Hereford v Yeovil - FA Cup 1st Round

Unlike the JPT and even the League Cup, there is something about the FA Cup, its history and tradition that gets a football fan's juices flowing.

As an exiled Newcastle fan myself, I can think of no better place to watch an FA Cup tie than Edgar Street, knowing as I do, that I'll get through the day without the Bulls giant killing act of 1972 even being mentioned!

Ah well, that's football. You have to be able to take the rough with the smooth and just move on. And after nearly forty years - and the memory of tears flowing as I watched the teleprinter results come in on Final Score - I think I'm just about ready to do so!

Ironically, I have become a bit of a fan of Hereford in recent years (as I have for most of the teams on my patch) and I'd love to see them progress to the next round and edge closer to a big money tie. The way the lads there have reacted, following a less than impressive start to the league campaign, has been pretty impressive and shows what good spirit, graft and team work can achieve.

The excellent Bulls News blog (http://bullsnews.blogspot.com) is reporting that keeper David Cornell will be available for selection before going off to Armenia to sit on the bench for Wales U-21 tussle.

Between the opposition sticks, Yeovil goal keeping coach Gareth Stewart, 31, is set to make his debut in place of Marek Stech who is off on U-21 duty himself - the Czechs being a little less accommodating the the Welsh.

Meanwhile Hereford manager Jamie Pitman will be locked in a tactical battle with former team mate Terry Skiverton. Pitman spent a couple of seasons playing for the Somerset club - two goals in 34 outings - and so this adds a little extra spice to the fixture.

Yeovil seem to be struggling in League One this term and on the face of it you would have to think that they are there for the taking. However, Skiverton bleeds green and white and will have his players up for this game. A decent FA Cup run for a team struggling in the league can often act as a catalyst for the bread and butter stuff.

Another super blog, Yeovil's Ciderspace (http://www.ciderspace.co.uk/) has reported Skiverton as calling this a 'must win' game. He also said:

"I've not had a cup run, and I've been very frustrated with past seasons, and what we've done in the cups. So I'm putting a bit of pressure on the boys that we've got to get through. It's a very important game for us, and it's one where we've gone into the cup competitions before and I've said it's a week off - no, this is a must-win game for us. We want a good cup run. I definitely want a cup run, and we're going to make sure that we do everything to get through this round."


It's going to be a tight game I feel, but I'm backing Hereford to build on their recent revival. Whatever happens though, at 4.45pm I'm certain I won't be able to shake off memories of that bloody teletext from the 3rd round replay a lifetime ago. :-)