Hereford United
Im going with a 4-4-2 formation based on the players I watched from August 1989- April 2014, these are permanent signings and not players who only played on loan
1 – Wayne Brown – 2 promotions in 3 seasons, a brilliant shot stopper who was a major factor in the clubs rise under Graham Turner
2 – Ryan Green – The Ryan Green from 2003-2006 was way to good for the Conference, he should have played regularly in the Championship, also the scorer of the goal to get the club back in the Football League
3 – Michael Rose – Murray Fishlock was a close 2nd, but im going with Rose due to his ability at free kicks and deadball situations, he also went on to have a decent Football League career.
4 – Toumani Diagouraga – Absolute class act in the middle, signed on a free transfer and we sold him for decent money to Peterborough too
5 – Dean Smith – A goal scoring defender who was a leader and a great captain. Went on to have a decent managerial career.
6 – Tamika Mkandawire – Pacey defender who would also chip in with a goal or two when needed, later played in the Championship with Millwall.
7 – Lionel Ainsworth – He was unplayable at times, he absolutely ran Yeovil Town riot in the League Cup 4-1 win its a shame he never fulfilled his full potential, but another free transfer signing who was sold on for good money
8 – Ben Smith – Formed a great partnership with Diagouraga in the middle of the park, a shame he had injury problems and probably chased the money a bit too much between 2004-2006 by moving to Shrewsbury and Weymouth, when he probably should have stayed here, but when Weymouth’s cash ran out we finally got him back in 2007 and he was as superb as ever.
9 – Steve White – Over 50 goals in two seasons speaks volumes, he was brilliant in the penalty area, a proper old school striker who had played in the top flight, we were lucky to have him.
10 – Steve Guinan – Intelligent player who scored 15 goals during the League One season including a famous hat trick against Oldham, Like Ben Smith he played in three different leagues for Hereford.
11 – Paul Parry – A fast winger who later played regularly at Championship level, was so close to knocking Leicester City out of the FA Cup in 1999 but the post got in the way.
Special mentions to Tony Elliott, Darren Peacock, Jon Narbett, Rob Purdie and Andy Williams
Hereford FC 4-4-2 from August 2015 – April 2025
1 – Martin Horsell – Theo Richardson doesnt count as he was on loan and at the time of writing he hadnt played as a fully fledged Hereford player so misses out, but Horsell was brilliant for the three promotions, (We will gloss over Wembley) he also started well in National League North under Pete Beadle, but he never recovered after being clobbered and knocked out against Welling in the FA Cup October 2018, and by then the Richards and Harris regime had other ideas and he was quietly disposed of.
2 – Jimmy Oates – A superb full back and good defensively and attacking, he moved onto the Football League With Exeter City but sadly didnt make the grade, we definitely got better as a team when he returned briefly on loan in February 2019, it did mess up Pete Beadle’s plans when he departed at the start of the season as he was the captain and one of the best players in the squad.when he left.
3- Aaron Skinner – Was brilliant the first season and player of the year for 2023/2024, hopefully he can put his injury problems behind him and kick on.
4 – Sammy Robinson – A massive fan favourite and an all action player, I remember his debut against Newport in a friendly and you could see the quality shine through.
5 – Kyle Howkins – An absolute thoroughbred in defence, big and strong and has been one of Paul Caddis’ best signings, its great he is back for a 3rd season
6 – Jamie Grimes – A warrior at the heart of defence, how we managed to sign a player of his quality was probably due to covid, such a shame a lot of supporters never got to see him play due to the restrictions, now in the EFL with Chesterfield.
7 – Mustapha Bundu – In the Midland League he was embarrassingly that good, it was like playing a computer game with a cheat code at times. Went on to play in the Championship with Plymouth
8 Tate Campbell – A goal scoring midfielder with plenty of ability, good in possession and comfortable in the air. I hope like Sammy Robinson he can return to the EFL.
9 – John Mills – 120 goals in 3 seasons says it all, he just knew where the net was.
10 – Mike Symons – The perfect foil for John Mills, he played in 4 divisions for Hereford FC, when he got injured during the 2018 pre season and the departure of Jimmy Oates, it left a big hole in Pete Beadle’s start to the season plans, its no coincidence when he came back in the November that we started to win more than we lost.
11 – Yusifu Ceesay – Unplayable at times and last seasons top scorer, we will miss his goals this season from the wing,
Special mentions to Matt Preston, Tom Owen-Evans, Jaiden White, Lennell John Lewis & Pablo Haysham
FOOTBALL | Match announcer Matt Healey picks his all time Hereford United & Hereford FC eleven’s
