At 3.00pm Boxing Day (weather permitting) we'll be paying a long overdue visit to Herefords anachronistic Edgar Street ground. No doubt since our last visit there in 2006 a bit more has fallen off and stuck back on with a wodge of polyfilla. Now, as then, we'll be shoehorned into the Cargill Stand with it's terrible lack of viewing facilities due to the three foot wide concrete pillars that support the thing every three feet. Upstairs is no better with cramped and steep seating arrangement.No matter, we'll only be there for two hours and then we can exit the place jubilantly celebrating another three points.
The 5-1 win on Saturday was the tonic we needed following our FA Trophy exit at Bromley a week earlier. On that same day Hereford were suffering an embarrassing 3-0 home defeat to Chelmsford City and getting bought back to earth following their FA Cup run that ended at home to Cheltenham a few days earlier, depriving them of a money spinning tie at home to Premier side Everton.
In that Cheltenham defeat their star player, Ryan Bowman, went off with a medial ligament injury and will now be out for the foreseeable future with no hope of him making the return game at Aggborough on New Years Day. Also missing will be Marlon Jackson with a long term injury.
We could be without Josh Gowling for the game after he picked up a thigh injury against Dartford. He'll be assessed prior to the big game but just in case we've bought in some cover for him in the extremely tall shape of Sam Smith from Stourbridge. Next to nothing is known about Smith apart from him playing for the Glassboys for four years and being 6ft 5inches tall. Callum Gittings missed Saturdays game but he should be ok now.
Both sides have some players that once appeared for the other club. We have Steve Guinan and Josh Gowling but with Gowling likely to be out and Guinan doing more of a back room it will be left to see if James McQuilkin, Sean Canham and Brian Smikle (above) make an appearance for Hereford. Smikle in particular is remembered fondly at Aggborough so it'll be good to see him once more.
All we need now, apart from the three points, is some decent weather and fourteen players with their minds on the game and not the turkey.
Let's hope it's a cracker.
Photo © KHFC
Teams:
Harriers from:
Lewis, N Vaughan, L Vaughan, Williams, Dunkley, Smith, Demetriou, Gowling, Shakes, Storer, Vincent, Briggs, Guinan, Malbon, Matt, Gittings, Rowe, Clancy, Blissett.
Hereford Utd from:
Bittner, Hanford, Gallinagh, Heath, Pell, Townsend, Graham, Watkins, Carruthers, Clist, Stam, Marsh, McQuilkin, Evans, Clucas, Hackney, O'Keefe, Smikle, Perry, Feeley.
Talk about the game here
Links to Hereford Utd websites here
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