2011 Prediction League; Game 23 Hereford Utd (away)

Div3North · 27-12-2011, 01:40

Hereford United

V

Accrington Stanley

Prediction League – Game 23; v Hereford (away)

What’s the biggest truism in football? “Goals win matches” ……….

Which might explain why Hereford are currently 21st in League 2 on 18 points – 2 behind Barnet, and one ahead of Dagenham, the Cobblers and Plymouth, any of whom would (will?) grace the BSP next season, and might even give Stockport a decent game

…….. It was all so different back in 07/08, when they finished 3rd and went up – albeit with a team largely composed of loan signings – even though they fell back down with a bump the following season, finishing 24th out of 24 with just 9 wins (34 points) and 42 goals (-37 goal difference) in the season.

7 released, including ex Lincoln and Leyton Orient Romanian-born striker Adrian Patulea, who played 6 games for the Bulls between March and season end, now plays for FC Farul Constanta in the Romanian 2nd Division

(Gheorghe Hagi played for them in 1982-3) and is apparently famous for an occasion at Lincoln City's training ground when he was seen running around the field with his wife on his back

; no comment ……….

Also out went former Welsh u21 striker (and one time Accie loanee) Stuart Fleetwood (to Luton), ex-skipper Janos Kovacs (loaned to Luton – where they got him from in the previous summer - and for whom he will reputedly re-sign in January), and pocket-sized ex Notts Co striker Sean Canham (5’ 7”) was listed, then loaned to Bath City (for whom he scored 4 times in 13 games), but who remains at Edgar Street (for the time being!)

They bought frequently, but not always wisely; ex Bolton and Blackburn defender Andy Todd was signed on non-contract terms and lasted precisely 4 games, being released because the club seemingly said that “his legs had gone”

; the fans liked him, but that doesn’t help if the manager (Jamie Pittman) and Director of Football (Gary Peters) don’t; arguably less successful still was the signing of ex-Stockport defender Jordan Rose (21), who signed, sat on the bench while they lost 6-1 at home to Gillingham, got injured against Telford in a friendly, and left – all in 7 days

…..! More hopeful (potentially) were the signings of French striker Yoann Arquin from Red Star 93 (French 4th Division, if you didn’t know

), whose claim to fame appears to be hitting 2 in a pre-season friendly against Molina Segura in Spain (?Que?)

; Delroy Facey, the 31-year old striker who has now played for 14 teams here and abroad; and three of last season’s loanees – ex Pirates midfielder Harry Pell (20), 22 year old defender Joe Heath, who previously played for Notts Forest and Exeter, and Stefan Stam (31), a defender whose former clubs include Oldham , and whom they got from Yeovil, who had got him in turn from Ermis Aradippou

in Cyprus (“Over ‘ere, son, on me ‘ead!”)

. Loans brought in winger Steve Leslie (23) from Shrewsbury, central defender Will Evans (19) from Swindon (and before them, Fairford Town), Richard Peniket (18) from Fulham, and Blackpool striker Tom Barkhuizen (18).

After 12 games in the League their record was P12 W1 D4 L7 F7 (yes, seven

) A24 (16 of those at home

) for 7 points and 23rd spot; it was a good thing that Plymouth were worse, and let in even more goals than they did ……….. Currently they’re on P22 W4 D6 L12 F20 A38 for the 18 points referred to above; at home the record stands at 12 played, 3 wins (Dagenham and Barnet, both by 1-0, and Bradford by 2-0), one draw and 8 losses, scoring 11 and conceding 25; the 25 concede chez eux include defeats by Morecambe by 3-0 and by Macclesfield by 4-0 (in a four-day spell!

) and Gillingham by 6-1 (well, at least they scored in that one ……..

) The Cups didn’t do them too kindly either; they exited the Carling in Round 2, 2-0 at Villa, having “seen off” Brentford 1-0, the JPT saw them lose 1-4 at home to Bournemouth, and their FA Cup foray ended with a 3-0 home defeat by Yeovil; overall record, then, is P26 W5 D6 L15 F22 A47.

Their ability to hit the net – or the floor with their hat

– is their problem (well, that and the amount of goals that fly in past their keeper, which is slightly more than 2 for one

); in the League, they’ve managed to score 3 twice, two 3 times, one 8 times, and haven’t scored at all on 9 occasions

; conceded, it’s been six goals once, 4 once, 3 five times, 2 three times, one 7 times, and five clean sheets. Five players have two goals each – including Steve Leslie and Delroy Facebook , one has a single strike to his name, and the big guns are Arquin (with 3) and Barkhuizen with 8

; I suspect Blackpool will want him back in the near future …………

In our League meetings we’ve lost 4 of 8, drawing two others; our only wins have been at home by 2-0 in March 07 (our first season back) and by 4-0 in March just gone – two by Terry Gornell, one by Jimmy Ryan and one by Sean McStockportCounty. That record might just be about to change, methinks …

The deadline for entries is, as ever, scheduled kick-off time, which is 7.45pm on Friday 30th December. We’ve won our last 4 in the League

(with a goals tally of 10 for, 2 against), and won 5 and drawn 2 of our last 7 – 17 points and a scoring record of 14 scored, 5 conceded

; they’ve drawn 2 and lost 5 of their last 7 in the League, for 2 points, scoring 7 and conceding 13

. The numbers make us favourite – but when did numbers ever make a difference ………..? That said, you can’t really not fancy us to get something; let’s just hope it isn’t “thumped”.

Good luck to everyone …… Happy New Year from me and my Partner in Crime (Chimer)

…… and thanks for playing!