CLUB
Hereford United
You can’t beat a bit of Bully – unless it’s Hereford United and those Bulls have beaten us again. But was that always the case? After all, all those red flashes of our home kit could be like a red rag to a, well, y’know. The short answer is “no”. It actually came as a bit of a shock to look back at how many times we ended up playing them over the years. And the idea that our friends from Edgar Street had it all their own way against us is total bullsh…
Our first match against Hereford United came in the FA Cup, but it wasn’t long before we were both competing as equals; the Bulls relegated to the Conference in 1997. For the next nine years, we were adversaries; Boro’ having the pleasure of edging them out of the 2004-5 Nationwide Conference playoffs. They won the race (back) to the League, though. After reuniting in League Two, the Bulls were relegated to non-league once more in 2012.
This time it was permanent; the club suspended by the FA in 2014 and eventually wound up in the High Court. The reason was because the Bulls’ debts had soared to a mammoth £1.3m – and soon the vultures started circling before the High Court stepped in for good.
Head-to-Head Story
First Meeting
1–2 11 Nov 1995 · A · FA Cup R1Latest Meeting
0–1 8 Mar 2011 · H · npower League TwoBiggest Win
4–1 28 Sep 2010 · A · npower League TwoPrevious Meetings
Matches before 1980-81 pre-date Stevenage's senior status and are excluded from the head-to-head totals.
| Date | Competition | Venue | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Mar 2011 | npower League Two | H | 0-1 |
| 28 Sep 2010 | npower League Two | A | 4-1 |
| 27 Feb 2006 | Nationwide Conference | A | 0-2 |
| 10 Sep 2005 | Nationwide Conference | H | 0-0 |
| 6 May 2005 | Nationwide Conference Playoff SF | A | 1-0 |
| 2 May 2005 | Nationwide Conference Playoff SF | H | 1-1 |
| 2 Apr 2005 | Nationwide Conference | H | 0-1 |
| 28 Aug 2004 | Nationwide Conference | A | 1-0 |
| 3 Jan 2004 | Nationwide Conference | A | 0-1 |
| 30 Aug 2003 | Nationwide Conference | H | 0-2 |
| 22 Feb 2003 | Nationwide Conference | A | 2-2 |
| 21 Sep 2002 | Nationwide Conference | H | 0-2 |
| 27 Apr 2002 | Nationwide Conference | H | 3-1 |
| 22 Sep 2001 | Nationwide Conference | A | 1-1 |
| 12 Mar 2001 | Nationwide Conference | H | 2-1 |
| 23 Sep 2000 | Nationwide Conference | A | 1-1 |
| 28 Feb 2000 | Nationwide Conference | H | 0-3 |
| 18 Sep 1999 | Nationwide Conference | A | 2-1 |
| 30 Jan 1999 | Football Conference | A | 1-0 |
| 10 Oct 1998 | Football Conference | H | 0-3 |
| 19 Jan 1998 | Football Conference | H | 2-0 |
| 30 Aug 1997 | Football Conference | A | 2-0 |
| 11 Nov 1995 | FA Cup R1 | A | 1-2 |
Club History
Who are Hereford United?
Sadly, this is more a case of who were Hereford United. Formed in 1924, the Bulls made their home at Edgar Street from the start and never budged. The club came to be after a merger between two local amateur teams called St Martins and RAOC (Rotherwas). The aim was to bring a higher standard of football to the town. But two others – Hereford City and Hereford Thistle – opted out of it.
After starting out in the Birmingham & District League, the Bulls became members of the Southern League for the 1939-40 season. The Second World War meant it was a bit of a false start at first. But, soon enough, they got into their stride; challenging for league titles throughout the 1950s. They scored their fair share of goals too. They couldn’t quite make it up to the summit, however.
Well, unless you count the North Western zone title in 1958-9. It landed them the overall title after beating Bedford Town, the South Eastern zone winners, in a playoff.
Anyway, let’s move on. The 1960s weren’t amazing to start with and the Bulls went down in 1964; relegated to Division One. The return was immediate, to be fair. And a few years later, the club finished second in the Southern League and joined the Football League. It came after the same season in which Ronnie Radford did a goal. We say “joined”. What we mean is “were elected into”.
Can you imagine a competition where there was no automatic promotion and relegation? No, us neither.
Why do we know the Bulls?
The Bulls rose rapidly up the Football League; reaching Division Two within five seasons. The bubble burst and they returned straight back down to Division Four again. And it was how things stayed for the duration after that. Only twice between 1978 and 1996 were the Bulls able to finish in the top-half. That’s whether it’s Division Four or Division Three.
The 1995-6 season was one of those two; the Bulls ending up in sixth and nabbing a spot in the playoffs. It wasn’t to be as Darlington knocked them out at the semi-final stage. The reason for banging on about this particular campaign is not because we saw title success. It’s actually because it’s the season in which we first met the Bulls. And it was by virtue of the FA Cup First Round.
How to get to Hereford United
By Road
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By Rail
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Parking
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