End of season rot at Edgar Street

Last updated : 17 May 2007 By Gary Moss

Final Position: 16


Top Goalscorer:
Alan Connell (10)


Player of the Season:
Rob Purdie


Influential club captain Rob Purdie has appeared 51 times for the Bulls this season and has scored six league goals from centre-back taking him to second in the United scoring charts.

Purdie...skipper impressed throughout


Big goals against the likes of Rochdale, MK Dons and a double against Port Vale in the FA Cup coupled with his defensive steel make him a great leader at Edgar Street.


The former Lincoln City man is a true leader both vocally and by example.


He barely puts a foot out of line in his organisation of the back four.


The 25-year-old has been awarded a new deal at the club for his continued committed displays.


His ability to rally his troops and pull in solid performances time after time make him a valuable member to the Whites squad as they look to push up the table next season.


Against Notts:
A late goal from Gary Sills at Meadow Lane wasn't exactly the Christmas cheer Magpies fans were expecting from their Friday night game.


Lawrie Dudfield had his late effort ruled out for offside and a third consecutive home defeat saw County's push for the play-off's take another setback.


County also came unstuck at Edgar Street just a month later.


A Jason Lee double was not enough to earn anything from the game. Bulls Steve Guinan bagged two as well including a crucial 68th minute winner.


Notts pushed for a winner late on but Hereford's defence stood up strong to claim their first win of 2007.


Defining Moment:
A 4-1 drubbing of Lincoln at the end of February marked Hereford's last victory of the season.


It was almost as if this fine win had proved themselves and they became complacent.


Results soon plummeted and a great season came undone at the seams.


The win put tem up to ninth in the table just seven points away from the play-off's.


I can only presume on 47 points they assumed themselves as good as safe and switched off.


Bulls fans may wonder why their season collapsed when really it could have been just beginning.


Highlight:
Away wins at Lincoln, MK Dons and Swindon will be firm in the minds of the Bulls travelling support.


A Steve Guinan hat-trick at Sincil Bank and an Andy Williams double at The County Ground marked great results on their travels this season.


The Bulls often played their best football away from home and will be disappointed not to have picked up more than five wins away from Edgar Street.


Turner...Boss left to ponder with a dreadful end
Lowlight: A shocking end to the campaign saw Turner's team go the final ten games of the season without a goal.


The Bulls picked up just three points from an available 30 as they slumped to a disappointing sixteenth in the table.


Their end of season poor form was highlighted with their final day 0-0 draw with already relegated Torquay United.


A lack of guts and creation in the final stages of the season ruined what beforehand was a positive campaign.


The Mad Verdict:
On the whole a disappointing end to a promising season for the Bulls.


On their return to the Football League they showed stability as they easily avoided the drop but they could and should have achieved so much more.


They began the season with a reputation of being tough to break down and they never lost that but they lost their goals altogether going into the final ten games of the season without one. That factor proved a killer to their campaign.


But as far as returns to the Football League go, Hereford can be pleased with their final league position.


They flirted with the play-off's at one point but in truth it would have been too big too soon for the Bulls to have a crack at League One.


They were resilient more often than not this year and in the end they just ran out of steam and could be thankful for a strong first half to the season.


They lost under half of their games and were rarely given a thumping.


Many fans may be disappointed with their season but upon their return to League Two, there seems to be a lot for their squad to build on ahead of the next campaign.


What's Next?
Boss Graham Turner has managed to secure new deals with a large number of his squad so far.


Rob Purdie, Simon Travis, Tamika Mkandawire and Andy Williams are just a handful of the senior players who have penned a new
deal for next year.


Top scorer Alan Connell will also continue his services for the club but they still need to go out and pick up a striker that will supply the goals needed to fire United up the division.


Only bottom placed Torquay scored fewer home goals than Hereford and this is a problem management will be looking to address over the summer months.