the 2-2 score. Keegan has a glorious chance to put us ahead in the 75th, as Foley-Sheridan puts him in for a one-on-one with the GK, but Keegan makes a mess of it. Guinan, however, takes matters into his own hands, and lobs a slow header just out of the reach of Ian Bowling, 2 mins later, in what can only be described as the slowest goal ever. Keegan makes up for his blunder in the 80th, after Ben Smith sends him in alone, and this time Keegan makes no mistake hitting the top corner, and we win 4-2.

Keegan and Carden both pick up knocks in the game, but they aren’t serious, and both should be back for the next match.

RPI-Fan · 05-17-2003, 10:08 AM

I think the delay is only for international transfers, klayman...

klayman · 05-17-2003, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RPI-Fan
I think the delay is only for international transfers, klayman...

Oh, ok. That makes sense. Thanks.

klayman · 05-17-2003, 03:54 PM

Doncaster vs Hereford
Paul Parry gets his first game off this season and Sebastian Svard will patrol the left wing. Foley-Sheridan gets a chance 12 min in when Doncaster defender Chris Beech flubs a header, but Foley-Sheridan’s 20 yard effort leaves a lot to be desired. It turns out to be our only shot of the game. Doncaster doesn’t offer much offense up themselves, but it the 64th min a poor Christopher Todd clearance gives them an opportunity, and they make no mistake for the 0-1 lead. After that it is all Doncaster and 6 mins later, Rossiter takes a penalty, which they convert and take the game 0-2.

The loss drops us down to 4th, with Chester leading the charge followed by Scarborough and then Doncaster. We also lose Jamie Pitman for 2 weeks with a damaged neck from the match.

John Grant and Paul Keegan both go down with training injuries. Both are lost for 2 weeks, Grant with a groin strain and Keegan with a twisted knee, but we do welcome Robert Sawyers back from his lengthy shoulder injury.

Hereford vs Leigh RMI
Sawyers is on the bench as a sub as we close out September at Edgar Street. The Leigh back four can’t handle Carden’s pace, and he creates several chances in the opening mins, but is unlucky not to bury any. And that pretty much sums up our day. Foley-Sheridan blows two glorious opportunities in the 2nd half, and Foley-Sheridan and Guinan combine for a comedy of errors on a 2 on 0 break that results in no shot late in the game. Thankfully, Baker is strong for the rare times that Leigh threaten, and we come away with a scoreless draw.

klayman · 05-17-2003, 04:01 PM

Heading into October and we continue to bleed money, losing over £203K for the month. October might be a better month, with some cup games coming up. I’m not sure if we qualified for the Van Trophy, but some extra gate receipts would be nice. Still, not going to put a dent in the now £1.7M plus debt we’re holding.

A screenshot of the table at the beginning of October is attached.

Katon · 05-17-2003, 05:52 PM

Conference teams automatically get into the Vans Trophy. Good dynasty, BTW

klayman · 05-17-2003, 05:58 PM

Hereford vs Woking
3 mins in and Parry’s pace wins him the ball, but Carden makes a mess of the cross as we continue to blow good chances. Guinan intercepts the ball behind the defenders in the 39th min, but gets absolutely robbed by Woking GK Anthony Tucker and it is a scoreless first half. We start out flying in the 2nd half, and Parry feeds Carden in close, whose powerful shot slips out of Tucker’s hands leaving Foley-Sheridan with an easy finish in the 46th min. Woking come forward after that, and Baker does well to stop an in close volley only seconds later. We catch a break in the 71st min, as Woking’s Chris Collins gets behind the defense and beats Baker, but sends it just wide of the net. That opens the floodgates, and Parry finds Foley-Sheridan unmarked in the area 2 mins later, and Foley-Sheridan finds the far corner for his 5th goal of the year. Foley-Sheridan almost gets the hat-trick in the 78th when Todd feeds him down the right flank, but Foley-Sheridan’s shot doesn’t have enough power to cross the line after punching through Tucker. Instead, Foley-Sheridan feeds Guinan in the 88th min, and Guinan nabs his 5th of the year for a 3-0 lead. Carden adds insult only a min later, when he corrals a Ben Smith 35 yard blast off the crossbar and into the wide open net, for the 4-0 win.

Carden tears his groin muscle in the match, and is lost for 2 months, leaving us with just one healthy forward in the squad. Thankfully, Keegan and Grant should be fit for the next match.

Gravesend vs Hereford
Keegan and Pitman return from injury, and Keegan starts, but Pitman is left out for fitness. A blown assignment on a corner leads to a 23rd min chance for Gravesend, and only the goal post keeps things even. Gravesend control the pace of the game, and Baker is forced to come up big in the 34th min off a tight angle volley to keep us in the game. Gravesend finally are able to get one past him though in the 45th min off a beautiful cross and powerful strike from the top of the area. We haven’t generated a single chance, and in the 49th min, Gravesend put the game away when a weak header beats Baker, and they win 0-2.

We get two weeks off before the next match which should give us some injury relief, getting Grant and hopefully Correia back into training.

klayman · 05-17-2003, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Katon
Conference teams automatically get into the Vans Trophy. Good dynasty, BTW

Really? I thought it was based on your standings the year before. Regardless, the draw had 16 conference teams in the first round, so I was obviously wrong, however we weren't one of the 16, so I'm not sure what is up with that.

Thanks for reading

Katon · 05-17-2003, 06:16 PM

Oops. My knowledge of the Vans trophy is limited to my Leigh RMI dynasty, and we were in it last year. If it is only 16 teams, then it's probably the top 16 teams from the year before. Don't take that as read, though; just a guess.

klayman · 05-17-2003, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Katon
Oops. My knowledge of the Vans trophy is limited to my Leigh RMI dynasty, and we were in it last year. If it is only 16 teams, then it's probably the top 16 teams from the year before. Don't take that as read, though; just a guess.

No problem. I'm sure Hereford finished in the top 11 last year, so I'm still unsure why we didn't get a draw. Probably just an oversight though, I'm sure we'll get a draw next year.

klayman · 05-18-2003, 04:46 AM

We draw non-league Aldershot town in the FA Cup 4th round Qualifying at Edgar Street. The game will be played after our next match against Stevenage.

Hereford vs Stevenage
It’s a battle between 2nd and 3rd place, as we welcome Stevenage to Edgar Street. Stevenage generate all the chances early, but Keegan intercepts the ball behind the defense in the 11th min, only to make a mess of the 1-on-1. Some solid defending by both sides keeps the score even, until the 29th min when Stevenage score on a lovely volley from the top of the box to go up 0-1. Stevenage keep the pressure, but are unable to generate any great chances, and Baker comes up big when they do. Keegan makes up for his blunder in the 2nd half, stripping a Stevenage defender off the ball and blasting a 8 yard strike into the top corner to even things out at 1 a piece in the 46th min. Only seconds later, Foley-Sheridan, Keegan, and Guinan break away on an incredible 3 and 0 against the goalie, but too many passes sees the chance go astray. Foley-Sheridan has a great opportunity to win it in injury time, but he can’t control the ball off his first touch, and we settle for the 1-1 draw.

Hereford vs Aldershot FA CUP 4th Round Qualifying
We get a season high 5151 fans through the gate, and Billy MacDonald makes them go crazy when he pounces on a deflected ball 12 yards out, and puts home his 1st of the year just 11 mins in. Keegan adds his 5th of the year, 14 mins later, when his pace allows him to win the ball and he makes no mistake finding the low corner. We continue with the offensive pressure, and generate several good chances, but it is not until the 59th min that Guinan capitalizes on a Foley-Sheridan rebound that we find the net again. After that goal, we relax into a defensive posture, and hold on easily for the 3-0 win.

We get £20k for the win, and combined with the gate receipts it’s a nice payday for the club. We’ll still lose money this month, of course, but one or two more cup wins might just keep the receivers at bay until the bank loan is paid off.

klayman · 05-18-2003, 05:27 AM

Well, it doesn’t. And only 2 days after the Cup win, the club goes into receivership. Not really horrible news, since it wasn’t like it was unexpected. As long as they don’t bring in anymore crap players on stupid contracts, I can handle letting anyone on this team transfer out. My star players are on season loans anyway. But we get even more bad news as Steve Guinan goes down with a shoulder injury, and will be lost for 2 months. Once again, we find ourselves with only 2 healthy strikers on the squad.

We draw 3rd Division side Cambridge United away in the FA Cup 1st round. More bad news however, as we lose Foley-Sheridan for 2 weeks with a wrist injury.

Telford vs Hereford
Telford sit 22nd in the league, while we’re 5th four points behind leaders Chester. 2 mins in, and Danny Williams gets a glorious opportunity, but blazes the ball well over the net after Grant sent him in alone. Grant decides to take matters in his own hands, and 4 mins later a precision strike finds the corner and a 1-0 lead. Grant and Williams combine again in injury time, but Williams’ fierce strike is batted away by Telford GK Craig Jones. It’s a heavy downpour today, and that is wrecking havoc with our fitness, as Telford get several opportunities off free kicks from poor tackles. Nothing comes of it though, and Keegan gets a couple of late opportunities to put the game out of reach, but can’t find the handle on the ball in the rain, leaving us with the 1-0 win.

We lose Tony James for 4 weeks with a groin strain suffered during the match, which is pretty devastating. James has the highest tackles/game and average rating from the defenders so far this year. We’ll have to tighten up without him in the lineup.

We close out October in 4th place, 2 points behind new leaders Stevenage. We also lose £136k for the month, bringing out total debt to just under £1.8M. Michael Rose reveals his concern over the club’s financial situation, in the first of what I’m sure will be many players. Michael doesn’t have to worry though, as he won’t be on the club next year.

Katon · 05-18-2003, 08:32 AM

You know, if you're looking for places to save on wages, you could sack your physio. He doesn't seem to be helping much anyway.

klayman · 05-18-2003, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Katon
You know, if you're looking for places to save on wages, you could sack your physio. He doesn't seem to be helping much anyway.

I hate to see what kind of injuries I'd be having without any physios.

klayman · 05-18-2003, 10:07 AM

Farnborough vs Hereford
Both teams trade early chances but neither are able to find the net. Correia gets a break in the 29th min, but a last second tackle nicks the ball away from a sure goal. Farnborough’s best chance comes in the 31st min, with a free kick just outside the area that skims the near post and wide. Despite the absence of James, we are playing extremely well defensively, but in the 35th min, Farnborough’s Gary Butterworth catches Baker stranded on the counter attack with a 40 yard embarrassing strike to go up by one. We quickly get that one back, as Correia flicks a header that frees Ben Smith for the break and goal in the 40th min. In the 2nd half, its Ben Smith again, as his solid run produces a corner in which MacDonald draws the Farnborough penalty. Keegan makes no mistake on the penalty and its 2-1 in the 52nd min. Smith repays Correia 10 mins later with a well placed through ball that frees Correia, and the young Portuguese striker buries the ball for the 3-1 win.

Ben Smith suffers a groin strain, but should be fit for the next match. Young Richard Teesdale, who coincidently is really turning into a superb defender, is the next player to comment on the club’s financial instability. It’s really out of my hands, though. Even promotion might not rescue us from financial doom. To take the player’s minds off the money problems, I release a press statement praising the recent performances of GK Matthew Baker.

Hereford vs Morecambe
Morecambe sit 10th, and we welcome a non-cup season high 2829 fans for this match. They’re beginning to believe. An absolutely crazy opening sees Teesdale save a goal off the line just 3 mins in. Rossiter makes a last ditch effort only mins later to save another sure goal, as Morecambe throw everything at us. That leads to a quick counter attack by us, and Ben Smith is unlucky to miss from 20 yards out in the 12th. The defensive wonders continue, as Rossiter nicks a cross off the post into Teesdale and the ball bounces over the rushing Morecambe strikers to safety to keep the score even. Correia capitalizes on a quick break out and feeds Keegan in the area for a nice goal. All of this only 18 mins into the match!!! Both keepers play brilliant the rest of the way, despite several chances by both clubs. We put the game away in the 58th min, when Sawyers feeds Keegan, who beautifully searches out Correia with a one touch pass, and Correia scores a stunner of a goal to take the 2-0 win.

The win allows us to keep pace with Chester and Scarborough, and we remain 1 point behind them in third place. Correia is the next player to fall in line over the financial concerns of the club and young Christopher Todd’s solid play earns him a call up to the Wales U21 club.

klayman · 05-18-2003, 11:39 AM

Northwich Vics vs Hereford
Northwich sit 16th in the league. They absolutely stifle us defensively, and hold us to no shots the entire game. They go up 0-1 in the 26th min, after a cross hits Todd and strands Baker for the easy tap in. Keegan gets the only Hereford chance of the game, but his shot is blocked by a Northwich defender into the side netting late in the 1st half. We come forward in the 2nd, but to no avail, and lose 0-1.

Cambridge vs Hereford FA CUP 1st round
We’re listed at 4-1 odds for winning, our lowest odds on the season so far. We play a slightly modified tactic with an ultra-defensive mentality, hoping to get the draw and a replay back at Edgar Street. That means of course, that Baker is under untold pressure throughout the match, but handles himself very nicely. In the 20th min, we get a rare breakout as Sawyers collects the ball on the right flank and feeds it 30 yards forward for Keegan, who breaks behind the defenders. Keegan draws out Cambridge GK Shaun Marshall, and feeds Billy MacDonald at the top of the area, who blasts it towards goal and the 1-0 lead. After that it is predictably all Cambridge, but we survive a couple of close chances and advance to the 2nd round with a 1-0 upset.

The shared gate receipts and prize money are a boost to our finances, and half way through the month we already have a record income for the month. We draw 3rd division club Wrexham away for the FA Cup 2nd round.

klayman · 05-18-2003, 02:57 PM

Foley-Sheridan is back with the club, and Tony James is only days away from returning. Overall, we didn’t do that poorly with both of them out, but it’s nice to have them both back.

Southport vs Hereford
Foley-Sheridan is back in the lineup as Correia sets the tone for the game in the 1st min as he breaks away forcing Southport GK Steve Dickinson to save brilliantly. It’s all Hereford with the pressure, and in the 18th min, Foley-Sheridan gets free of the last defender and finds the far corner for the 1 goal lead. Seconds later, it is Correia feeding a long cross to the top of the area for Robert Sawyers, and his 18 yard strike finds nothing but the back of the net to take a 2-0 lead into the break. Things stay that way as we adopt a more defensive attitude, and in the 81st min substitute John Grant takes a Robert Sawyers feed, moves around Dickinson, and puts it in the empty net to seal the game as a 3-0 win.

