Hereford v Oxford - Preview

I’ll make my first trip to Edgar Street on Saturday to see if they can build on the performance I watched last weekend in Cheltenham and get another point or three.

But Oxford will prove a sterner test if they play to their best ability and so the home fans will need to give the same excellent backing that the away support gave at Whaddon Road.

I haven’t seen Oxford for a few weeks now, but they are still the best footballing outfits I have seen in League Two when they’re on song and Bulls’ strikers Sam Winnall (who has just signed an extension to his loan deal from Wolves) and Delroy Facey will need to be at their best to get any change out of Michael Duberry and his fellow defenders.

Much like last weekend’s fixture, it’s one of those games where I can be truly neutral as they are both clubs that I follow quite a bit during the course of the season – and I like them both as well.

However, I fear that the result will go Oxford’s way on the form shown so far this season by them both.

Hereford midfielder Simon Clist will not face parent club Oxford tomorrow. Clist signed a loan deal with the Bulls in August which will take him through to January, but the agreement included a clause which prevents his involvement in this weekend's fixture.


Striker Sean Canham, 27, has left Edgar Street and joined Bath City on a one month emergency loan deal.

Meanwhile, Chris Wilder has said that skipper Jake Wright will return to the Oxford line-up following a one match suspension picked up at Barnet.

Jamie Pitman has told the local press: "Once we have two or three wins, and a few goals, under our belts then we are more than capable of going on a run of games where we win a few more. But first and foremost, we have got to keep some clean sheets and we have got to start scoring some goals. Once we start doing that, then the points will start coming in."  (spotted at: http://bullsnews.blogspot.com/)

Pitman is of course correct. A clean sheet tomorrow would - and should - be greeted as a moral victory by the home fans as it will be another positive step in the right direction and serve as an even better confidence boost that last weekend's result.