When Hereford United went bust back on the 19th of December in 2014, many fans believed that the Hereford band wagon had drove for the last time. But the Phoenix rose from the ashes and up stepped the all new Hereford FC. Sporting near enough the same kit as their predecessors, Hereford FC aspire to become like the great Hereford United that they once were and their debut season as a reformed club has really been one to remember...                        

Upon announcement of the reformation of Hereford United, many critics were quick to question the capabilities of the new side and whether or not administration would occur for a second time, but after over 4000 people showed to watch their opening game of the season against Dunkirk, which ended in a 4-1 victory, these critics were silenced. In fact it seemed as though more people were going to watch the new Hereford FC rather than the ones who used to watch Hereford United. New manager Peter Beadle, a former Tottenham Hotspur player, earned the acclaim of the club and by then end of the season, the legendary status. Due to it being a new club, Hereford FC had to begin their debut campaign in the 7th tier of football, the Midlands football league. Prior to the opening game of the season, Hereford had made a completely new team with some old faces and some new, with the older ones being the likes of Tony James, an ex-player for Hereford United. However, it turned out to be the newer ones who made the greatest impact. A few of these are: Joel Edwards, a former Hereford youth team player who was brought in to captain the squad, the duo of Pablo Haysham and eventual top scorer John Mills who were signed from Didcot Town and Aaron Birch who was a product of the West Bromwich Albion youth academy. 

Although I didn’t attend the opening game of the season, I heard enough about it to make up for the fact of not being there. The constant conversations of how great the team were and how packed the stadium was really opened my eyes up to the potential of this new club. Although the first goal scorer of the 4-1 thrashing of Dunkirk, Sam Pearson, left the club not long after starting, his name will still go into History and being the player to score first in a league match for Hereford FC. 

Fast forward to Christmas time and Hereford were on an incredible winning streak, one that lasted for 27 games and they were looking like the team to get promoted. Big league rivals Alvechurch dented that streak with a 1-1 draw in the league. Tony James was let go to make way for eventual player of the season Ryan Green, another former player for the Hereford United squad. A couple more faces were added but most notably Mustapha Bundu and Sirdic Grant who were both studying at a college nearby and were spotted by scouts. Both players made an incredible impact throughout the season, scoring crucial goals. However, these two key players also came with a problem. If Hereford were to be promoted, then both players wouldn’t be able to play for them in the new season due to their ethnic origins. Their work visa only allowed them to play in and below the 7th tier of English football. This was a huge let down for the team come the end of the season. 

Fast forward even more and Hereford had secured promotion the 6th tier of football as a slip from Alvechurch had allowed them to climb up the table and storm into the lead. Now the focus was on the remaining 3 trophies that they could potentially win come the end of the season. They won the Hereford Football Association cup final against nearby rivals Westfields 5-1 and then proceeded to beat Walsall Wood in the Midlands Football Cup final 3-1 so all that was left was the FA trophy final. The run up to this game was huge. A tense two legged semi final against fellow phoenix club Sailsbury led by Steve Claridge proved to be a giant hurdle for Hereford, but 1-0 and 2-1 victories were enough to see them through.

 And then it came. With 3 trophies already in the bag, Hereford went into the FA trophy final at Wembley against Morpeth Town with heads held high, knowing that, even if they lost, there would still be a giant crowd of supporters to cheer them on. The season ended how the season started, with a 4-1 result. This time however it went in the oppositions favour. This game showed that Hereford FC still had a lot to prove going into the next season.

The 2015/16 season was definitely one to be savoured for years to come. Tears of joy and sadness were brought upon the Hereford faithful but the one thing that never left the bulls was their sense of hard work and team spirit. It is that spirit that sees them play in the Evostick Premier League next season who they will again face Sailsbury, but this time in the league. When one season ends, another starts and fixtures have been announced for pre season friendly’s to take place. They are as follows:

Away vs Pegasus Juniors, 7:45 kick off, 14th July 2016

Away vs Lindney Town, 3pm kick off, 16th July 2016

Away vs Undey Athletic, 7:45 kick off, 19th July 2016

Away vs FC United of Manchester, 3pm kick off, 23rd July 2016

Away vs Kidderminster Harriers, 7:45pm kick off, 26th July 2016

Home vs Merthyr Town, 3pm kick off, 30th July 2016

Buy tickets to see those games at the Hereford FC website and be part of the Hereford FC community going into next season.