An unusual string of events follows the game. I happen to check on John Grant, who is unhappy due to do being transfer listed, and his value has decreased significantly. Probably because his contract was running out, but I decided that it might be enough of an indication that he might renegotiate a contract. So I take him off the transfer wire, but he remains unhappy, thinking he made a mistake joining the club. He’s contract requests are quite modest, however, compared to the sums he was demanding in the pre-season. So I offer him the contract he wants. Immediately, several teams become interested in Grant’s services, after spending the entire season on the transfer list without any interest. He rejects the contract immediately, but I quickly offer him to all the interested clubs for a higher value before the receivers give him away. Several teams make different bids, but its 3rd Division Darlington who grabs him for £5k. He wastes no time signing a contract, and takes his £1000/week contract with him. So I’m now only £400/week over the budget, and the board is no longer complaining about the huge wage bill. Nice. Grant leaves with 3(4) appearances, 2 goals, 1 assist, and a 6.71 average rating.

We’re also able to begin negotiations with Foley-Sheridan and Mark Rossiter due to their contracts expiring. I’m happy to have both become full time Bulls and offer them both deals, which a few days later they both accept. Foley-Sheridan’s contract with Liverpool expires in March, so we might be able to loan in some more help at that time for a late season push at the title.

RonnieDobbs · 05-18-2003, 03:20 PM

Hey, good job with the dynasty so far, I think CM4 is the game most ripe for interesting dynasties due to the depth...

And enjoy Michael Foley-Sheridan... played as Liverpool once and he got good enough to join the main squad, although he'll probably be long gone from Hereford by that point.

klayman · 05-18-2003, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RonnieDobbs
Hey, good job with the dynasty so far, I think CM4 is the game most ripe for interesting dynasties due to the depth...

And enjoy Michael Foley-Sheridan... played as Liverpool once and he got good enough to join the main squad, although he'll probably be long gone from Hereford by that point.

Thanks. Glad you're enjoying it. You're probably right about Foley-Sheridan...i'm going to have to enjoy him while I can, although I doubt our training facilities and coaches could do the same with him that Liverpool would have.

klayman · 05-18-2003, 06:29 PM

Hereford vs Burton Albion
Burton Albion sit around the bottom of the league at 19th. These are the types of games we need to win to take the Conference title, but we play uninspired, and create zero chances throughout the game. Baker comes up big robbing Burton Albion of their only chance in the game in the 24th min. Keegan gets a chance to end in the 71st min with our first shot on net, but puts it just wide, and we play to the scoreless draw.

That closes out November as we find ourselves in 4th place, 4 points back of leaders Stevenage. We end up losing £95k for the month, which isn’t that bad considering the £110k loan payment we had to make. Still, with December’s loan payment already on the books, we dip below the £2M mark in debts.

Hereford vs Halifax
Tony James is back as a starter for this match, but he doesn’t help us create any chances. Our best chance of the night comes off the opening kickoff where Foley-Sheridan bends a 30 yard shot well wide of the net. Yes, that was our best chance. Halifax score before the half is out, but it is rightfully called back on the offside. In the 54th min, Halifax counter with a long pass into the area that is clearly offside. No call, and Todd is forced to bring down the player in the area, resulting in a penalty which they convert. Just seconds later, James intercepts a pass, feeds the ball ahead 30 yards for Correia, who dishes off to Foley-Sheridan. Foley-Sheridan’s blast is not handled well by the GK and Keegan has an easy tap in, but Correia is whistled offside…bloody delayed call, but checking the replay it’s the right one, and we lose 0-1 at home.

The loss pushes us out of the playoff spots into 6th place, one point behind Halifax. It has been some very disappointing performances of late from our squad. We sign Ged Kimmins, a 19 year old powerful striker, to a backup contract for next season. Ged has the physical abilities to be a great striker, but is lacking in technique and skill. Next season he should provide adequate cover, and hopefully develop into something great.

Wrexham vs Hereford FA CUP 2nd round
Once again we change tactics to a stifling defensive style like we did against Cambridge. We’re hoping for the scoreless draw and the replay at Edgar Street, although we haven’t been all that spectacular at home lately. There is a drizzle today, and that might help us considerably. Keegan breaks free in the 17th min but his fierce shot is saved and the rebound nicked away before any damage could be done. Off the corner, Wrexham GK Andy Dibble knocks the ball into the net, giving us a 1-0 lead…but the assistant has his flag up…Keegan pushed Dibble, no goal. Keegan then orchestrates a wonderful run, playing with the Wrexham defense before finding Correia unmarked in the area for the goal. This one counts, and we head into the break up by 1. Baker is lucky off a couple of free kicks, but Wrexham continue their pressure and in the 75th min, they finally get one past the keeper with a beautifully played 20 yard strike. Seconds later, Wrexham continues on the attack and should have scored into a wide open net, but the ball is blazed over the crossbar. The game ends 1-1 giving us a replay back at Edgar Street next week.

Svard picks up his 5th yellow in the match, and is suspended for our next match against Dag & Red. Carden is back from injury, and Guinan is about to resume training with the club again, giving us some depth up front. Correia has played very well in their absence, however, and I’m inclined to offer him a 1 year extension. Before I do, though, I praise his recent performances in the press, and responds favorably both by thanking me in the media, and then signing the contract.

Tony James goes down with another injury, out 3 weeks with a groin strain this time. James is receiving lost of interest from clubs, so I offer him up for £10k. Of course, the receivers will accept any offer the clubs make, but I think we’ll do fine without James here if he goes.

Dag & Red vs Hereford
D&R had a slow start, but have climbed the ladder to reach 10th spot, only 6 points behind us. We employ the same boring defensive style that worked against Wrexham. Although we don’t generate many chances, we hold off what seems to be an endless possession by D&R in the first half. Correia closes out the half with our first shot of the game, just missing the far post on a break by inches. Much the same in the 2nd half, and at the hour we start to come forward a bit, but nothing comes of it. We still hold D&R to little in the way of opportunities, and in the 78th min, D&R GK Tony Roberts commits a grievous error, when his poor clearing attempt lands at the feet of Foley-Sheridan. Foley-Sheridan finds Correia in the area, but somehow Roberts gets back to make the fantastic save. He can’t corral the ball, though, and Foley-Sheridan is left with the easy tap in and we steal the game 1-0.

klayman · 05-18-2003, 07:34 PM

Correia dislocates his shoulder in training, and is lost for 2 months. I’m not having much luck keeping my strikers healthy this year. Darlington swoop in with a £10k bid for Tony James (accepted of course), and James wastes no time signing with the 3rd division club. That gives us a £2k transfer kitty, and you know what you can buy for £2k? Nothing.

Hereford vs Wrexham FA CUP 2nd round replay
We get a record 7962 fans to show up for the game, which is 400+ higher than we got at Wrexham. And what a game it is. Despite being home and falling back on our attacking football style, we are unable to generate any chances. In fact Wrexham completely dominate play. Baker does well to tip a ball over the crossbar in the 1st min, and Wrexham just keep coming. At the 10 min mark, Baker absolutely robs Wrexham captain Darren Ferguson from in close to keep things even. The half closes out with Wrexham outshooting us 5 to 1. Into the 2nd half, and just 4 mins in Wrexham substitute Hector Sam finds an opening through the defense and finally beats Matthew Baker. We’re forced now to come forward to look for the equalizer, but nothing comes from our tactical changes as Wrexham still control the game. I’m getting desperate, and by the 82nd min, we have generated one chance when Sawyers sent the ball inches wide. But Tretton takes a quick free kick from the halfway line finding Carden unmarked some 25 yards from goal. Carden turns and fires…and somehow finds the net with the long range strike, and we have a late equalizer. We just try to hold on for extra time and penalties, as Wrexham storm our goal. Baker does brilliantly to turn away a diving header in the 85th min, to keep us alive. Into the 87th and Parry feeds a long throw to substitute Guinan. He finds Foley-Sheridan just outside the box, unmarked, and Foley-Sheridan moves through to goal, takes a vicious strike and finds the top corner for the lead. Baker is forced to come up big again off the kick off and we head into injury time with a 2-1 lead. 5 MINS!!! 5 friggin extra mins given by the official, which is crap, but it’s actually Carden with the best opportunity in the extra time as Wrexham do not threaten, and we’re off to the 3rd round with a 2-1 victory.

The win and the prize money (£30k) actually put us into the black for the month for the time being. Even better, we draw fellow conference side Farnborough away for the 3rd round, giving us a great opportunity to advance to the 4th. The win is not without its cost however, as captain Billy MacDonald dislocated his shoulder during the match and is out for 2 months.

klayman · 05-19-2003, 08:10 AM

Hereford vs Forest Green
Alternate captain Sebastian Svard leads the team in front of a disappointing crowd of 1968. We completely dominate Forest Green on the pitch, and in the 26th Foley-Sheridan is unlucky not to score with a screamer from the top of the box. Our defense holds Forest to no chances in the first half, and in the 41st min, Svard searches out Guinan in the area with a 30 yards pass. Guinan can’t control the ball on first touch, but Foley-Sheridan is there to pick it up, and this time makes no mistake for the 1-0 lead going into the break. After the rest, it’s Svard again with a fabulous 50 yard pass that puts Paul Parry in all alone in the 49th min. Parry finds the corner…but the goal is called back on the offsides, and rightfully so. Regardless, 5 mins later, it is Svard again, as his brilliant through ball finds Guinan, who dishes it off to Keegan for the break. Keegan sends the keeper the other way and easily finds the empty net for a 2-0 lead. Foley-Sheridan has a fantastic opportunity only seconds later, off a Paul Parry corner kick, but his ferocious strike is batted away. Still the pressure continues, and in the 82nd min, Jamie Pitman finds Foley-Sheridan in acres of space in the midfield, and Foley-Sheridan caps a fantastic run with his 10th goal of the season, sealing a 3-0 win.

Scarborough vs Hereford
A battle between 3rd and 4th, we sit 1 point behind Scarborough, who are 1 point behind Chester for 2nd. Chester is playing 1st place Stevenage today, so a win could really boost our standings. Keegan, who’s been showing signs of fatigue, is on the bench today and pacey forward Simon Carden gets the start. A Robert Sawyers give away leads to a Scarborough counter attack, and Baker does well to tip a Lanre Bimbo Fatokum blast off the crossbar, but the rebound omnisciently falls to Anthony Ormerod, and he taps in the easy goal in the 3rd min. Off the kick off, Carden’s pace almost wins him the ball for an open net, but Scarborough GK Andy Woods is lucky to get to it and clear. In the 20th, Baker does well to save from in close, but the rebound falls to Lanre Bimbo Fatokum. Unfortunately for Fatokum, he blazes the ball over the bar instead of hitting the empty net, and we count our lucky stars. Seconds later, Foley-Sheridan feeds Carden, who breaks between the defenders and beats Woods to equalize. Scarborough come right back, and Baker comes up with a fantastic save off a 25 yard blast to keep things even into the break. In the 59th, a break down in the defense leads to a fantastic opportunity for Scarborough, but Baker comes up big again, and Paul Parry is in the area to clear the rebound from danger. Keegan, who subs on for a tired Guinan at the hour, has a fantastic opportunity to win it in the 87th min, when Parry’s cross is deflected by Carden to the waiting Keegan, but his poor header weakly finds it way back into Andy Woods safe hands, and both teams settle for the 1-1 draw.

Continuing with the injuries is Robert Sawyers picking up a groin strain and he’ll be out for 2 weeks from the match. Foley-Sheridan also picked up his 5th yellow, and will be suspended for the next match against Chester.

klayman · 05-19-2003, 10:15 AM

Chester vs Hereford
Chester sit 2nd 1 point behind leaders Stevenage, while we continue to hold 4th 5 points back of Chester. Carden fills the AMC spot with Foley-Sheridan suspended, while Guinan and Keegan are up front. It is a battle between offence and defense today as Chester led the league in goals for, while we have the lowest goals against. Just 30 seconds, the goalpost is the only thing keeping Chester off the board as David Bell beats Baker with an 8 yard strike. Chester control the early part of the game, but we settle down, and Carden’s pace wins him the ball in the 6th min. He feeds Paul Keegan for the break, but Keegan’s effort leaves a lot to be desired, as GK Wayne Brown easily handles the shot. Into the 12th, and Wayne Brown’s poor clearance goes straight to Guinan and he has the keeper stranded, but his long range effort goes just inches wide to keep the score even. Off the ensuing goal kick, another mistake by Brown as he comes out to challenge Svard’s long pass, but Keegan beats him to the ball, and finds the open net for a brilliant 1-0 lead. The defense is doing a wonderful job, and Christopher Todd is holding conference goal leader Daryl Clare to zero chances. In the 40th, Brown once again comes out of the area to track down a long ball, and once again Keegan beats him to it, but this time a fantastic diving save keeps Keegan from scoring and we head into the break, up 1-0. Chester continue to control the possession in the 2nd half, but are unable to generate any scoring chances. In the 61st, Guinan flicks a Parry pass for Carden in the area, but his effort grazes the bar and goes over. But only mins later, Parry searches out Guinan on the left flank, and Guinan draws Brown out of position to feed Keegan with a beautiful cross and the easy goal. It is Keegan’s 10th goal of the year, and it gives us the very nice 2-0 away win.

That takes us out of December and into 2003. We only lose £60k on the month, and make our last payment on our loan on January 1st. With the continued success, we should start seeing a profit come February, and hopefully start chipping away at our £2M debt.

Conference Standings

Code:

    Team     Won Drawn Lost  GD  PTS
1. Stevenage  16   2     4   +16  50
-----------------------------------------
2. Chester    15   1     6   +25  46
3. Hereford   13   5     4   +21  44
4. Scarbgh    12   7     3   +16  43
5. Margate    13   3     6   +14  42
-----------------------------------------
6. Halifax    11   7     4    +9  40

A screenshot of the full table is attached.

Katon · 05-19-2003, 10:51 AM

You know, just once I'd like to see an FOFC team that didn't have the best defence in the league. Not one of my Leigh squads, of course. I don't want to manage that team; just see it.

Seriously, why does this always seem to happen? And what's up with Leigh in your dynasty? They're awful!

klayman · 05-20-2003, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Katon
You know, just once I'd like to see an FOFC team that didn't have the best defence in the league. Not one of my Leigh squads, of course. I don't want to manage that team; just see it.

Seriously, why does this always seem to happen? And what's up with Leigh in your dynasty? They're awful!

Actually, I'm not really dominating defensively. There are several teams hovering around the same mark, most notably Stevenage and Halifax. In previous games (CM4 and CM3), I usually have a wide margin between the best defensive team (me) and the 2nd best defensive team, but that's not really happening here. I think it might have something to do with the human player thinking about it more. I know if I start to leak goals, I try to plug any-holes in my defense where I think they're coming from. As an example, the first two goals scored against me this year were near flicks off corners. So I adjusted my tactics, and haven't conceded one since. The AI probably doesn't work this way...if it's losing it probably changes tactics, and if it's winning but letting in goals, it probably just keeps everything the same.

Leigh has been hit by injuries and poor signings. Ged Courtney has been forced to the bench by two loan signings of questionable talent. Injuries have limited Coburn's and Harrison's contribution to the club. Mainly it has been inconsistency though. They beat Stevenage 1-0, draw us 0-0, and then next week get killed by Gravesend 0-5. Their fixtures are littered with examples. I'd say the real problem was that you are not their manager, though

klayman · 05-20-2003, 10:24 AM

The wage bill creeps up £700/week due to several yearly wage increases kicking in, and as such, bringing back complaints from the board about the huge wage bill. It’s not too horrible though, and we should be able to clear that amount over the summer, without any worries.

