Year founded: 1924 Nickname: The Bulls Chairman: Andy Lonsdale
Website: www.herefordunited.co.uk Stadium: The Meadow (5300 Capacity)
Previous Meeting: Hereford 0-2 St Neots (14/15)
to the Birmingham & District League in 1928 where the club spent 11 seasons, with a best position of 4th. By the late 1930s the number of clubs in the league had decreased and Hereford successfully applied to join the Southern League – but played only a few games in this league before the outbreak of the Second World War. At the same time the club became a limited company. In 1966 Hereford signed John Charles, the former Leeds United, Juventus and Welsh international, boosting the support of the club. He became manager a year later and set about building a team to challenge at the top of the Southern League and gain election to the Football League. With the club becoming one of the best-supported non-league clubs in the country Charles used his standing within the game to canvass votes from member clubs
for election to the Football League. The 1971–72 season saw the club finish second in the Southern League and gain national prominence due to its exploits in the FA Cup. Charles had departed the club in October 1971 and his successor Colin Addison inherited a side that defeated top-flight Newcastle United in the FA Cup. In the Fourth Round they played West Ham United where they were defeated in a replay at Upton Park. The Cup run played a part in the club’s successful election to the Fourth Division, replacing Barrow. The club rose rapidly to the Second Division after finishing runners-up in their first season in the Fourth Division and winning the Third Division title in 1976. Dixie McNeil was the leading goalscorer in the top four divisions of English football in the same season, but Hereford would only spend one season in the
second tier before dropping back into the Fourth Division. After this period of success the club spent 19 years in the bottom division. In the 1996–97 season after a terrible run of form the Hereford were ultimately relegated after a relegation-decider at Edgar Street with Brighton & Hove Albion. In 2005–06 Hereford were promoted after defeating Halifax Town in the play-off final. The club returned to the Football League with a vastly improved financial situation. 2008–09 saw the club play in the third tier of English football for the first time since 1978. They rarely placed outside the relegation zone and were relegated. Hereford was further relegated to the Conference from League Two at the end of the 2011–12 season.
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