…Having checked the fixtures on Friday it became clear that I had to travel a long way to watch a game on the Saturday. With those bloody annoying women in my head as I returned to my hotel, it seemed that Hereford was the best bet for a game. I’d been there before, watching Leicester draw 0-0 in the FA Cup 3rd Round with them years back, a game that I remember fondly for two reasons.
Firstly, upon arriving we parked in the official car park. It was a cold and frosty day (when has 3rd round day ever been anything else?) and we spotted the one and only John Motson clambering onto a precarious TV gantry wearing his trusty sheepskin. We shouted at him, and as he turned to wave at us he slipped and nearly fell 30 feet to the floor. Me and two mates nearly killed one of the greatest commentators the game has ever known.
The second moment was only seen by me, and I am still protesting years on that this actually happened. The away end was next to some traffic lights that we could see from the height of the terracing. At some point during the first half, a cattle truck pulled up at the lights. Whilst everyone else was distracted by the game, I found myself drawn to the truck and like magic, one sole cow pulled itself up at the head of the truck, looked at me, and then lowered itself down again. I nudged my friends to see if they’d seen it and they haven’t believed me since.
I expected to attend Hereford vs Dartford with Nathan, but his chicken binge the previous night had left him feeling quite unwell. As I set off – on a dreary day, missing home and my fiancee terribly – I realised that Hereford was halfway home and the temptation to skip the game and my gig that night was quite high.
I also cursed the League of Wales for not having enough teams in South Wales, although I can kind of understand it with the dominance of Cardiff, Swansea and now Newport. I really wanted to watch Merthyr Town play, but their game was scheduled for Sunday. So with no choice, a 120 mile round trip it was.
I parked in the same car park where I nearly killed John Motson years before, a car park that on this day was more full of shoppers than football fans. Crucially, nobody apart from me seemed interested in paying for their parking or sticking to the assigned bays.
The matchday experience started well, as I had the best burger I’ve had in a long time at a game. Thinking about it, this should be expected, with my pre-match treat no doubt made of a descendent of the cow that winked at me a decade ago. It did, shut up…
Jim Smallman - The Football Neutral 
I’m a Hereford fan/supporter and a season ticket holder (don’t laugh).
Just thought I would send you a message to say how ‘right’ you are in your observations.
Sadly Edgar street has sounded/felt like a funeral possession in the past few years
‘We'(well most of us) are still clinging on to the hope that the good times are just around the corner (again)
Sounds like a rough game, shame there weren’t any League of Wales matches on. I think you can safely blame the FAW for the lowliness of the League though, they’ve given teams like Barry and Llanelli no support after several financial mishaps. Why throw them into the bottom divisions when you could try and encourage some more football in South Wales??
Sad to hear how bad the Friday gig was, but I for one thoroughly enjoyed the show on Saturday night and it was a pleasure to have a chat after the gig. Good show!