Hereford vs Barnet
With an important 3rd round FA Cup match only 3 days off this one, we want a well rested squad, so the entire team takes the week off from training. 3 mins into the match, Carden takes a Guinan feed just outside the area and just misses the outside of the post, setting the tone early. We continue to pressure, and just before the half, Foley-Sheridan clears out a defending corner, that Carden uses his pace to reach, and Carden’s well placed cross finds the diving head of Steve Guinan for the 1-0 half time lead. Paul Parry starts off the 2nd with an ever so close chance off the far post, which would ominously be our last chance of the game. Barnet equalize when Junior Agogo stunningly finds the top corner from 18 yards out in the 55th min. Barnet continue the pressure, and in the 74th min, it’s Agogo again, whose cross causes all sorts of problems for Andy Tretton, who commits a penalty in the area. Barnet convert the penalty without any mistakes, and take the game 1-2.

With the end of the year, there are a lot of contracts expiring in the English league. We make some enquiries, and boost our team for next year’s run in hopefully the 3rd Division. Joining Hereford in the offseason will be; Liverpool’s Steve McNulty, Sunderland’s Cliff Byrne, and Tottenham’s Shwan Jalal. All are young players, and signed for relatively low contracts. McNulty is a 19 year old defender, Byrne is a 20 year old defender, and Jalal is a 19 year old goalkeeper. We lose out on Sunderland’s John Oster to Carlisle, and we also try to grab Manchester United’s Lee Roche, but several teams swoop in after us so it doesn’t look like we will. We draw lower league Canvey Island for the 3rd round of the FA Trophy.

Farnborough vs Hereford FA CUP 3rd round
This game has huge financial implications on both clubs. The winner will likely face a Premiership or Division 1 team in the 4th round, and an away draw would mean a huge payday for the conference club that advances. We’re a little more desperate than Farnborough are, and this match could very well determine the future of our club. A disappointing crowd of 2757 show up, and watch as Simon Carden breaks free of the defenders in the 6th min, and finds the far corner from 20 yards out to put us up by 1. We continue in the hunt for more goals, and in the 11th min Paul Parry should have done better when he blasts a Danny Williams rebound off a free kick right back into the keeper. We hold the lead through the half, but Farnborough come out attacking in the second half, and Baker comes up huge with a diving save in the 49th min to keep us ahead. We escape in the 60th, as Farnborough’s Chris Piper is unlucky to miss after a defensive breakdown. Farnborough continue their attack, and seconds later Baker does well to tip an in close chance over the bar. Some great passing between Carden and substitute Guinan leads to a glorious opportunity for Foley-Sheridan to put the game away, but his shot harmlessly goes astray. In the 80th, Baker mishandles a long shot, and off the rebound Farnborough cross into area with Baker left out of position. An easy tap in for Farnborough’s Paul Harkness, but substitute Richard Teesdale comes from out of nowhere to clear the ball of the line and preserve the 1-0 win.

We get £50k for the win, and draw Premiership club Birmingham City away for the 4th round. We’re listed at 12-1 odds for winning, so hopefully we draw a big enough crowd to make it a huge payday for us, because I don’t think we’ll be getting any more prize money.

As expected Lee Roche signs with someone else, when he joins 1st Division club Sheffield United instead of coming to Hereford. Not completely unexpected, although a tad bit disappointing.

Katon · 05-20-2003, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by klayman
Leigh has been hit by injuries and poor signings. Ged Courtney has been forced to the bench by two loan signings of questionable talent. Injuries have limited Coburn's and Harrison's contribution to the club. Mainly it has been inconsistency though. They beat Stevenage 1-0, draw us 0-0, and then next week get killed by Gravesend 0-5. Their fixtures are littered with examples. I'd say the real problem was that you are not their manager, though

Aw, thanks.

Seriously, I'd say the problem is most likely the poor loan signings. Even with my Leigh, which has several legitimately talented midfieldes (Phil O'Donnell!

), most of the offence winds up running through Courtney and Whitehead. If Courtney's not playing, and Whitehead's on a poor streak, then that probably explains why their attack's been so pathetic. Of course, Harrison being hurt can't be helping the defence, but judging from the league table their offence is the main problem.

klayman · 05-21-2003, 10:37 AM

Whitehead's actually on Northwich, and he's on load to a Irish club, so that might be a big reason. It doesn't have any transfer details so he must have moved in the data update on EP3.

klayman · 05-21-2003, 10:39 AM

Margate Vs Hereford
Teesdale, the hero of the FA Cup game, gets caught out of position 15 mins, and is forced to trip a Margate player in the area resulting in a penalty. Margate convert and quickly go up 1-0. Margate get a great opportunity only 4 mins later, when Baker is beat in the air for the ball leaving a wide open net for the Margate forward, but he smacks his 18 yard attempt off the crossbar, and Baker is able to recover the ball. In the 93rd min, we get our first chance of the game when Svard feeds Carden in the area with a 40 yard pass, but the ball is cleared away at the last second by a defender and we suffer a 0-1 defeat.

Guinan is out for 3 weeks with a calf strain during the game, leaving us back down to 2 healthy strikers.

Canvey Island vs Hereford FA TROPHY 3rd Round
8 mins in and Tretton feeds Keegan, who is about 6 yards offside, with a long pass and Keegan converts with a blast off the first touch that finds the net. No call on the play, so the goal stands. We hold our ground, but we’re definitely tired with our 3 match in 7 days. Canvey strike back in the 44th min, but Baker does well to parry a diving header and keep us up by 1 going into the break. Into the 2nd half, and Carden is unlucky not to score from 15 yards out in the 53rd min. Keegan makes up for that, though, when he takes a Foley-Sheridan pass and makes a beautiful individual run, turning 2 Canvey defenders and powering a blast into the net from 18 yards out, for the 2-0 lead in the 58th min. It is Keegan again in the 64th min, as his pace wins him the ball in the corner and he makes a beautiful cross to Carden in the area. Carden’s header leaves a lot to be desired, however, and Canvey GK Ashley Harrison easily handles it. Harrison commits a grievous error in the 77th when his poor kick lands at the feet of Danny Williams. Harrison comes out to challenge the long ball by Williams, but Foley-Sheridan beats him to the ball. Foley-Sheridan could pass to Keegan for the hat-trick, but instead selfishly boots the 20 yard strike himself, and we advance to the 4th round with a 3-0 win.

Yeovil vs Hereford
No rest for the weary, as we get 3 days off to try to rescue our struggling conference standings. Yeovil dominate the early going, but our defense holds them to no solid chances. Into the 68th where Keegan and Carden play a beautiful give and go, and Carden’s powerful 20 yard strike gets through Yeovil GK Chris Weale, but doesn’t have enough to cross the line. Ex-Hereford player, Gavin Williams can end the game only seconds later, but inexplicably puts the ball wide, and both teams settle for the 0-0 draw.

klayman · 05-21-2003, 10:45 AM

I have attached a image of the Keegan goal being offside. It is taken at the point where Tretton is passing the ball. As you can plainly see, Keegan (#9) is well offside. Just like real life, the assistants sometimes get them horribly wrong.

klayman · 05-21-2003, 05:47 PM

Hereford vs Kettering
Kettering sit 17th and are struggling with GK Ian Bowling injured. Carden is the first to take advantage of the poor Keetering side as he collects a Foley-Sheridan rebound in the 18th min, and puts it in the back of the net for a 1-0 score. It’s all Hereford on this day, as Carden uses his pace to break away in the 31st and bury another for the 2-0 score. 4 mins into the 2nd, Carden strikes again for the hattrick, as Keegan finds him unmarked in the area, and Carden’s weak shot somehow sneaks through to the back of the net. Keegan is unlucky not to score in the 58th, when he heads a Paul Parry cross, but the Kettering GK gets across to make the stop. We continue to swarm the Kettering net, and Keegan gets another chance, we he just manages to stay onside, and heads home a Sawyers cross to go up 4-0 in the 71st min. That opens the floodgates for our side, as Keegan draws a penalty and converts only 8 mins later. Carden adds insult only 5 mins later when his weak header of a Jamie Pitman cross finds its way across the goal line for his 4th goal of the match, and a commanding 6-0 win.

Our FA Cup match against Birmingham is bumped up a couple of days, and we’ll face them next. However, most of the team is dead tired, most notably Keegan, so I doubt I’ll be able to play a very attractive game against Birmingham.

Birmingham vs Hereford FA CUP 4th Round
We play with a lone striker and 5 back, as we once again attempt to play for the draw and a replay back at Edgar Street. That means poor Mathew Baker is under siege for most of the game, and faces an incredible 13 shots in the first half, but the defense holds Birmingham to poor chances and Baker is able to turn them all aside. In the 23rd min, Foley-Sheridan gets our only shot on goal in the first half, when Carden feeds him in the area, but Foley-Sheridan is robbed by Birmingham GK Ian Bennett with a fantastic save. Foley-Sheridan feeds Carden to break the trap, and Carden races in all alone to start the 2nd half, but his shot just goes over the bar. So close! It’s our last chance of the game, unfortunately and Birmingham are finally able to solve Baker in the 71st min when a weak header finds its way into the top corner, and we’re out of the FA Cup with a 0-1 loss.

Regardless of the outcome we did very well holding a Premiership club to very little chances despite the 18 shots they got, and Baker did wonderfully to save on the few good chances they were able to get. We also get a huge payday from the 13854 fans that showed up, and we currently stand at a £97k profit for the month of January.

klayman · 05-21-2003, 11:23 PM

We thankfully get a week off before we have to face last place Woking. Several teams swoop in for Scout Dave Colley during the week, but we are able to renegotiate his contract and keep him on board. Normally, I’d let him go and go out and get a new scout, but Colley has very good stats, and I should be able to convert him into a coaching position in the near future. U-19 GK Ken Griffiths is the latest Bull to fall to a training injury, as he is lost for 4 weeks with a strained ankle. Good news, though as Guinan has resumed full training, and Correia is back in training with the club, strengthening our bench.

Woking vs Hereford
We’ve dropped to 8th, but have several games in hand and are only 2 points out of 3rd place, so it’s ours to lose at this moment. Carden starts the game 2 mins in with a run down the left flank and a cross to an unmarked Steve Guinan, who was making his first appearance after a lengthy injury. Guinan pulls the GK out of position, but then can’t find the handle on the shot, and the chance goes astray. Guinan leaves the game 9 mins later with an injury, ending his very brief comeback. Seconds after that, Woking go ahead when Baker is beaten on a 35 yard bullet, and we’re down 0-1. Woking control most of the match, but in the 34th, we catch them too far forward, and Paul Keegan wins the ball in the air to Carden, and he finds the empty net from 18 yards out without a problem to equalize with his 10th of the year. We change the tactic up a little, to concentrate more on passes through the middle of the field and therefore getting Foley-Sheridan more involved in the attack. That works wonders in the 2nd half, as we dominate the pitch, and Foley-Sheridan caps a nice run by beating the challenge of the Woking GK in the 66th min to go up by 1. Seconds later, it is Foley-Sheridan again as he jukes his way through several defenders, and then plays a nice give and go with Keegan. Foley-Sheridan’s 12 yard blast is saved, but Simon Carden is there for the rebound and the 3-1 away win.

Guinan is gone once again, this time 3 weeks with a fractured jaw. Both Foley-Sheridan and Sebastian Svard are starting to show signs of jadedness, and will need to be rested for a couple of games. Svard wins the conference young player of the month for the 2nd straight month in January, our only awards for the club to date.

klayman · 05-21-2003, 11:25 PM

With the close of January, we find ourselves in 3rd, 4 points behind 2nd place Chester, but with a game in hand. Stevenage are running away with the division, and sit 20 points ahead of us in 1st place.

We post a £27k profit for January, and with no bank loan to repay, we’ll hopefully start chipping away at that £1.9M debt we’re holding in the coming months.

Hereford vs Bedford Town FA TROPHY 4th Round
We should slaughter this club even without two of our best players in the lineup, but it’s Bedford Town with the most chances in the 1st half of play. Baker does well to parry a cross in the 11th that would have led to a sure goal (especially if he missed) to keep things even. In the 44th min, Keegan picks up the ball off a Bedford corner kick, and takes it down the length of the pitch, until he’s brought down in the area, drawing a penalty. Ben Smith steps up to take the penalty and makes no mistake giving us our first shot on the goal in the game, and a 1-0 lead going into the break. Bedford continue to attack into the 2nd, but Keegan catches them on the counter in the 58th, and sets up Ben Smith all alone in the area, but Smith’s shot goes harmlessly off the post and out. All hell then breaks lose in the 74th. Carden feeds Keegan with a short pass, but Keegan is pushed just outside the area. The referee calls a penalty, although the foul clearly happened outside the area. Bedford take offence and an arguing player is shown his 2nd yellow and sent off. Smith sets up for the penalty, and misses wide left, but then another Bedford player shoves Keegan down, and gets the red card. With 15 mins left to play, Bedford are down to 9 men, and for the first time in the game we actually have some pressure. Pitman finally takes advantage a couple of mins later, when he collects his own rebound off a Williams cross and buries the ball while Keegan adds one late for the 3-0 win.

Continuing the injury problems is Danny Williams, coming down with a groin strain from the match and being out for 3 weeks. Paul Keegan is now showing signs of jadedness and would have to sit out a couple of games, if only we some more healthy strikers on the club to replace him. Correia and MacDonald are still about a week away, and will not be fit for our next match against Gravesend.

Scout John Richards leaves Hereford for 2nd Division Huddersfield. We get £2k for the poaching, and set our sights on a couple of better unemployed scouts.

klayman · 05-22-2003, 10:14 AM

We draw Farnborough away again for the FA Trophy 5th round…sigh. Spencer Field, a 31 year old Englishman takes Richards spot as 3rd scout on the club. He has a great eye for both ability and potential, and might not make a horrible coach one day in the future.

Hereford vs Gravesend
Gravesend sit 10th, and need a win if they want to realistically challenge for a playoff spot. On the other hand, we’re fighting for 2nd, and with 2 games in hand over Chester, we need wins in those two games to make up the ground. Baker responds early in the 5th min when he comes out to challenge and gets a piece of the ball to deflect it wide in a great opportunity for Gravesend. In the 25th Christopher Todd makes a crucial interception and plays the ball ahead to Paul Parry (playing up front for the jaded Paul Keegan) who makes a nice run and cross to Carden, who puts us up by one. That takes the wind out of Gravesend’s early sails, but in the 63rd they counter catching us to far forward, and get an absolutely wonderful chance to score. Somehow Baker gets across to make the save and push the ball wide off the diving header to keep us up by one. In stoppage time, Parry goes in one-on-one and gets robbed by the Gravesend GK, but only seconds later Carden blasts a 25 yard shot in the top corner for the brace and the 2-0 win.

