League Two Form Guide

		P	GD	Pts
1	Doncaster	6	+13	18
2	Stockport	6	+12	18
3	Wrexham	6	+13	15
4	Sutton Utd	6	+4	13
5	Harrogate Town	6	+5	11
6	Colchester	6	+2	10
7	MK Dons	6	+1	10
8	Mansfield	6	0	10
9	Bradford	6	-2	10
10	Swindon	6	0	9
11	Walsall	6	-4	9
12	Gillingham	6	-1	8
13	Crawley Town	6	+1	7
14	Notts County	6	0	7
15	Grimsby	6	-1	7
16	Barrow	6	-3	7
17	Tranmere	6	-4	7
18	Salford	6	-1	6
19	Morecambe	6	-5	6
20	Crewe	6	-5	6
21	AFC Wimbledon	6	-3	5
22	Accrington Stanley	6	-6	4
23	Forest Green	6	-11	3
24	Newport County	6	-10	0

Full Form Table
Prem|Champ|L1|NL|VN|VS
SPL|SC|S1|S2

Grimsby v Hereford

By: Rob Sedgwick
Date: 27/09/2007

SO the first win is finally under our belts and now Town face two home games in a week, starting on Saturday against a Hereford team trying to avoid "second season syndrome"

Home > 2007-2008 Season > Previews > Hereford (h)

The Opposition

Overview

Hereford were elected to the Football League in 1972 after a successful spell of non-league football, notably a win over top flight Newcastle in the preceding season. The Bulls were rapidly promoted and reached Second Division status by 1976. However most of the succeeding years were spent in the basement division until they were relegated to the Conference on the final day of the 1996-97 season. After several years in the Conference Hereford finally regained their Football League status at the end of the 2005-06 season by winning the play-offs. Last year the club's first season back in the Football League saw them finish in 16th position, recording league wins over five of the top eight clubs. Manager Graham Turner (left) is the second longest serving manager of a club in the Football League after Alex Ferguson, having been with Hereford since 1995 and also the majority shareholder of the club since 1998.

This Season

At the start of this season it looked like the campaign could go one of two ways for Hereford. They could build on last season's place and push for a play-off spot, or suffer the infamous second season syndrome and have a relegation battle on their hands. However their current form has pointed to the first possibility because they have been outstanding away from home, where they have a 100% record on their travels. The Bulls however have struggled at Edgar Street where they have won 1, drawn 2 and lost 1. Hereford can also point to a 4-1 thrashing of Russell Slade's Yeovil in the Carling Cup as a notable scalp, although they eventually were knocked out by Premiership side Birmingham City. Overall though Hereford have exceeded expectations and currently lie second in League Two, having only lost one league game.

Up front ex-Cheltenham striker Stephen Guinan (left) will be familiar to Town fans as he scored the goal which beat the Mariners in the play-off final. Two Watford players are currently on loan at Edgar Street: forward Theo Robinson and French midfielder Toumani Diagouraga, although the pair have hardly featured for the Hornets. Captain Karl Broadhurst plays in central defence and joined Hereford in the summer from Bournemouth, where he spent nine years, making almost 200 appearances.

Key Player

Trevor Benjamin has played for an impressive 16 league clubs, mainly on loan, and is still only 28. Benjamin was once linked with a loan move to Blundell Park when Lennie Lawrence was manager but reportedly did not want to come to Grimsby. Benjamin has already scored four goals this season, and has found the net in each of Hereford's three away victories to date. Benjamin is a big strong target man who happens to be in prime form.

Recent Form

Town

Hereford

W	Lincoln	(h)	2-1
D	Stockport	(h)	1-1
L	Accrington	(a)	1-4
W	Huddersfield (JPT)	(h)	4-1
L	Shrewsbury	(a)	1-2

Currently 18th in League Two.

W	Bradford	(h)	4-2
W	Morecambe	(a)	3-0
L	Macclesfield	(h)	0-1
W	Wrexham	(a)	2-0
L	Birmingham (CC)	(a)	1-2

Currently 2nd in League Two.

Top Scorers

Town

Hereford

Paul Bolland	3
Ciaran Toner	3

Ainsworth	4
Benjamin	4
Robinson	4

Team News

Town

Hereford

Alan Buckley's biggest decision is whether to continue with the 4-5-1 formation that won at Lincoln or revert to the 4-4-2 the Town boss has preferred at home of late.

This decision is partly made for Buckley though as midfielder James Hunt is ruled out after a collision with Fenton on Saturday which means a likely start for Andy Taylor alongside Rankin up front.

Paul Bolland is a doubt for the Mariners after picking up a ankle problem in mid-week training.

Graham Turner has no injury concerns in the squad but may contemplate bringing Trent McClenahan back into contention for a starting place. However the chances are McClenahan will have to settle for a place on the bench.

Probable Teams

Town

Hereford

G	1	Barnes
D	14	Mulligan
D	5	Fenton
D	5	Bennett
D	3	Newey
D	7	Till
M	8	Bolland
M	11	Boshell
M	10	Toner
F	20	Taylor
F	12	Rankin

G	1	Brown
D	4	Rose
D	28	Beckwith
D	6	Broadhurst
D	10	Taylor
M	7	Ainsworth
M	8	Smith
M	11	Easton
M	20	Diagouraga
F	12	Benjamin
F	9	Guinan

Subs

Town

Hereford

13	Montgomery
5	Bennett
18	Bore
19	Jones
9	North

21	Webb
22	Robinson
14	Ingham
15	Gwynne
5	McCombe

Head to Head

With Hereford only having been elected to the Football League in 1972 and having had a lengthy spell in non-league since, there have only been 14 meetings between the two clubs, who have also tended to avoid one another in the league. Overall it's been fairly close between the two sides, but a 3-0 win to Grimsby would completely restore parity!

P 14 W 5 D 3 L 6 F 15 A 18

Hereford Head-to-Head (61st on The Opposition Ladder)

Last Meeting

Hereford 0-1 Grimsby (Saturday 10th March 2007)

Town did the double over Hereford last season, winning the match at Blundell Park 2-1 live on Sky TV. The corresponding fixture at Edgar Street saw Paul Bolland settle the tie with the only goal of the game.

Â Report

Prediction

Both teams will feel confident going in to the game but the pair may have to settle for a point each. A 1-1 result would set a new club record of four consecutive home league games with the same scoreline.

Grimsby 1-1 Hereford

Reader's POMs

Directions

Click on the link for directions to Blundell Park (left).

Admission Prices

Click on the link for ticket prices to Blundell Park.

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League Two Form Guide

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Grimsby v Hereford

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