Bulls back

Hereford United v Darlington

Coca-Cola League Two

Saturday 3rd November 2007, 3pm

There's no substitute for confidence and Hereford have emerged as the surprise package sp far this season, after a terrific run. Chairman and director of football Graham Turner has had a huge turnover of players in the summer and the new signings seem to be gelling fast. He's always been good at turning out promising young players, and with 11 years in the job he's turned into something of a Dario Gradi figure of the Welsh borders. But the likes of veteran striker Trevor Benjamin have been making the impact. Man to watch Toumani Diagouraga Key loan signing Full match preview on the D@rlo Uncovered website. Away fans are sometimes given half of the Len Weston Stand along one side of the ground, which is £15 and £9 (U16 and OAP) in the seats upstairs or the terrace downstairs is £13 (£9 concession). Otherwise half the terrace behind the goals. Toilets here are very basic, the catering not bad - pies and sausage rolls. .

Hereford lightning as Darlo ripped apart

A bit of a horror show, but here are a selection of Ted Blair's photos from the 5-1 defeat at Hereford United - click on the arrows to view the match shots.

Perhaps it was always going to be this way. After going 13 games conceding only five goals, Darlo accomplished the same inside 90 minutes at Edgar Street. The 5-1 scoreline may have been a touch flattering to the hosts, after a fairly even first half, with good football from both sides, but Hereford after the interval tore us apart with quick and skilful break-aways. Their sheer pace caused us all sorts of problems and the heads seemed to go down and we looked increasingly ragged after the third goal. Make no mistake, this was a very pacey and exciting Hereford team and their start to the season is obviously no fluke. A reality check.

Hereford United FC: Edgar Street, Hereford, HR4 9JU Tel: 01432 276 666 History: Formed in 1924, when two local clubs merged and started in the Birmingham leagues and eventually reached the Southern League. A non-league attendance record was set at Wigan in the FA Cup in 1954, with more than 24,500 watching. Hereford's most famous FA Cup exploit was the defeat of mighty Newcastle 2-1 in a third round replay in 1972, the year they were also elected to the Football League. Lost in the play-off semi-finals to Darlington in 1996 but then lost their league status a year later on the last day with Brighton staying up. Unlucky to lose out on promotions back under long-serving chairman and manager Graham Turner until the 2006 Conference play-off win over Halifax. Record Attendance: 18,114 v Sheffield Wed FA Cup 3, Jan 1958 Capacity: 8,843 Last season: 16th Honours: Division Three champions 1975/76, Div Four runners up 1972/73, Conference play-off winners 2006. Record victory: 6-0 v Burnley, Div 4 Jan 1987 Defeat: 0-6 v Rotherham Utd, Div 4, April 1989 Nicknames: The Bulls Colours: White Manager/Chairman: Graham Turner Players in: Lionel Ainsworth (Derby, then sold to Watford in Jan), Trevor Benjamin (Peterboro), Karl Broadhurst (Bournemouth), Clint Easton (Gillingham), Simon Johnson (Darlington), John McCombe (Huddersfield), Kris Taylor (Walsall), Toumani Diagouraga (Watford, loan) Players out: Lionel Ainsworth (Watford), Tamika Mkandawire (Leyton Orient), Rob Purdie (Darlington), Phil Gulliver (Rushden), Andy Ferrell (Kidderminster), Stuart Fleetwood (Forest Green), Alex Jeannin (Oxford), Tim Sills (Torquay), Glyn Thompson, Martyn Giles, Danny Thomas (Macclesfield), Andy Williams (Bristol Rovers), Alan Connell (Brentford). Famous fans/connections: John Charles (player, manager), Ronnie Radford (player), Colin Addison, John Sillett (managers), Roger Whittaker (fan), Simon Johnstone, Alex Jeannin (player, ex-Darlington). Click for Streetmap of ground

Take the M1, M42 right to the end and head onto the M5 south, leaving at junction 5 (Droitwich). Follow the A38 towards Worcester, before taking the A449 signposted Hereford. Follow Hereford signs and the A49 will eventually take you into the city and straight past Edgar Street. Parking: The club has use of a large council pay-and-display car park next to the ground with fairly cheap parking rates. There is also a NCP carpark in Blackfriars Road, maximum cost £2,, as well as a multi-story car park towards the town centre within two minutes walk away. Away fans turnstiles are n Blackfriars Street. Distance from Darlington: 236 miles, allow 4.5 hours.

Trains: Less than a mile away, the ground is no more than a 15- minute walk from the station. Turn right into Commercial Road at the end of the station approach - past Morrisons - and head towards the city centre. You pass a BP garage and shops on your right until ou reach the traffic lights (on the corner by a sofa shop, with a Subway restaurant ahead of you). Then turn right along Newmarket Street, then its right into Widemarsh Street and quickly left into Blackfriars Street to reach the away end.

Hereford Taxis: 01432 343343 City Taxis: 01432 340350 Blue Line Taxis: 01432 343435 Cathedral Taxis: 01432 343438 Darlington FC Supporters Club Coach 8.30am, £22.50. Contact: 01325 243911. See Darlington Supporters' Club for more details.