Stevenage vs Hereford
This is another important match, this one against the #1 team in the conference as Stevenage are undefeated in 10 games. Both captain Billy MacDonald and Albano Correia are back in the squad after lengthy injuries. Stevenage control the pace in the wet drizzle, and 10 mins in are unlucky to miss the short post from long range. Keegan gets Hereford’s first opportunity of the match in the 24th, but his volley is tipped over the net by Stevenage GK Lionel Perez. Off the corner, Stevenage counter attack, and their 20 yard strike goes in off the post to give them an early lead. A Foley-Sheridan interception evens things out in the 38th as he feeds Paul Keegan and Keegan makes no mistake from 12 yards out to equalize. The wet conditions are playing havoc with both team’s conditioning and the game slows to a crawl. Stevenage get the best opportunity in the 2nd half, but just miss on the far post in the 55th, and we settle on the 1-1 draw.

With the draw we sit 6th, 1 point behind 5th place Halifax but hold 3 games in hand. We’re 3 points back of 2nd place Chester holding 2 games in hand, in what is turning out to be a very tight conference race as only 3 points separates 2nd and 8th place.

klayman · 05-22-2003, 05:34 PM

Yeovil, who’ve gone 10 games without a win, give manager Gary Johnson the kiss of death, announcing his job is safe. Dagenham and Redbridge manager Garry Hill is given an ultimatum by the board, as Dag & Red the odds makers favorites to win the conference languish in 12th spot in the conference.

Hereford vs Nuneaton Borough
We’re in a battle with fitness, but the return of Correia and MacDonald has helped immensely. Guinan, Williams, and Griffiths are all back in training, although are a couple of weeks away from returning full time. Nuneaton sit 16th, 7 points clear of the drop, but will be hungry for a win to secure their conference status. There is a very slow pace to the game as it takes 36 mins for the first shot to be recorded. That happens when Carden intercepts a dreadful back pass and strikes a 25 yard cannon into the net for the lead. The next shot on net doesn’t come until the 79th min, where Carden volleys a Foley-Sheridan cross into the wide open net to seal the game. Nuneaton strike back with a glimmer of hope just before the end of 90 mins, but Keegan draws a penalty in stoppage time and converts ending Nuneaton’s comeback and sealing the 3-1 win.

Farnborough vs Hereford FA TROPHY 5th Round
Farnborough strike first, when some miscommunication during a Farnborough header results in an excellent chance and the goal only 11 mins in. Keegan quickly gets that one back just 5 mins later when Smith sends him in on the break. Keegan gets caught by the defender in the area, but the defender can’t clear the ball and as the Farnborough GK rushes out to grab, Keegan takes hold of it, gets by the GK and taps it in the open net. Before the close of the half, Rossiter commits a foul in the area, and Farnborough’s Rocky Baptiste steps up to take the penalty…but puts it wide right. It proves to be very costly. Farnborough get only one more chance, that in the 58th min, when Baptiste feeds Tony Taggart with a great pass, but Baker gets across to make the brilliant save and the game ends in a 1-1 draw.

We really didn’t need another game to play, as now we have Todd added to the listed of jaded players, but will take the replay back at Edgar Street since Farnborough clearly outplayed us.

Hereford vs Farnborough FA TROPHY 5th Round Replay
We’re a different club with Foley-Sheridan in the starting eleven, and he wastes no time setting up Correia for the break away 4 mins in, but Farnborough GK Tony Pennock is up to the task. Correia chips a long pass into the area for Foley-Sheridan just seconds later, and the young midfielder makes no mistake from 6 yards out to open the scoring. Teesdale catches Farnborough on the counter attack in the 22nd, as he feeds Carden who draws Pennock out of position and puts it in the open net. Off the kickoff, Teesdale commits a foul in the area, and Baptiste gets another penalty…this time on target, but Baker is there for the save. Carden breaks away alone again in the 40th, but his powerful shot is stopped by Pennock and goes out of play. Off the Foley-Sheridan corner, Correia rises above Pennock and heads the ball in the net for the commanding 3-0 lead. In the 2nd half, we sit back and defend, holding Farnborough to no chances to advance to the 6th round with a 3-0 win.

klayman · 05-22-2003, 06:08 PM

As we close out February, we sit 4th in the Conference 1 point behind 3rd place Morecambe and 2nd place Chester but hold 3 games in hand on Morecambe and 2 games on Chester. Stevenage hold the pole position 18 points up on us.

We lose money for the month, £62k in fact, mostly due to ground maintenance for our 3 home matches, one being a low drawing FA Trophy game. Hopefully that will change next month and we’ll get some higher attendances for the late FA Trophy rounds and semi’s.

Three contracts are expiring in three months; Jamie Pitman, Michael Rose, and Richard O’Kelly. O’Kelly won’t be renewed as there are better coaches out there with cheaper demands. Rose will follow O’Kelly out of the club, as his contract demands are outrageous and he hasn’t impressed at all in the opportunities his been given this year. Besides, he wants to leave the club anyway due the poor financial situation. Pitman is another matter, as he has played fairly well and I’ve been unable to line up a replacement over the summer. However, he wants an increase on his salary, and the only way he’ll stay is if he takes a huge paycut.

The conference table at the end of February is attached.

klayman · 05-23-2003, 10:01 AM

Hereford vs Farnborough
In one of those strange occurrences that sometimes happen we play Farnborough for the 3rd straight game, this time a regular conference match up. Carden opens things up with a freekick from just outside the area in the 8th min. The ball deflects off the wall (off Rocky Baptiste to be exact) and into the net for the quick lead. Smith feeds Carden in alone in the 15th min, but GK Pennock gets across to make the save to preserve Farnborough’s chances. We’re dominating Farnborough, and in the 30th, it’s Smith to Carden across to Correia, but Pennock again with the incredible save and we go into the break only up by 1. In the 50th, Carden makes an ill-advised backpass that is easily intercepted, and Rocky Baptiste is clear to the goal. At the last possible second, he’s brought down by Todd in the area, and Baptiste goes to the penalty spot for the 3rd time in 3 games. Incredibility, Baker saves the penalty, and Baptiste goes 0 for 3 from the spot. Farnborough never threaten again, and Correia makes a nice short flick off a Carden cross right to the unmarked feet of Ben Smith, who buries it in the top corner for the 2-0 win.

Pitman does take a pay-cut to stay with the club until 2006, so I no longer have to look for a replacement over the summer. The win over Farnborough leaves us at 8 straight undefeated, and 7 undefeated in the conference.

Hereford vs Doncaster
Baker does well to parry Doncaster’s only real chance of the game in the 36th min, and Carden puts us up by one just before the half, when a poor clearance strands the Doncaster GK and Carden is able to lob it over him from 30 yards out. Smith adds to the lead in the 47th, when the Doncaster GK is once again caught out of his area, and nice banana curve by Smith finds its way in from 30 yards for the 2-0 lead. Doncaster get reduced to 10 men, when an injury happens after using all their subs, ending any hope for a comeback from them. However, disaster strikes when Baker goes down with an injury in the 89th min. Gayle is forced to come up big from in close only moments later, in his first action all season, to preserve the 2-0 win.

Baker is gone for 2 weeks with a fractured jaw, so Gayle and Griffiths will split some time between the posts. Stevenage finally manage to lose after 13 straight undefeated games. We now only trail them by 15 points, but have 2 games in hand.

klayman · 05-23-2003, 02:28 PM

Morecambe vs Hereford
Morecambe are fighting for a playoff spot in 5th place, while we need to win all our matches if we hope to pip Stevenage for the conference title. Gayle does well in the 23rd min to get across and make a save from in close. Correia strikes on the counter attack on seconds later, and finds the net from the right hand corner of the area to put us up by one. We escape into the break up by one, when Morecambe striker Adriano Rigoglioso beats Gayle with a screamer, but can’t beat the crossbar. Morecambe pressure, but we play solidly on defense and don’t give up any good chances. Their best chance to equalize comes in the 75th min, but the shot off the left flank goes agonizingly inches wide and we hold on for the 1-0 win.

Hereford vs Telford
Ken Griffiths makes his first start against the struggling 21st place Telford United team. Ben Smith replaces the injured Billy MacDonald in the 12th min, and he converts a penalty 2 mins later to give us a quick 1-0 lead. Keegan adds to lead 4 mins later, when Williams finds him ever so close to being offside, and Keegan advances on goal finding the far corner with a low shot. Griffiths comes up with a fantastic save in the 87th min, the only time he is really tested, but the save is irrelevant as the play is whistled down on the offside, and we win easily 2-0.

Foley-Sheridan joins the club as a contracted player. That frees up one loan spot for us, and we get some defensive help from Arsenal, loaning in 19 year old defender Ryan Garry for 3 months. Garry is under contract until next year, but depending on how well he does I would be very interested in bringing him aboard full time.

Barnet vs Hereford FA TROPHY 6th Round
Barnet outplay us early, but it is Steve Guinan with the first real chance of the game, 15 mins in, but Barnet GK Daniel Naisbitt does brilliantly to parry it over the bar. Barnet continue to pressure, but are held to no chances, until Carden is brought down in the area in the 35th min. Guinan converts the penalty, and Barnet are on their heels as we go into the break up 1-0. Guinan gets an excellent chance to go up by two in the 47th min, but he blasts a Michael Rose cross off the crossbar and harmlessly away. Into the 86th, and with Barnet pressuring for the equalizer, Junior Agogo breaks free on the left flank and beats Gayle in the top corner to tie the game up…but heartbreak for Barnet as the goal is whistled down on the offside. Barnet continue to press for the equalizer in the dying mins, but are held to no good chances and we advance to the semi finals with an impressive 1-0 win.

The addition of Foley-Sheridan’s contract put us well over the wage budget once again. Hopefully some prize money from the FA Trophy will be able to cover it, but it looks like we’ll be taking a loss again this month. We draw conference side Dag & Red for the semi final which will be held next month.

klayman · 05-24-2003, 11:53 AM

We lose Parry to a dislocated shoulder in training. He will be gone for 2 months, which is pretty much the rest of the season.

Leigh RMI vs Hereford
It is a slow match, as Leigh stifle us with lots of possession, but don’t generate any chances. In the 31st, Gerry Harrison almost converts with a diving header off a corner kick, but Gayle gets across to make the save. Several mins later, Leigh’s Dave Adams has an excellent chance to score off a Harrison free kick, but somehow Gayle gets a piece of the ball and Billy MacDonald is there to clear it off the line to preserve the scoreless draw going into the break. 2 mins into the 2nd half, a Danny Williams freekick leads to our first shot of the game, when Billy MacDonald heads it right at the keeper. Leigh GK Stuart Coburn can’t control the ball, and MacDonald gets another crack at goal. Coburn saves that one as well, but the rebound falls to Foley-Sheridan who is left with the easy tap in for the 1-0 lead. Leigh predictably come forward, but don’t get another chance until substitute Ged Courtney gets behind the defense and heads home a brilliant cross to equalize in the 81st min. Leigh continue with the pressure, but Keegan draws a late penalty in the 85th min, and makes no mistake for his 20th of the season, for the 2-1 win.

Stevenage stay 12 points up with a win over Burton Albion. Stevenage have clinched at the very least a playoff spot, while we sit 9 points up on 3rd place Chester and look to do the same very soon. With 6 games remaining (7 for us), Stevenage need only 9 points to clinch, so we’ll have to set our sites on winning the playoffs to get promoted this year. The good news is that Baker is fit and ready to play for our next match against Burton Albion.

Burton Albion vs Hereford
We play a defensive posture on the road, but generate all the chances in the first half. Superb defending by Burton Albion, however, nullifies any chance we do get and we go into the break in a scoreless draw. Not much changes in the 2nd half, as we come forward a bit to generate more offence. That only leads to a couple of weak chances for Burton Albion however, but Baker easily handles them, and we settle for the disappointing scoreless draw.

We lose Ryan Garry with a stubbed toe for a week during the match. Foley-Sheridan is also out for 3 days with a damaged shoulder and won’t be fit for our next match. Stevenage draw away to Southport which drops the points they need to 6.

klayman · 05-24-2003, 12:57 PM

Hereford vs Northwich Vics
Both teams generate early chances, but it’s Ben Smith with the best chance as he beats the Northwich GK, Andrew Lonergan, from 35 yards out but puts too much curve on the ball and it goes harmlessly wide. A change in the tactics at half time proves fruitful, as Ben Smith picks up a MacDonald pass and puts it by Lonergan just 13 seconds in. We continue with the pressure, and in the 53rd min, Guinan gets a great opportunity off a Williams cross that Lonergan can barely deflect wide. That is the last action of the 2nd half until the 91st min, 7 seconds away from the end of the game, where Todd makes a blunder and lets his man get by him, and Northwich equalize in dramatic fashion, for the 1-1 draw.

The draw leaves Stevenage only 4 points away from clinching the title, effectively putting an end to our title challenge, although we gave it our best with 15 straight undefeated, and 13 straight undefeated in the conference. Those last two draws were heartbreaking.

I’m rewarded for that incredible string of undefeated games with the manager of the month award for March, my first. We end up losing £56k for the month, pushing our debt load to over £2M. We’ll need promotion just to survive, I think. The board remains delighted at my performance however, and the supporters are in full support of my management, despite the poor financial situation.

Danny Williams’ contract nears completion, and he wants £1k/week to continue playing for Hereford. He won’t get that, and I’m not really interested in even trying to negotiate it down, although he has been a consistent performer this season. I’m sure I’ll be able to grab a more skilled player in the offseason to replace him.

Conference Standings

Code:

    Team     Won Drawn Lost  GD  PTS
1. Stevenage  27   5     5   +36  86
-----------------------------------------
2. Hereford   22   9     6   +39  75
3. Scarbgh    18  12     7   +23  66
4. Chester    19   8    10   +23  65
5. Margate    20   5    13   +19  65
-----------------------------------------
6. Doncaster  20   5    12   +17  65

A screenshot of the full table is attached.

Katon · 05-24-2003, 03:31 PM

Gee, I wonder where you're going to finish.

Nice to see Ged Courtney making his case. Why on earth isn't the Leigh manager starting him? The guy can play better than either of the two loanees currently there (is one of them Dave Adams?) if Leigh's goalscoring record is anything to go by.

klayman · 05-24-2003, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Katon

Nice to see Ged Courtney making his case. Why on earth isn't the Leigh manager starting him? The guy can play better than either of the two loanees currently there (is one of them Dave Adams?) if Leigh's goalscoring record is anything to go by.

No, Adams is a crap free signing that Leigh picked up from the lower leagues. In 10 games, he has 0 goals and a 6.00 rating. Unfortunately he is starting ahead of Courtney, who is a fan-favorite at Leigh. I think they brought Adams in after one of the loan signings received a long term injury. It doesn't really make any sense, but then Courtney isn't really helping much...that was only his 3 goal in 31 matches, although most of them were sub appearances. The only person whose scoring at Leigh is Steve Pass, who has 10 in 41 games.

