Hereford can look back on a relatively satisfying campaign in which they ultimately failed to mount an instant comeback to the Football League but at least finished in the first place outside the play-offs and showed promise for the next campaign. The Bulls needed an overhaul after suffering a miserable relegation from League Two the previous season and the board placed their trust in Martin Foyle who had good experience in this league before, especially with York. His team was off to a pretty good start with three wins and a draw from the first four games but they had a shocking September when newcomers Dartford and Hyde scored thumping wins at their expense in consecutive games and the morale of the team as a whole took a big hit. Suddenly all the players seemed to forget how to defend and a run of six games without a win in October placed them firmly in mid-table and all but ended hopes of a play-off push. There were off-pitch problems too as the lack of funds became apparently clear. Also, a spate of injuries to key players limited the array of options Foyle had in his already rather thin squad. However, all these problems seemed to galvanise the team and they claimed a couple of big wins, defeating Shrewsbury in the FA Cup and getting the scalps of both Luton and Wrexham in the league. The morale in the team was lifted after these wins but the chance to get a lucrative FA Cup third-round tie against Everton was missed after an agonising replay defeat at the hands of Cheltenham. Yet, there was definitely a strong team spirit and togetherness in the team now while the solidity at the back and presence up front ensured that Hereford are a tough nut to crack. Yet, they seemed to be playing for little once their Cup adventure ended as they remained tucked in mid-table and with little chance of challenging the top five. There were good results for most of the time but never really a genuinely good run of form that will cut the gap to the teams sitting in the play-off places. That said, Foyle did not allow the team to go through the motions in the final month of the season and then his team got some good teams while nearly denying the eventual champions Mansfield the title too. Overall, it was a better campaign at the end than it looked like it will be during the tough autumn months but a club of Hereford stature should be making more serious challenges for promotion and the aim is to improve and do better next season when there will hopefully be more stability off the pitch too.