Trains (Times updated October '07): Darlington A long and expensive journey. 08.21-York (08.50) 08.58-Manchester Piccadilly (10.22) 10.3-arr Hereford 12.34. Rtn: 17.56-Manchester Picc (20.13) 20.42-York (22.05) 22.39 arr 23.07Fares: £89 return. Birmingham New Street Hourly services from 08.59 - journey time 1hr 29mins, return 17.50 or 19.59. Fares: £11.80 cheap day return; £13 saver return, £11.80 cheapday return. Some services also to/from Moor Street. London Paddington: Change at Newport, south Wales. Journey time approx 3hrs 10 mins. 08.45-Newport (10.30) 11.04-arr 11.54. Rtn: 18.11-Newport (19.00) 19.39 arr 21.29. Fares: From £26 advance, £53 savwer return. Cardiff Central: Trains generally every hour, journey time an hour. 09.50-arr 10.54, rtn: 17.51 or 18.11. Fare: £14.20 cheapday return.

Real ale The Victory, 88 St Owen's Street A nautical-themed city centre pub, home to the Spinning Dog brewery and a home also, naturally this being Hereford, to real ciders, as well as guest ales. Food served. There's a beer garden at the side of the pub - the brewery is at the back. Directions: From the station, walk along Commercial Street and left at the lights into Bath Street - follow the road around past the social services offices, left at the junction at the lights and the pub is over a pedestrian crossing, opposite a Peugeot dealership. DAFTS recommended. Click for street map Barrels, 69 St Owen's Street On the same street as The Victory and my preferred choice - over the traffic lights - this has four or five Wye Valley real ales on hand-pull, cider, a choice of lagers, with four rooms, including pool table and Sky TV. The Wye Valley Butty Back and stout are highly recommended. Very friendly place, the locals gave us a true welcome - very relaxed atmosphere. Also a beer garden at the back. DAFTS recommended Other city centre/near station The Litten Tree, 58 Commercial Street Airey free house, with food served - in the Wetherspoon's vein, minus the real ale. Just John Smiths and the like. The Kings Fee, 49-53 Commercial Road On the way up from the station, this JD Wetherpoon's pub is sizeable in the art deco style, with a garden at the rear. They had three beers on during our post-match visit, not bad as these places go, although it looked like a bomb had hit it, with the usual detrius of the afternoon drinking and dining crowd. Non-smoking throughout, Sky Sports screens on "silent" and a cash machine. . Open from 9am. DAFTS recommended.

Pubs from the top, left to right, The Victory, Barrels; middle - The Oxford Arms, The Newmarket; bottom - The Kings Fee, The Litten Tree. © Photos: DAFTS There are plenty of takeaways in Commercial Road between the station and the city centre, including Mr Chips, which claims to hold a Guinness record for the biggest bag of chips - 812lbs. There's a large drive-in KFC opposite the station approach. You can also find a sit-down Subway sandwich restaurant at the end of the road, on the junction with Newmarket Street. There are other chains in the centre, as well as plenty of cafes, and a Thai and a couple of Indian restaurants close to the ground in Widemarsh Street.

Near the ground Legends, Hereford Utd FC Slightly scruffy looking (from the outside) clubhouse alongside the main stand, around the ground from the away entrance, usually welcomes visitors. NB: CURRENTLY CLOSED NOV 2007 .....The Newmarket, Newmarket Street. Close to the ground and usually a mix of home and away fans. Worthington Creamflow, John Smiths, beer garden at the back, if you like traffic noise. JD's, Widemarsh Street, corner of Newmarket Street (pictured above) Chain pub with plenty of drinks offers and lunches. About five minutes from the away end. The Oxford Arms, 111 Widemarsh Street Another close to the ground and popular on match days. A bit of a squeeze, in a 16th Century building, can get busy. Bass and Boddington beers and Thatcher's cider. No food. The Herdsman, 54 Widemarsh Street Used to be known as the Old Harp. Close to the ground but no real ale. Best to avoid.

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A comprehensive tourism website has links to online accommodation bookings and places to visit. For accommodation, recommended is the comfortable and friendly Charades hotel, 34 Southbank Rd, about five minutes walk from the station and 10 minutes from the city centre (Tel: 01432 269444, about £40 per night B&B). For something different, try a visit to the Cider Museum,, which celebrates the town's most famous export. There is also the medieval map of the world, Mappa Mundi, dating from the late 13th century, at Hereford cathedral (admission to the museum and to see the map, £4.50). There is a small farmers' market on Saturdays in the main shopping area. Tourist information: 1 King Street, Hereford. HR4 9BW, open 9am-5pm. Tel: 01432 268430 Fax: 01432 342662 Rail timetables Virgin Trains GNER National Express Online map AA Routeplanner Hotels/B&Bs Hereford community website Hereford Council Hereford Tourism Hereford Times Herefordshire CAMRA Surfing there... The best is probably the The official site, which is an easy-loading, straightforward alternative to the ghastly Premium TV official efforts. The Hereford United Supporters' Association doesn't seem to have been updated that much. The Hereford United net is full of pop-ups, but has the stats and regular news. Next away match: Brentford (Sat 17th November)   No responsibility is taken for accuracy, if in doubt check before travelling. Anything worth adding? Please e-mail us any suggestions. Back to index page © DAFTS 2007