I really don't think they're going to stay up this year.

05-17-2003, 05:54 AM	#4
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Defensive Midfield Code: Name Position(s) Nat Age Caps Gls Wages(p/w) Expires Value MacDonald, Billy DMC SCO 25 - - £750 14.06.04 £8K Purdie, Robert MC ENG 19 - - £210 14.06.04 £8K Sawyers, Robert D/DMLC ENG 23 - - £700 30.06.04 £12K Svard, Sebastien D/DMLC DEN 19 - - £0 3.06.03 £80K Williams, Danny MC ENG 21 - - £750 30.06.03 £12K Name Apps Gls Con Pens Asts Yel Red MoM Av R MacDonald, Billy Played last year with Scottish 2nd Div Stranraer Purdie, Robert Played last year with 1st Divison Leicester Sawyers, Robert Played last year with Conference Barnet Svard, Sebastien On season long loan from Premiership Arsenal Williams, Danny Played last year with 2nd Division Chesterfield Billy MacDonald is the most talented and most experienced player we have here. He was our 2nd free signing and is the team's captain. Svard is a talented young player and will see plenty of time on the field. Sawyers and Williams are very capable backups, and will get some starts to injuries and fatigue. Williams is skilled enough to play up front as well. Purdie is just another body in case of injury, and shouldn't see too much playing time. Attacking Midfield Code: Name Position(s) Nat Age Caps Gls Wages(p/w) Expires Value Foley-Sheridan, Michael AMC IRL 19 - - £0 3.06.03 £40K Name Apps Gls Con Pens Asts Yel Red MoM Av R Foley-Sheridan, Michael On season long loan from Premiership Liverpool Foley-Sheridan is a very talented young midfielder. He's currently transfer listed by Liverpool and his contract expires at the end of the year, hopefully we can convince him to stay. We're dreadfully short at attacking options, but Danny Williams, Ben Smith, Jamie Pitman, and Albano Correia can all cover in times of crisis. Right Midfield Code: Name Position(s) Nat Age Caps Gls Wages(p/w) Expires Value Pitman, Jamie MRC ENG 26 - - £700 31.05.03 £12K Smith, Ben AMRC ENG 19 - - £600 14.06.05 £12K Name Apps Gls Con Pens Asts Yel Red MoM Av R Pitman, Jamie Played last year with Conference Woking Smith, Ben Played last year with 3r division Southend Smith is the standout at MR for us. Young and cultured, he should be a star here in the conference. Pitman has loads of talent as well, but we're not likely to resign him unless his wage demands decrease significantly. Both should see equal time on the right side. Left Midfield Code: Name Position(s) Nat Age Caps Gls Wages(p/w) Expires Value Parry, Paul AM/FL WAL 22 - - £900 14.06.05 £12K Name Apps Gls Con Pens Asts Yel Red MoM Av R Parry, Paul 39 5 6th Year with Hereford Parry has played his entire career with Hereford, and is an above average player for the conference. He took a pay cut from £1600/week, so he's one of my favorite players. He'll see plently of time due to a lack of options, but both Svard and Sawyers can fill in comfortably here without any worries from the manager.

05-17-2003, 06:25 AM	#5
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Forwards Code: Name Position(s) Nat Age Caps Gls Wages(p/w) Expires Value Correia, Albano SC POR 20 - - £450 30.06.03 £12K Grant, John SC ENG 21 - - £1K 31.05.03 £12K Guinan, Steve SC ENG 26 - - £900 14.06.04 £12K Keegan, Paul SC IRL 19 - - £0 3.06.03 £425K Name Apps Gls Con Pens Asts Yel Red MoM Av R Correia, Albano Played last year with 2nd Division Bristol City Grant, John Played last year with 2nd Division Crewe Guinan, Steve Played last year with 3rd Division Shrewsbury Town Keegan, Paul On season long loan from Premiership Leeds We're overpriced and short on talent up front this year. Paul Keegan is clearly the best player on the team, and should be the focus of our attack. He's tied up with Leeds until 2005, so we might look to loan him again next year if he does well. Guinan signed a reduced contract to continue playing for Hereford, and he has potential to be a threat, but at 26 is not going to get any better. Correia and Grant could be young stars at this level, but Correia has ridiculous wage demands, and his contract will not likely be extended, while Grant who is not talented enough to be the highest paid player on the team, would not redo his contract and is transfer listed. Before the season starts, we transfer Ian Wright out of Hereford to lower league Chesham United on a free transfer. Ian, although a solid defender, wouldn't reduce his £1000/week wage, and we are solid at the back. Ron Jukes signs a contract with Scottish 3rd division club Stirling, and we are awarded £1K in compensation. I let Cockrill manage the club while I get a feel for the players, and he does very well, winning 5 friendlies while losing 2. Our financial situation is dire, with a £1.3M bank loan that is sucking up £110K/Month repayments until the end of the year. We are coming to the end of a 3 year sponsorship deal that was worth £47.5K/season. Hopefully we can grab a better one in January when our current one runs out. We are currently £1700 over our £10,250/week wage budget. If we transfer out Grant and Clarke, that should put us just under the budget for the year.

05-17-2003, 10:08 AM	#10
RPI-Fan Pro Starter Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Troy, NY	I think the delay is only for international transfers, klayman... __________________ Quis custodiets ipsos custodes?

05-17-2003, 03:54 PM	#12
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Doncaster vs Hereford Paul Parry gets his first game off this season and Sebastian Svard will patrol the left wing. Foley-Sheridan gets a chance 12 min in when Doncaster defender Chris Beech flubs a header, but Foley-Sheridan’s 20 yard effort leaves a lot to be desired. It turns out to be our only shot of the game. Doncaster doesn’t offer much offense up themselves, but it the 64th min a poor Christopher Todd clearance gives them an opportunity, and they make no mistake for the 0-1 lead. After that it is all Doncaster and 6 mins later, Rossiter takes a penalty, which they convert and take the game 0-2. The loss drops us down to 4th, with Chester leading the charge followed by Scarborough and then Doncaster. We also lose Jamie Pitman for 2 weeks with a damaged neck from the match. John Grant and Paul Keegan both go down with training injuries. Both are lost for 2 weeks, Grant with a groin strain and Keegan with a twisted knee, but we do welcome Robert Sawyers back from his lengthy shoulder injury. Hereford vs Leigh RMI Sawyers is on the bench as a sub as we close out September at Edgar Street. The Leigh back four can’t handle Carden’s pace, and he creates several chances in the opening mins, but is unlucky not to bury any. And that pretty much sums up our day. Foley-Sheridan blows two glorious opportunities in the 2nd half, and Foley-Sheridan and Guinan combine for a comedy of errors on a 2 on 0 break that results in no shot late in the game. Thankfully, Baker is strong for the rare times that Leigh threaten, and we come away with a scoreless draw. Last edited by klayman : 05-17-2003 at 03:55 PM.

05-18-2003, 03:20 PM	#26
RonnieDobbs High School JV Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Boston, MA	Hey, good job with the dynasty so far, I think CM4 is the game most ripe for interesting dynasties due to the depth... And enjoy Michael Foley-Sheridan... played as Liverpool once and he got good enough to join the main squad, although he'll probably be long gone from Hereford by that point. __________________ ----------------------------------------- Lookin' forward to great seasons from my 'Skins, Cubbies, and Red Sox (please humor me) Proud Manager of the BOSTON WYCKYD SCEPTRE Also attempting to Right The Ship with the Clippers

05-17-2003, 04:29 AM	#2
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Hereford Staff: Assistant Manager – John Cockrill (41, English) Former caretaker manager at Grimsby Town, very determined and talented with youngsters with a sharp eye for potential. Coach – Richard O’Kelly (45, English) A solid fitness coach for the conference. Coach – Bernard Day (41, English) Goalkeeper coach Coach – Steve Cherry (42, English) Former English league goalkeeper who’s now a motivating goalkeeper coach with a sharp eye for ability. Coach – Ian Carter (34, Canadian) Former Canadian National player, Carter is a good defensive coach. Coach – Gerry Reddy (52, Irish) Great fitness and technique-based coached skilled with youngsters. Coach – Neil Webb (39, English) Former English International, good general all around coach Scout – Ron Jukes (36, English) Good Scout, skilled in spotting potential. Scout – Ian John (30, English) Highly talented and determined scout, skilled in spotting potential and ability. Scout – Dave Colley (33, English) Talented scout, skilled in spotting potential and ability. Could be a coach some day. Scout – John Richards (33, English) Good scout, with above average skills. Potential to move up to coaching is present. Physios – Carl Murray (51, English), Neil McDiarmid (46, English), Helen Williams (41, English), Ian Bailey (45, English)

05-17-2003, 06:34 AM	#6
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	A screenshot of my tactic is attached. We'll be playing fairly aggressive direct attacking football, both home and away. I'll probably have to settle into a more defensive stance once Winter comes around, but for now we're going in guns a blazing. Our odds for promotion are at 50-1, while Dag and Red are the favorites with a 7-4 odds.

05-17-2003, 07:05 AM	#7
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	We lose Robert Sawyers to a dislocated shoulder for 2 months, which significantly hurts our depth. Hereford vs Chester 1843 Bulls fans show up to see my managerial debut. Keegan gets hauled down in the area in the 34th min, and converts the penalty to put us up by one. So far we’re playing great defensively, as Christopher Todd is all over the place breaking up plays in his debut. On the kickoff to the Keegan goal, Williams feeds Parry in the midfield, and Parry darts through 3 defenders to the top of the box, where he crosses to Guinan who’s left with the wide open net, for a 2-0 lead. Chester settle down after that, and the game slows down considerably. It’s not until the 87th min that Chester GK Wayne Brown makes a poor clearance that sub Jamie Pitman pounces on, setting up Paul Parry for the 20 yard strike, and a 3-0 win. We lose Todd to a groin strain from the match, and MacDonald to a head injury in training. Both will miss the next match. Barnet vs Hereford Barnet set the pace early, and 6 mins in force Baker into making a spectacular save to keep the game even. Before the half closes out, Mark Gower gets an excellent opportunity to put the home side up by one, but he blazes a Baker rebound over the bar from a tight angle. After a Danny Williams foul and yellow card in the 65th min, Barnet’s Ben Strevens finds himself all alone with a wide open net, but Baker somehow gets his fingertips to the ball and deflects it wide. Our first chance of the night comes 10 mins later, when Foley-Sheridan flicks a Correia corner into the box for Keegan, but Barnet’s GK Daniel Naisbitt comes up with a tremendous save. But just mins later we catch Barnet too far forward, and Paul Keegan draws Naisbitt out of position, leaving the easy strike for Steve Guinan, and a 1-0 win. MacDonald and Todd are still not fit to play and will miss our next match. Hereford vs Margate Danny Williams goes down with an injury in the 1st min of play, and we're down to just 2 DMCs on the squad. Foley-Sheridan sets the pace for whats to come, when he fires a diving header off a Rossiter long throw in, that Margate GK Phil Smith is lucky to come up with. Smith's luck doesn't hold out, and he's injured in the 27th min, and Foley-Sheridan takes advantage with a blast to the top corner just 2 mins later. Margate respond off the kick off, but Baker is lucky to have a long shot hit the goal post and stay out. In the 56th min, Margate score off a corner to tie it up, but Paul Keegan is able to draw the defenders and feed a wide open Foley-Sheridan, who makes no mistake, just 3 mins later for the 2-1 win.

05-17-2003, 08:20 AM	#8
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	We lose Correia and Rose to training injuries. Correia is lost for 2 months with a torn groin, while Rose is only out for a week. We do get MacDonald and Todd back and both are in the lineup for our next match. Nuneaton Borough vs Hereford Foley-Sheridan wastes no time continuing his great play, and just one minute in he feeds a great through ball to Paul Parry, whose cross is blasted by Steve Guinan. Boro’s GK Chris Taylor makes a fantastic save, but it’s Foley-Sheridan with the rebound and easy chance for the quick lead. Boro equalize in the 28th min with a short flick off a corner and the game is knotted at 1 at the break. James makes a crucial interception in the 49th min, getting the ball to Foley-Sheridan, who feeds Jamie Pitman behind the Boro defense, and Pitman makes no mistake on the breakaway for a 2-1 lead. Pittman then catches Boro on the counter, with a long ball to John Grant who crosses for Steve Guinan and its 3-1 Hereford in the 72nd min. Nuneaton Borough never threatens after than, and we take the 3-1 win. Christopher Todd goes down again, this time for 2 weeks with a gashed leg. We post losses of £184k for the month of August, which is devastating. But there is not much I can do until we get rid of the bank loan, so we’re likely looking at receivership by Christmas. We’re shut out of the Conference Awards for August, no big deal. We get two weeks off before our next match, which should clear up some of the injuries and early fatigue. The English transfer window closes at the end of August and we were unable to ship out Grant or Clarke, but we get some offers on Clarke for the January transfer window and begin negotiations.

05-17-2003, 09:54 AM	#9
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	The day before the match, Clarke accepts an offer from lower league club Accrington Stanley, and we accept the part exchange of Simon Carden plus £1K cash. Carden is a 23 year old forward with tons of pace and acceleration. He’s got average skills for the conference, but can provide cover for the AMC and SC spots. He agrees to a £500/week contract, so we only save £250/week from the transfer, but it is still a good deal for us. The transfer goes through, which I didn’t think would happen until January. Guess I don’t quite understand the new transfer rules as well as I thought I did Hereford vs Yeovil Carden is on the bench as we welcome Yeovil to Edgar Street. Andy Tretton, playing for an injured Christopher Todd, brings down a player in the area just 15 mins in, and ex-Hereford United player Gavin Williams puts home the penalty shot. We respond just 7 mins later, when Jamie Pitman fires a 30 yard bullet, that Yeovil GK Chris Weale can barely handle, and Foley-Sheridan knocks home the rebound…but wait. Foley-Sheridan is offside, no goal. We get that back just before the break though, as captain Billy MacDonald finds Steve Guinan on the flank, and Guinan feeds a perfect cross to a streaking Paul Keegan to even things up. We continue the pressure to start the 2nd half, and Foley-Sheridan finds Keegan all alone for the breakaway, but Keegan puts it inches wide of the post. Yeovil respond in the 72nd min, catching us on the break, but Baker absolutely robs Gavin Williams from in close, and both teams settle for a 1-1 draw. Kettering vs Hereford We sit on top of the conference with 13 points, while Kettering languish behind in 15th spot with only 1 win. Carden gets a start over Guinan and makes the most of it as Paul Keegan finds him streaking to the net, and somehow his weak header beats 2 defenders and the Kettering GK for Carden’s first goal as a Bull 23 mins in. Keegan has a chance to put us up by 2 in the 29th, when Danny Williams freekick deflects off the wall to the waiting Keegan, but his effort is dismal. Kettering equalize in the 36th min with a weak shortside effort that Baker should have had. Carden goes down with an injury in the 2nd half, and Steve Guinan comes on to replace him. We catch a huge break in the 2nd, when Kettering score on a beautiful one time effort, but a horrible call by the assistant calls it back on the offside. That breaths some life into the game, and Keegan feeds Paul Parry wide open at the top of the box in the 61st min. Parry’s shot cannons off the crossbar, but off GK Ian Bowling and into the net for an own goal. Kettering pressure off the kickoff, and 5 mins later they find a hole in the defense to bury the ball past Baker for the 2-2 score. Keegan has a glorious chance to put us ahead in the 75th, as Foley-Sheridan puts him in for a one-on-one with the GK, but Keegan makes a mess of it. Guinan, however, takes matters into his own hands, and lobs a slow header just out of the reach of Ian Bowling, 2 mins later, in what can only be described as the slowest goal ever. Keegan makes up for his blunder in the 80th, after Ben Smith sends him in alone, and this time Keegan makes no mistake hitting the top corner, and we win 4-2. Keegan and Carden both pick up knocks in the game, but they aren’t serious, and both should be back for the next match.

