For me, the margin of yesterdays defeat was down to let’s say circumstances over the last few months. Players are not robots in football kit. They have bad days, anxieties, responsibilities and bills to pay, just like the rest of us. And just like the rest of us, they want financial security. Other clubs in our league have already signed their main men up for next season as I have pointed out in the pages of the fanzine. That’s not happened at Hereford basically due to two changes of manager this year. I would not be surprised if the players frustration had not built and built.
On Thursday, club people were told their fate. That’s unusual before the last game and as some fans observed “Graham Turner would not have done that.” We are told “the players insisted”. That is an unusual scenario, suggesting people at the end of their tether and makes you wonder how they insisted? What did they threaten to do? Again my speculation, but how otherwise can you insist?
It’s clear the outcomes were devastating for some players. When I was told pre match, I felt numb, rather vexed. Maybe even sickened. There are several departees who have really put in the big yards for Hereford FC for years. People who were genuinely shocked they had no future. People I respect and consider part of the furniture. To emphasise, they are not robots or a fantasy football notation.
In those circumstances, Yan Klukowski had zero chance of putting out an interested team on Saturday’s 20 hour slog. There were players and folk on the sidelines whose minds – understandably – were elsewhere. There were unexplained absences. And yet Byth were that nervous, a motivated Hereford side would have beaten them. Once the Spartans were ahead, the game was decided.
It’s done now. We can only look ahead and hope that our new manager knows what he is doing. But I will not forget this visit for a long time.
Simon Wright
