Here at Talking Bull we are delighted to bring you another HUGE 70-page edition of the Independent Hereford Football Club Supporters’ magazine ahead of the FA Trophy Semi-Final against Woking.
Thanks to your enthusiasm this is the 13th issue we have produced during the pandemic and it is crammed full of content, with a plethora of articles from contributors old and new.
We bring you exclusive content from three Hereford legends as Rob Purdie, Steve Guinan and Gareth Davies look at the progress being made at Edgar Street.
Rob Purdie casts his mind back to other semi-finals and critical games he was involved in during his Hereford career. Steve Guinan hopes to see the Hereford team “give it everything” in the FA Trophy semi-final with Woking. The former Bulls striker insists the match is one to relish but says the Hereford players must “turn up for it when the whistle goes, and when they cross that white line, they have to be ready to perform, and give it their maximum”. Guinan also reflects on the management styles of Brain Clough and Arsene Wenger, and why mental toughness remains so important.
Gareth Davies has been impressed by recent developments despite the back drop of COVID-19. “The season has unfortunately been disjointed because of the pandemic but I think the success in the FA Trophy is a credit to the staff, the club itself, and most importantly the players themselves. It’s been very, very difficult because of the “stop-start” nature of the season, and to keep momentum, to keep focus, and find a way to perform during those periods has been exceptional”.
The Steve Niblett camera zooms in on a previous game against the Cards as Hereford United, and reveals his own trials and tribulations as he attempted to buy official memorabilia from the group ‘The Jam’. Nibbo couldn’t believe his luck as he even got to meet up with members of the band.
Chris Ammonds describes the magical day he lost the plot at the Ray Mac when Hereford reached Wembley after defeating Salisbury on their own patch in 2016. ‘Stig’ had always maintained he would never enter Wembley Stadium unless Hereford got there!
In our ‘View from the Other Side’, Steve Aspinall provides us with his perspective from inside the Aldershot camp as Hereford managed to sweep the Shots aside in the FA Trophy Quarter-Final. He’s now backing the Bulls as they take on Woking.
In our Bulls Back in Time feature; Hereford went on to lift the Welsh Cup in 1990, but do you remember the semi-final battles with Cardiff City? Nigel Preece attended both ties, but passage through to the eventual final, against Wrexham at Cardiff Arms Park, was dependent on success over two-legs. His best memory; listening to the moaning home fans on the Bob Bank terrace at Ninian Park.
Club historian Ron Parrott reveals the ambition at Edgar Street reached the giddy heights of achieving a 20,000 ground capacity for Hereford United in 1973. Indeed, such was the optimism of the time Bill Groves, the then Stadium Manager, suggested; “Providing the ground is developed properly, there could be enough room to accommodate a crowd of 30,000 without the need to build another grandstand”.
All this…and much, much more in the latest FREE edition of Talking Bull.
Talking Bull is the UK’s fastest fanzine with 13 issues produced during the pandemic. We haven’t charged for our online productions, but surely they’re worth a donation, so please recognise the time and resources involved. These are welcome via this link:
https://www.talkingbull.org/store/#!/DONATE-Talking-Bull-Digital/p/84511347/category=0
Around £700 has been raised and has already directly helped our club.
Articles and letters from old and new contributors are always welcome. All you need to do is email the content to us and we’ll do the rest.
If you’ve missed any of our previous COVID-19 lockdown issues and would like a copy – they too remain available FREE. Just drop us an email: editor@talkingbull.org