05-17-2003, 04:01 PM	#13
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Heading into October and we continue to bleed money, losing over £203K for the month. October might be a better month, with some cup games coming up. I’m not sure if we qualified for the Van Trophy, but some extra gate receipts would be nice. Still, not going to put a dent in the now £1.7M plus debt we’re holding. A screenshot of the table at the beginning of October is attached.

05-17-2003, 05:52 PM	#14
Katon College Benchwarmer Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Providence, RI	Conference teams automatically get into the Vans Trophy. Good dynasty, BTW

05-17-2003, 05:58 PM	#15
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Hereford vs Woking 3 mins in and Parry’s pace wins him the ball, but Carden makes a mess of the cross as we continue to blow good chances. Guinan intercepts the ball behind the defenders in the 39th min, but gets absolutely robbed by Woking GK Anthony Tucker and it is a scoreless first half. We start out flying in the 2nd half, and Parry feeds Carden in close, whose powerful shot slips out of Tucker’s hands leaving Foley-Sheridan with an easy finish in the 46th min. Woking come forward after that, and Baker does well to stop an in close volley only seconds later. We catch a break in the 71st min, as Woking’s Chris Collins gets behind the defense and beats Baker, but sends it just wide of the net. That opens the floodgates, and Parry finds Foley-Sheridan unmarked in the area 2 mins later, and Foley-Sheridan finds the far corner for his 5th goal of the year. Foley-Sheridan almost gets the hat-trick in the 78th when Todd feeds him down the right flank, but Foley-Sheridan’s shot doesn’t have enough power to cross the line after punching through Tucker. Instead, Foley-Sheridan feeds Guinan in the 88th min, and Guinan nabs his 5th of the year for a 3-0 lead. Carden adds insult only a min later, when he corrals a Ben Smith 35 yard blast off the crossbar and into the wide open net, for the 4-0 win. Carden tears his groin muscle in the match, and is lost for 2 months, leaving us with just one healthy forward in the squad. Thankfully, Keegan and Grant should be fit for the next match. Gravesend vs Hereford Keegan and Pitman return from injury, and Keegan starts, but Pitman is left out for fitness. A blown assignment on a corner leads to a 23rd min chance for Gravesend, and only the goal post keeps things even. Gravesend control the pace of the game, and Baker is forced to come up big in the 34th min off a tight angle volley to keep us in the game. Gravesend finally are able to get one past him though in the 45th min off a beautiful cross and powerful strike from the top of the area. We haven’t generated a single chance, and in the 49th min, Gravesend put the game away when a weak header beats Baker, and they win 0-2. We get two weeks off before the next match which should give us some injury relief, getting Grant and hopefully Correia back into training.

05-17-2003, 06:16 PM	#17
Katon College Benchwarmer Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Providence, RI	Oops. My knowledge of the Vans trophy is limited to my Leigh RMI dynasty, and we were in it last year. If it is only 16 teams, then it's probably the top 16 teams from the year before. Don't take that as read, though; just a guess.

05-18-2003, 04:46 AM	#19
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	We draw non-league Aldershot town in the FA Cup 4th round Qualifying at Edgar Street. The game will be played after our next match against Stevenage. Hereford vs Stevenage It’s a battle between 2nd and 3rd place, as we welcome Stevenage to Edgar Street. Stevenage generate all the chances early, but Keegan intercepts the ball behind the defense in the 11th min, only to make a mess of the 1-on-1. Some solid defending by both sides keeps the score even, until the 29th min when Stevenage score on a lovely volley from the top of the box to go up 0-1. Stevenage keep the pressure, but are unable to generate any great chances, and Baker comes up big when they do. Keegan makes up for his blunder in the 2nd half, stripping a Stevenage defender off the ball and blasting a 8 yard strike into the top corner to even things out at 1 a piece in the 46th min. Only seconds later, Foley-Sheridan, Keegan, and Guinan break away on an incredible 3 and 0 against the goalie, but too many passes sees the chance go astray. Foley-Sheridan has a great opportunity to win it in injury time, but he can’t control the ball off his first touch, and we settle for the 1-1 draw. Hereford vs Aldershot FA CUP 4th Round Qualifying We get a season high 5151 fans through the gate, and Billy MacDonald makes them go crazy when he pounces on a deflected ball 12 yards out, and puts home his 1st of the year just 11 mins in. Keegan adds his 5th of the year, 14 mins later, when his pace allows him to win the ball and he makes no mistake finding the low corner. We continue with the offensive pressure, and generate several good chances, but it is not until the 59th min that Guinan capitalizes on a Foley-Sheridan rebound that we find the net again. After that goal, we relax into a defensive posture, and hold on easily for the 3-0 win. We get £20k for the win, and combined with the gate receipts it’s a nice payday for the club. We’ll still lose money this month, of course, but one or two more cup wins might just keep the receivers at bay until the bank loan is paid off.

05-18-2003, 05:27 AM	#20
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Well, it doesn’t. And only 2 days after the Cup win, the club goes into receivership. Not really horrible news, since it wasn’t like it was unexpected. As long as they don’t bring in anymore crap players on stupid contracts, I can handle letting anyone on this team transfer out. My star players are on season loans anyway. But we get even more bad news as Steve Guinan goes down with a shoulder injury, and will be lost for 2 months. Once again, we find ourselves with only 2 healthy strikers on the squad. We draw 3rd Division side Cambridge United away in the FA Cup 1st round. More bad news however, as we lose Foley-Sheridan for 2 weeks with a wrist injury. Telford vs Hereford Telford sit 22nd in the league, while we’re 5th four points behind leaders Chester. 2 mins in, and Danny Williams gets a glorious opportunity, but blazes the ball well over the net after Grant sent him in alone. Grant decides to take matters in his own hands, and 4 mins later a precision strike finds the corner and a 1-0 lead. Grant and Williams combine again in injury time, but Williams’ fierce strike is batted away by Telford GK Craig Jones. It’s a heavy downpour today, and that is wrecking havoc with our fitness, as Telford get several opportunities off free kicks from poor tackles. Nothing comes of it though, and Keegan gets a couple of late opportunities to put the game out of reach, but can’t find the handle on the ball in the rain, leaving us with the 1-0 win. We lose Tony James for 4 weeks with a groin strain suffered during the match, which is pretty devastating. James has the highest tackles/game and average rating from the defenders so far this year. We’ll have to tighten up without him in the lineup. We close out October in 4th place, 2 points behind new leaders Stevenage. We also lose £136k for the month, bringing out total debt to just under £1.8M. Michael Rose reveals his concern over the club’s financial situation, in the first of what I’m sure will be many players. Michael doesn’t have to worry though, as he won’t be on the club next year.

05-18-2003, 08:32 AM	#21
Katon College Benchwarmer Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Providence, RI	You know, if you're looking for places to save on wages, you could sack your physio. He doesn't seem to be helping much anyway.

05-18-2003, 10:07 AM	#23
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Farnborough vs Hereford Both teams trade early chances but neither are able to find the net. Correia gets a break in the 29th min, but a last second tackle nicks the ball away from a sure goal. Farnborough’s best chance comes in the 31st min, with a free kick just outside the area that skims the near post and wide. Despite the absence of James, we are playing extremely well defensively, but in the 35th min, Farnborough’s Gary Butterworth catches Baker stranded on the counter attack with a 40 yard embarrassing strike to go up by one. We quickly get that one back, as Correia flicks a header that frees Ben Smith for the break and goal in the 40th min. In the 2nd half, its Ben Smith again, as his solid run produces a corner in which MacDonald draws the Farnborough penalty. Keegan makes no mistake on the penalty and its 2-1 in the 52nd min. Smith repays Correia 10 mins later with a well placed through ball that frees Correia, and the young Portuguese striker buries the ball for the 3-1 win. Ben Smith suffers a groin strain, but should be fit for the next match. Young Richard Teesdale, who coincidently is really turning into a superb defender, is the next player to comment on the club’s financial instability. It’s really out of my hands, though. Even promotion might not rescue us from financial doom. To take the player’s minds off the money problems, I release a press statement praising the recent performances of GK Matthew Baker. Hereford vs Morecambe Morecambe sit 10th, and we welcome a non-cup season high 2829 fans for this match. They’re beginning to believe. An absolutely crazy opening sees Teesdale save a goal off the line just 3 mins in. Rossiter makes a last ditch effort only mins later to save another sure goal, as Morecambe throw everything at us. That leads to a quick counter attack by us, and Ben Smith is unlucky to miss from 20 yards out in the 12th. The defensive wonders continue, as Rossiter nicks a cross off the post into Teesdale and the ball bounces over the rushing Morecambe strikers to safety to keep the score even. Correia capitalizes on a quick break out and feeds Keegan in the area for a nice goal. All of this only 18 mins into the match!!! Both keepers play brilliant the rest of the way, despite several chances by both clubs. We put the game away in the 58th min, when Sawyers feeds Keegan, who beautifully searches out Correia with a one touch pass, and Correia scores a stunner of a goal to take the 2-0 win. The win allows us to keep pace with Chester and Scarborough, and we remain 1 point behind them in third place. Correia is the next player to fall in line over the financial concerns of the club and young Christopher Todd’s solid play earns him a call up to the Wales U21 club.

05-18-2003, 11:39 AM	#24
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Northwich Vics vs Hereford Northwich sit 16th in the league. They absolutely stifle us defensively, and hold us to no shots the entire game. They go up 0-1 in the 26th min, after a cross hits Todd and strands Baker for the easy tap in. Keegan gets the only Hereford chance of the game, but his shot is blocked by a Northwich defender into the side netting late in the 1st half. We come forward in the 2nd, but to no avail, and lose 0-1. Cambridge vs Hereford FA CUP 1st round We’re listed at 4-1 odds for winning, our lowest odds on the season so far. We play a slightly modified tactic with an ultra-defensive mentality, hoping to get the draw and a replay back at Edgar Street. That means of course, that Baker is under untold pressure throughout the match, but handles himself very nicely. In the 20th min, we get a rare breakout as Sawyers collects the ball on the right flank and feeds it 30 yards forward for Keegan, who breaks behind the defenders. Keegan draws out Cambridge GK Shaun Marshall, and feeds Billy MacDonald at the top of the area, who blasts it towards goal and the 1-0 lead. After that it is predictably all Cambridge, but we survive a couple of close chances and advance to the 2nd round with a 1-0 upset. The shared gate receipts and prize money are a boost to our finances, and half way through the month we already have a record income for the month. We draw 3rd division club Wrexham away for the FA Cup 2nd round.

05-18-2003, 02:57 PM	#25
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Foley-Sheridan is back with the club, and Tony James is only days away from returning. Overall, we didn’t do that poorly with both of them out, but it’s nice to have them both back. Southport vs Hereford Foley-Sheridan is back in the lineup as Correia sets the tone for the game in the 1st min as he breaks away forcing Southport GK Steve Dickinson to save brilliantly. It’s all Hereford with the pressure, and in the 18th min, Foley-Sheridan gets free of the last defender and finds the far corner for the 1 goal lead. Seconds later, it is Correia feeding a long cross to the top of the area for Robert Sawyers, and his 18 yard strike finds nothing but the back of the net to take a 2-0 lead into the break. Things stay that way as we adopt a more defensive attitude, and in the 81st min substitute John Grant takes a Robert Sawyers feed, moves around Dickinson, and puts it in the empty net to seal the game as a 3-0 win. An unusual string of events follows the game. I happen to check on John Grant, who is unhappy due to do being transfer listed, and his value has decreased significantly. Probably because his contract was running out, but I decided that it might be enough of an indication that he might renegotiate a contract. So I take him off the transfer wire, but he remains unhappy, thinking he made a mistake joining the club. He’s contract requests are quite modest, however, compared to the sums he was demanding in the pre-season. So I offer him the contract he wants. Immediately, several teams become interested in Grant’s services, after spending the entire season on the transfer list without any interest. He rejects the contract immediately, but I quickly offer him to all the interested clubs for a higher value before the receivers give him away. Several teams make different bids, but its 3rd Division Darlington who grabs him for £5k. He wastes no time signing a contract, and takes his £1000/week contract with him. So I’m now only £400/week over the budget, and the board is no longer complaining about the huge wage bill. Nice. Grant leaves with 3(4) appearances, 2 goals, 1 assist, and a 6.71 average rating. We’re also able to begin negotiations with Foley-Sheridan and Mark Rossiter due to their contracts expiring. I’m happy to have both become full time Bulls and offer them both deals, which a few days later they both accept. Foley-Sheridan’s contract with Liverpool expires in March, so we might be able to loan in some more help at that time for a late season push at the title.

05-18-2003, 06:29 PM	#28
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Hereford vs Burton Albion Burton Albion sit around the bottom of the league at 19th. These are the types of games we need to win to take the Conference title, but we play uninspired, and create zero chances throughout the game. Baker comes up big robbing Burton Albion of their only chance in the game in the 24th min. Keegan gets a chance to end in the 71st min with our first shot on net, but puts it just wide, and we play to the scoreless draw. That closes out November as we find ourselves in 4th place, 4 points back of leaders Stevenage. We end up losing £95k for the month, which isn’t that bad considering the £110k loan payment we had to make. Still, with December’s loan payment already on the books, we dip below the £2M mark in debts. Hereford vs Halifax Tony James is back as a starter for this match, but he doesn’t help us create any chances. Our best chance of the night comes off the opening kickoff where Foley-Sheridan bends a 30 yard shot well wide of the net. Yes, that was our best chance. Halifax score before the half is out, but it is rightfully called back on the offside. In the 54th min, Halifax counter with a long pass into the area that is clearly offside. No call, and Todd is forced to bring down the player in the area, resulting in a penalty which they convert. Just seconds later, James intercepts a pass, feeds the ball ahead 30 yards for Correia, who dishes off to Foley-Sheridan. Foley-Sheridan’s blast is not handled well by the GK and Keegan has an easy tap in, but Correia is whistled offside…bloody delayed call, but checking the replay it’s the right one, and we lose 0-1 at home. The loss pushes us out of the playoff spots into 6th place, one point behind Halifax. It has been some very disappointing performances of late from our squad. We sign Ged Kimmins, a 19 year old powerful striker, to a backup contract for next season. Ged has the physical abilities to be a great striker, but is lacking in technique and skill. Next season he should provide adequate cover, and hopefully develop into something great. Wrexham vs Hereford FA CUP 2nd round Once again we change tactics to a stifling defensive style like we did against Cambridge. We’re hoping for the scoreless draw and the replay at Edgar Street, although we haven’t been all that spectacular at home lately. There is a drizzle today, and that might help us considerably. Keegan breaks free in the 17th min but his fierce shot is saved and the rebound nicked away before any damage could be done. Off the corner, Wrexham GK Andy Dibble knocks the ball into the net, giving us a 1-0 lead…but the assistant has his flag up…Keegan pushed Dibble, no goal. Keegan then orchestrates a wonderful run, playing with the Wrexham defense before finding Correia unmarked in the area for the goal. This one counts, and we head into the break up by 1. Baker is lucky off a couple of free kicks, but Wrexham continue their pressure and in the 75th min, they finally get one past the keeper with a beautifully played 20 yard strike. Seconds later, Wrexham continues on the attack and should have scored into a wide open net, but the ball is blazed over the crossbar. The game ends 1-1 giving us a replay back at Edgar Street next week. Svard picks up his 5th yellow in the match, and is suspended for our next match against Dag & Red. Carden is back from injury, and Guinan is about to resume training with the club again, giving us some depth up front. Correia has played very well in their absence, however, and I’m inclined to offer him a 1 year extension. Before I do, though, I praise his recent performances in the press, and responds favorably both by thanking me in the media, and then signing the contract. Tony James goes down with another injury, out 3 weeks with a groin strain this time. James is receiving lost of interest from clubs, so I offer him up for £10k. Of course, the receivers will accept any offer the clubs make, but I think we’ll do fine without James here if he goes. Dag & Red vs Hereford D&R had a slow start, but have climbed the ladder to reach 10th spot, only 6 points behind us. We employ the same boring defensive style that worked against Wrexham. Although we don’t generate many chances, we hold off what seems to be an endless possession by D&R in the first half. Correia closes out the half with our first shot of the game, just missing the far post on a break by inches. Much the same in the 2nd half, and at the hour we start to come forward a bit, but nothing comes of it. We still hold D&R to little in the way of opportunities, and in the 78th min, D&R GK Tony Roberts commits a grievous error, when his poor clearing attempt lands at the feet of Foley-Sheridan. Foley-Sheridan finds Correia in the area, but somehow Roberts gets back to make the fantastic save. He can’t corral the ball, though, and Foley-Sheridan is left with the easy tap in and we steal the game 1-0.

05-18-2003, 07:34 PM	#29
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Correia dislocates his shoulder in training, and is lost for 2 months. I’m not having much luck keeping my strikers healthy this year. Darlington swoop in with a £10k bid for Tony James (accepted of course), and James wastes no time signing with the 3rd division club. That gives us a £2k transfer kitty, and you know what you can buy for £2k? Nothing. Hereford vs Wrexham FA CUP 2nd round replay We get a record 7962 fans to show up for the game, which is 400+ higher than we got at Wrexham. And what a game it is. Despite being home and falling back on our attacking football style, we are unable to generate any chances. In fact Wrexham completely dominate play. Baker does well to tip a ball over the crossbar in the 1st min, and Wrexham just keep coming. At the 10 min mark, Baker absolutely robs Wrexham captain Darren Ferguson from in close to keep things even. The half closes out with Wrexham outshooting us 5 to 1. Into the 2nd half, and just 4 mins in Wrexham substitute Hector Sam finds an opening through the defense and finally beats Matthew Baker. We’re forced now to come forward to look for the equalizer, but nothing comes from our tactical changes as Wrexham still control the game. I’m getting desperate, and by the 82nd min, we have generated one chance when Sawyers sent the ball inches wide. But Tretton takes a quick free kick from the halfway line finding Carden unmarked some 25 yards from goal. Carden turns and fires…and somehow finds the net with the long range strike, and we have a late equalizer. We just try to hold on for extra time and penalties, as Wrexham storm our goal. Baker does brilliantly to turn away a diving header in the 85th min, to keep us alive. Into the 87th and Parry feeds a long throw to substitute Guinan. He finds Foley-Sheridan just outside the box, unmarked, and Foley-Sheridan moves through to goal, takes a vicious strike and finds the top corner for the lead. Baker is forced to come up big again off the kick off and we head into injury time with a 2-1 lead. 5 MINS!!! 5 friggin extra mins given by the official, which is crap, but it’s actually Carden with the best opportunity in the extra time as Wrexham do not threaten, and we’re off to the 3rd round with a 2-1 victory. The win and the prize money (£30k) actually put us into the black for the month for the time being. Even better, we draw fellow conference side Farnborough away for the 3rd round, giving us a great opportunity to advance to the 4th. The win is not without its cost however, as captain Billy MacDonald dislocated his shoulder during the match and is out for 2 months.

05-19-2003, 08:10 AM	#30
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Hereford vs Forest Green Alternate captain Sebastian Svard leads the team in front of a disappointing crowd of 1968. We completely dominate Forest Green on the pitch, and in the 26th Foley-Sheridan is unlucky not to score with a screamer from the top of the box. Our defense holds Forest to no chances in the first half, and in the 41st min, Svard searches out Guinan in the area with a 30 yards pass. Guinan can’t control the ball on first touch, but Foley-Sheridan is there to pick it up, and this time makes no mistake for the 1-0 lead going into the break. After the rest, it’s Svard again with a fabulous 50 yard pass that puts Paul Parry in all alone in the 49th min. Parry finds the corner…but the goal is called back on the offsides, and rightfully so. Regardless, 5 mins later, it is Svard again, as his brilliant through ball finds Guinan, who dishes it off to Keegan for the break. Keegan sends the keeper the other way and easily finds the empty net for a 2-0 lead. Foley-Sheridan has a fantastic opportunity only seconds later, off a Paul Parry corner kick, but his ferocious strike is batted away. Still the pressure continues, and in the 82nd min, Jamie Pitman finds Foley-Sheridan in acres of space in the midfield, and Foley-Sheridan caps a fantastic run with his 10th goal of the season, sealing a 3-0 win. Scarborough vs Hereford A battle between 3rd and 4th, we sit 1 point behind Scarborough, who are 1 point behind Chester for 2nd. Chester is playing 1st place Stevenage today, so a win could really boost our standings. Keegan, who’s been showing signs of fatigue, is on the bench today and pacey forward Simon Carden gets the start. A Robert Sawyers give away leads to a Scarborough counter attack, and Baker does well to tip a Lanre Bimbo Fatokum blast off the crossbar, but the rebound omnisciently falls to Anthony Ormerod, and he taps in the easy goal in the 3rd min. Off the kick off, Carden’s pace almost wins him the ball for an open net, but Scarborough GK Andy Woods is lucky to get to it and clear. In the 20th, Baker does well to save from in close, but the rebound falls to Lanre Bimbo Fatokum. Unfortunately for Fatokum, he blazes the ball over the bar instead of hitting the empty net, and we count our lucky stars. Seconds later, Foley-Sheridan feeds Carden, who breaks between the defenders and beats Woods to equalize. Scarborough come right back, and Baker comes up with a fantastic save off a 25 yard blast to keep things even into the break. In the 59th, a break down in the defense leads to a fantastic opportunity for Scarborough, but Baker comes up big again, and Paul Parry is in the area to clear the rebound from danger. Keegan, who subs on for a tired Guinan at the hour, has a fantastic opportunity to win it in the 87th min, when Parry’s cross is deflected by Carden to the waiting Keegan, but his poor header weakly finds it way back into Andy Woods safe hands, and both teams settle for the 1-1 draw. Continuing with the injuries is Robert Sawyers picking up a groin strain and he’ll be out for 2 weeks from the match. Foley-Sheridan also picked up his 5th yellow, and will be suspended for the next match against Chester.

05-19-2003, 10:15 AM	#31
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Chester vs Hereford Chester sit 2nd 1 point behind leaders Stevenage, while we continue to hold 4th 5 points back of Chester. Carden fills the AMC spot with Foley-Sheridan suspended, while Guinan and Keegan are up front. It is a battle between offence and defense today as Chester led the league in goals for, while we have the lowest goals against. Just 30 seconds, the goalpost is the only thing keeping Chester off the board as David Bell beats Baker with an 8 yard strike. Chester control the early part of the game, but we settle down, and Carden’s pace wins him the ball in the 6th min. He feeds Paul Keegan for the break, but Keegan’s effort leaves a lot to be desired, as GK Wayne Brown easily handles the shot. Into the 12th, and Wayne Brown’s poor clearance goes straight to Guinan and he has the keeper stranded, but his long range effort goes just inches wide to keep the score even. Off the ensuing goal kick, another mistake by Brown as he comes out to challenge Svard’s long pass, but Keegan beats him to the ball, and finds the open net for a brilliant 1-0 lead. The defense is doing a wonderful job, and Christopher Todd is holding conference goal leader Daryl Clare to zero chances. In the 40th, Brown once again comes out of the area to track down a long ball, and once again Keegan beats him to it, but this time a fantastic diving save keeps Keegan from scoring and we head into the break, up 1-0. Chester continue to control the possession in the 2nd half, but are unable to generate any scoring chances. In the 61st, Guinan flicks a Parry pass for Carden in the area, but his effort grazes the bar and goes over. But only mins later, Parry searches out Guinan on the left flank, and Guinan draws Brown out of position to feed Keegan with a beautiful cross and the easy goal. It is Keegan’s 10th goal of the year, and it gives us the very nice 2-0 away win. That takes us out of December and into 2003. We only lose £60k on the month, and make our last payment on our loan on January 1st. With the continued success, we should start seeing a profit come February, and hopefully start chipping away at our £2M debt. Conference Standings Code: Team Won Drawn Lost GD PTS 1. Stevenage 16 2 4 +16 50 ----------------------------------------- 2. Chester 15 1 6 +25 46 3. Hereford 13 5 4 +21 44 4. Scarbgh 12 7 3 +16 43 5. Margate 13 3 6 +14 42 ----------------------------------------- 6. Halifax 11 7 4 +9 40 A screenshot of the full table is attached.

05-19-2003, 10:51 AM	#32
Katon College Benchwarmer Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Providence, RI	You know, just once I'd like to see an FOFC team that didn't have the best defence in the league. Not one of my Leigh squads, of course. I don't want to manage that team; just see it. Seriously, why does this always seem to happen? And what's up with Leigh in your dynasty? They're awful!

05-20-2003, 10:24 AM	#34
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	The wage bill creeps up £700/week due to several yearly wage increases kicking in, and as such, bringing back complaints from the board about the huge wage bill. It’s not too horrible though, and we should be able to clear that amount over the summer, without any worries. Hereford vs Barnet With an important 3rd round FA Cup match only 3 days off this one, we want a well rested squad, so the entire team takes the week off from training. 3 mins into the match, Carden takes a Guinan feed just outside the area and just misses the outside of the post, setting the tone early. We continue to pressure, and just before the half, Foley-Sheridan clears out a defending corner, that Carden uses his pace to reach, and Carden’s well placed cross finds the diving head of Steve Guinan for the 1-0 half time lead. Paul Parry starts off the 2nd with an ever so close chance off the far post, which would ominously be our last chance of the game. Barnet equalize when Junior Agogo stunningly finds the top corner from 18 yards out in the 55th min. Barnet continue the pressure, and in the 74th min, it’s Agogo again, whose cross causes all sorts of problems for Andy Tretton, who commits a penalty in the area. Barnet convert the penalty without any mistakes, and take the game 1-2. With the end of the year, there are a lot of contracts expiring in the English league. We make some enquiries, and boost our team for next year’s run in hopefully the 3rd Division. Joining Hereford in the offseason will be; Liverpool’s Steve McNulty, Sunderland’s Cliff Byrne, and Tottenham’s Shwan Jalal. All are young players, and signed for relatively low contracts. McNulty is a 19 year old defender, Byrne is a 20 year old defender, and Jalal is a 19 year old goalkeeper. We lose out on Sunderland’s John Oster to Carlisle, and we also try to grab Manchester United’s Lee Roche, but several teams swoop in after us so it doesn’t look like we will. We draw lower league Canvey Island for the 3rd round of the FA Trophy. Farnborough vs Hereford FA CUP 3rd round This game has huge financial implications on both clubs. The winner will likely face a Premiership or Division 1 team in the 4th round, and an away draw would mean a huge payday for the conference club that advances. We’re a little more desperate than Farnborough are, and this match could very well determine the future of our club. A disappointing crowd of 2757 show up, and watch as Simon Carden breaks free of the defenders in the 6th min, and finds the far corner from 20 yards out to put us up by 1. We continue in the hunt for more goals, and in the 11th min Paul Parry should have done better when he blasts a Danny Williams rebound off a free kick right back into the keeper. We hold the lead through the half, but Farnborough come out attacking in the second half, and Baker comes up huge with a diving save in the 49th min to keep us ahead. We escape in the 60th, as Farnborough’s Chris Piper is unlucky to miss after a defensive breakdown. Farnborough continue their attack, and seconds later Baker does well to tip an in close chance over the bar. Some great passing between Carden and substitute Guinan leads to a glorious opportunity for Foley-Sheridan to put the game away, but his shot harmlessly goes astray. In the 80th, Baker mishandles a long shot, and off the rebound Farnborough cross into area with Baker left out of position. An easy tap in for Farnborough’s Paul Harkness, but substitute Richard Teesdale comes from out of nowhere to clear the ball of the line and preserve the 1-0 win. We get £50k for the win, and draw Premiership club Birmingham City away for the 4th round. We’re listed at 12-1 odds for winning, so hopefully we draw a big enough crowd to make it a huge payday for us, because I don’t think we’ll be getting any more prize money. As expected Lee Roche signs with someone else, when he joins 1st Division club Sheffield United instead of coming to Hereford. Not completely unexpected, although a tad bit disappointing.

05-21-2003, 10:37 AM	#36
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Whitehead's actually on Northwich, and he's on load to a Irish club, so that might be a big reason. It doesn't have any transfer details so he must have moved in the data update on EP3.

05-21-2003, 10:39 AM	#37
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Margate Vs Hereford Teesdale, the hero of the FA Cup game, gets caught out of position 15 mins, and is forced to trip a Margate player in the area resulting in a penalty. Margate convert and quickly go up 1-0. Margate get a great opportunity only 4 mins later, when Baker is beat in the air for the ball leaving a wide open net for the Margate forward, but he smacks his 18 yard attempt off the crossbar, and Baker is able to recover the ball. In the 93rd min, we get our first chance of the game when Svard feeds Carden in the area with a 40 yard pass, but the ball is cleared away at the last second by a defender and we suffer a 0-1 defeat. Guinan is out for 3 weeks with a calf strain during the game, leaving us back down to 2 healthy strikers. Canvey Island vs Hereford FA TROPHY 3rd Round 8 mins in and Tretton feeds Keegan, who is about 6 yards offside, with a long pass and Keegan converts with a blast off the first touch that finds the net. No call on the play, so the goal stands. We hold our ground, but we’re definitely tired with our 3 match in 7 days. Canvey strike back in the 44th min, but Baker does well to parry a diving header and keep us up by 1 going into the break. Into the 2nd half, and Carden is unlucky not to score from 15 yards out in the 53rd min. Keegan makes up for that, though, when he takes a Foley-Sheridan pass and makes a beautiful individual run, turning 2 Canvey defenders and powering a blast into the net from 18 yards out, for the 2-0 lead in the 58th min. It is Keegan again in the 64th min, as his pace wins him the ball in the corner and he makes a beautiful cross to Carden in the area. Carden’s header leaves a lot to be desired, however, and Canvey GK Ashley Harrison easily handles it. Harrison commits a grievous error in the 77th when his poor kick lands at the feet of Danny Williams. Harrison comes out to challenge the long ball by Williams, but Foley-Sheridan beats him to the ball. Foley-Sheridan could pass to Keegan for the hat-trick, but instead selfishly boots the 20 yard strike himself, and we advance to the 4th round with a 3-0 win. Yeovil vs Hereford No rest for the weary, as we get 3 days off to try to rescue our struggling conference standings. Yeovil dominate the early going, but our defense holds them to no solid chances. Into the 68th where Keegan and Carden play a beautiful give and go, and Carden’s powerful 20 yard strike gets through Yeovil GK Chris Weale, but doesn’t have enough to cross the line. Ex-Hereford player, Gavin Williams can end the game only seconds later, but inexplicably puts the ball wide, and both teams settle for the 0-0 draw.

05-21-2003, 10:45 AM	#38
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	I have attached a image of the Keegan goal being offside. It is taken at the point where Tretton is passing the ball. As you can plainly see, Keegan (#9) is well offside. Just like real life, the assistants sometimes get them horribly wrong. Last edited by klayman : 05-21-2003 at 10:48 AM.

05-21-2003, 05:47 PM	#39
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Hereford vs Kettering Kettering sit 17th and are struggling with GK Ian Bowling injured. Carden is the first to take advantage of the poor Keetering side as he collects a Foley-Sheridan rebound in the 18th min, and puts it in the back of the net for a 1-0 score. It’s all Hereford on this day, as Carden uses his pace to break away in the 31st and bury another for the 2-0 score. 4 mins into the 2nd, Carden strikes again for the hattrick, as Keegan finds him unmarked in the area, and Carden’s weak shot somehow sneaks through to the back of the net. Keegan is unlucky not to score in the 58th, when he heads a Paul Parry cross, but the Kettering GK gets across to make the stop. We continue to swarm the Kettering net, and Keegan gets another chance, we he just manages to stay onside, and heads home a Sawyers cross to go up 4-0 in the 71st min. That opens the floodgates for our side, as Keegan draws a penalty and converts only 8 mins later. Carden adds insult only 5 mins later when his weak header of a Jamie Pitman cross finds its way across the goal line for his 4th goal of the match, and a commanding 6-0 win. Our FA Cup match against Birmingham is bumped up a couple of days, and we’ll face them next. However, most of the team is dead tired, most notably Keegan, so I doubt I’ll be able to play a very attractive game against Birmingham. Birmingham vs Hereford FA CUP 4th Round We play with a lone striker and 5 back, as we once again attempt to play for the draw and a replay back at Edgar Street. That means poor Mathew Baker is under siege for most of the game, and faces an incredible 13 shots in the first half, but the defense holds Birmingham to poor chances and Baker is able to turn them all aside. In the 23rd min, Foley-Sheridan gets our only shot on goal in the first half, when Carden feeds him in the area, but Foley-Sheridan is robbed by Birmingham GK Ian Bennett with a fantastic save. Foley-Sheridan feeds Carden to break the trap, and Carden races in all alone to start the 2nd half, but his shot just goes over the bar. So close! It’s our last chance of the game, unfortunately and Birmingham are finally able to solve Baker in the 71st min when a weak header finds its way into the top corner, and we’re out of the FA Cup with a 0-1 loss. Regardless of the outcome we did very well holding a Premiership club to very little chances despite the 18 shots they got, and Baker did wonderfully to save on the few good chances they were able to get. We also get a huge payday from the 13854 fans that showed up, and we currently stand at a £97k profit for the month of January.

05-21-2003, 11:23 PM	#40
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	We thankfully get a week off before we have to face last place Woking. Several teams swoop in for Scout Dave Colley during the week, but we are able to renegotiate his contract and keep him on board. Normally, I’d let him go and go out and get a new scout, but Colley has very good stats, and I should be able to convert him into a coaching position in the near future. U-19 GK Ken Griffiths is the latest Bull to fall to a training injury, as he is lost for 4 weeks with a strained ankle. Good news, though as Guinan has resumed full training, and Correia is back in training with the club, strengthening our bench. Woking vs Hereford We’ve dropped to 8th, but have several games in hand and are only 2 points out of 3rd place, so it’s ours to lose at this moment. Carden starts the game 2 mins in with a run down the left flank and a cross to an unmarked Steve Guinan, who was making his first appearance after a lengthy injury. Guinan pulls the GK out of position, but then can’t find the handle on the shot, and the chance goes astray. Guinan leaves the game 9 mins later with an injury, ending his very brief comeback. Seconds after that, Woking go ahead when Baker is beaten on a 35 yard bullet, and we’re down 0-1. Woking control most of the match, but in the 34th, we catch them too far forward, and Paul Keegan wins the ball in the air to Carden, and he finds the empty net from 18 yards out without a problem to equalize with his 10th of the year. We change the tactic up a little, to concentrate more on passes through the middle of the field and therefore getting Foley-Sheridan more involved in the attack. That works wonders in the 2nd half, as we dominate the pitch, and Foley-Sheridan caps a nice run by beating the challenge of the Woking GK in the 66th min to go up by 1. Seconds later, it is Foley-Sheridan again as he jukes his way through several defenders, and then plays a nice give and go with Keegan. Foley-Sheridan’s 12 yard blast is saved, but Simon Carden is there for the rebound and the 3-1 away win. Guinan is gone once again, this time 3 weeks with a fractured jaw. Both Foley-Sheridan and Sebastian Svard are starting to show signs of jadedness, and will need to be rested for a couple of games. Svard wins the conference young player of the month for the 2nd straight month in January, our only awards for the club to date.

05-21-2003, 11:25 PM	#41
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	With the close of January, we find ourselves in 3rd, 4 points behind 2nd place Chester, but with a game in hand. Stevenage are running away with the division, and sit 20 points ahead of us in 1st place. We post a £27k profit for January, and with no bank loan to repay, we’ll hopefully start chipping away at that £1.9M debt we’re holding in the coming months. Hereford vs Bedford Town FA TROPHY 4th Round We should slaughter this club even without two of our best players in the lineup, but it’s Bedford Town with the most chances in the 1st half of play. Baker does well to parry a cross in the 11th that would have led to a sure goal (especially if he missed) to keep things even. In the 44th min, Keegan picks up the ball off a Bedford corner kick, and takes it down the length of the pitch, until he’s brought down in the area, drawing a penalty. Ben Smith steps up to take the penalty and makes no mistake giving us our first shot on the goal in the game, and a 1-0 lead going into the break. Bedford continue to attack into the 2nd, but Keegan catches them on the counter in the 58th, and sets up Ben Smith all alone in the area, but Smith’s shot goes harmlessly off the post and out. All hell then breaks lose in the 74th. Carden feeds Keegan with a short pass, but Keegan is pushed just outside the area. The referee calls a penalty, although the foul clearly happened outside the area. Bedford take offence and an arguing player is shown his 2nd yellow and sent off. Smith sets up for the penalty, and misses wide left, but then another Bedford player shoves Keegan down, and gets the red card. With 15 mins left to play, Bedford are down to 9 men, and for the first time in the game we actually have some pressure. Pitman finally takes advantage a couple of mins later, when he collects his own rebound off a Williams cross and buries the ball while Keegan adds one late for the 3-0 win. Continuing the injury problems is Danny Williams, coming down with a groin strain from the match and being out for 3 weeks. Paul Keegan is now showing signs of jadedness and would have to sit out a couple of games, if only we some more healthy strikers on the club to replace him. Correia and MacDonald are still about a week away, and will not be fit for our next match against Gravesend. Scout John Richards leaves Hereford for 2nd Division Huddersfield. We get £2k for the poaching, and set our sights on a couple of better unemployed scouts. Last edited by klayman : 05-22-2003 at 11:21 AM.

05-22-2003, 10:14 AM	#42
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	We draw Farnborough away again for the FA Trophy 5th round…sigh. Spencer Field, a 31 year old Englishman takes Richards spot as 3rd scout on the club. He has a great eye for both ability and potential, and might not make a horrible coach one day in the future. Hereford vs Gravesend Gravesend sit 10th, and need a win if they want to realistically challenge for a playoff spot. On the other hand, we’re fighting for 2nd, and with 2 games in hand over Chester, we need wins in those two games to make up the ground. Baker responds early in the 5th min when he comes out to challenge and gets a piece of the ball to deflect it wide in a great opportunity for Gravesend. In the 25th Christopher Todd makes a crucial interception and plays the ball ahead to Paul Parry (playing up front for the jaded Paul Keegan) who makes a nice run and cross to Carden, who puts us up by one. That takes the wind out of Gravesend’s early sails, but in the 63rd they counter catching us to far forward, and get an absolutely wonderful chance to score. Somehow Baker gets across to make the save and push the ball wide off the diving header to keep us up by one. In stoppage time, Parry goes in one-on-one and gets robbed by the Gravesend GK, but only seconds later Carden blasts a 25 yard shot in the top corner for the brace and the 2-0 win. Stevenage vs Hereford This is another important match, this one against the #1 team in the conference as Stevenage are undefeated in 10 games. Both captain Billy MacDonald and Albano Correia are back in the squad after lengthy injuries. Stevenage control the pace in the wet drizzle, and 10 mins in are unlucky to miss the short post from long range. Keegan gets Hereford’s first opportunity of the match in the 24th, but his volley is tipped over the net by Stevenage GK Lionel Perez. Off the corner, Stevenage counter attack, and their 20 yard strike goes in off the post to give them an early lead. A Foley-Sheridan interception evens things out in the 38th as he feeds Paul Keegan and Keegan makes no mistake from 12 yards out to equalize. The wet conditions are playing havoc with both team’s conditioning and the game slows to a crawl. Stevenage get the best opportunity in the 2nd half, but just miss on the far post in the 55th, and we settle on the 1-1 draw. With the draw we sit 6th, 1 point behind 5th place Halifax but hold 3 games in hand. We’re 3 points back of 2nd place Chester holding 2 games in hand, in what is turning out to be a very tight conference race as only 3 points separates 2nd and 8th place.

05-22-2003, 05:34 PM	#43
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Yeovil, who’ve gone 10 games without a win, give manager Gary Johnson the kiss of death, announcing his job is safe. Dagenham and Redbridge manager Garry Hill is given an ultimatum by the board, as Dag & Red the odds makers favorites to win the conference languish in 12th spot in the conference. Hereford vs Nuneaton Borough We’re in a battle with fitness, but the return of Correia and MacDonald has helped immensely. Guinan, Williams, and Griffiths are all back in training, although are a couple of weeks away from returning full time. Nuneaton sit 16th, 7 points clear of the drop, but will be hungry for a win to secure their conference status. There is a very slow pace to the game as it takes 36 mins for the first shot to be recorded. That happens when Carden intercepts a dreadful back pass and strikes a 25 yard cannon into the net for the lead. The next shot on net doesn’t come until the 79th min, where Carden volleys a Foley-Sheridan cross into the wide open net to seal the game. Nuneaton strike back with a glimmer of hope just before the end of 90 mins, but Keegan draws a penalty in stoppage time and converts ending Nuneaton’s comeback and sealing the 3-1 win. Farnborough vs Hereford FA TROPHY 5th Round Farnborough strike first, when some miscommunication during a Farnborough header results in an excellent chance and the goal only 11 mins in. Keegan quickly gets that one back just 5 mins later when Smith sends him in on the break. Keegan gets caught by the defender in the area, but the defender can’t clear the ball and as the Farnborough GK rushes out to grab, Keegan takes hold of it, gets by the GK and taps it in the open net. Before the close of the half, Rossiter commits a foul in the area, and Farnborough’s Rocky Baptiste steps up to take the penalty…but puts it wide right. It proves to be very costly. Farnborough get only one more chance, that in the 58th min, when Baptiste feeds Tony Taggart with a great pass, but Baker gets across to make the brilliant save and the game ends in a 1-1 draw. We really didn’t need another game to play, as now we have Todd added to the listed of jaded players, but will take the replay back at Edgar Street since Farnborough clearly outplayed us. Hereford vs Farnborough FA TROPHY 5th Round Replay We’re a different club with Foley-Sheridan in the starting eleven, and he wastes no time setting up Correia for the break away 4 mins in, but Farnborough GK Tony Pennock is up to the task. Correia chips a long pass into the area for Foley-Sheridan just seconds later, and the young midfielder makes no mistake from 6 yards out to open the scoring. Teesdale catches Farnborough on the counter attack in the 22nd, as he feeds Carden who draws Pennock out of position and puts it in the open net. Off the kickoff, Teesdale commits a foul in the area, and Baptiste gets another penalty…this time on target, but Baker is there for the save. Carden breaks away alone again in the 40th, but his powerful shot is stopped by Pennock and goes out of play. Off the Foley-Sheridan corner, Correia rises above Pennock and heads the ball in the net for the commanding 3-0 lead. In the 2nd half, we sit back and defend, holding Farnborough to no chances to advance to the 6th round with a 3-0 win.

05-22-2003, 06:08 PM	#44
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	As we close out February, we sit 4th in the Conference 1 point behind 3rd place Morecambe and 2nd place Chester but hold 3 games in hand on Morecambe and 2 games on Chester. Stevenage hold the pole position 18 points up on us. We lose money for the month, £62k in fact, mostly due to ground maintenance for our 3 home matches, one being a low drawing FA Trophy game. Hopefully that will change next month and we’ll get some higher attendances for the late FA Trophy rounds and semi’s. Three contracts are expiring in three months; Jamie Pitman, Michael Rose, and Richard O’Kelly. O’Kelly won’t be renewed as there are better coaches out there with cheaper demands. Rose will follow O’Kelly out of the club, as his contract demands are outrageous and he hasn’t impressed at all in the opportunities his been given this year. Besides, he wants to leave the club anyway due the poor financial situation. Pitman is another matter, as he has played fairly well and I’ve been unable to line up a replacement over the summer. However, he wants an increase on his salary, and the only way he’ll stay is if he takes a huge paycut. The conference table at the end of February is attached.