They’ve finally done it.
No, I’m not talking about Leicester City and their Premier League masterstroke, nor am I signalling when Aston Villa will finally drop into the Championship
This is a lesser known story of how one phoenix club have reached Wembley in their first season in the FA Vase tournament, despite not even having a team ready to play back in May.
Of course, the club I am talking about is Hereford FC, who have taken non-league by storm in their debut season.
The old team, Hereford United, wound up in court back in December 2014 after years of financial turmoil and dodgy ownership issues. The club’s supporters were left both relieved and heartbroken when the hammer came down in London, but few would have thought a Wembley trip would have become a reality in their debut season.
But now they can stop dreaming.
Over the weekend Hereford travelled to Salisbury FC, another phoenix club, for the biggest game in their short history.
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They took a 1-0 lead to the Raymond McEnhill Stadium thanks to a first-legged home victory, but with away goals making no difference in the FA Vase, everything was to play for. Steve Claridge’s men still had every chance to upset-the-odds and boot out the favourites.
And it looked like the tie was turning in Salisbury’s favour when Steve Walker gave the Whites a first-half lead to level the tie to 1-1 on aggregate. Hereford hearts were in mouths, but former Worcester City man, Mike Symons, levelled just before half-time to restore Hereford’s one goal advantage.
Hereford had the chance to put the game to bed in the second half when they were awarded a penalty, but highly-rated Mustapha Bundu saw his effort from the spot saved and on the game went. The 650-or-so Hereford fans in the away end couldn’t bear to look, until substitute Joe Tumelty crashed home to send the Bulls’ support delirious.
And it was nothing more than Hereford deserved, as they were, arguably, the better side over the two legs.
But, this game was always about more than just the result itself. It was about the rebirth, the journey up until this point and what the future may hold for a team that seem destined for great things.
Hereford United were always a club that were associated with FA Cup thanks to the heroics of Ronnie Radford in that famous cup tie in 1972. It created memories and for the Bulls fans there on the day, that game changed everything.
Fast-forward over forty years and the new team are trying to build something fresh and most importantly, successful. The hordes of volunteers and supporters that have helped get the club back on its feet deserve this success and the final will be a day of celebration.
Their opponents will be Morpeth Town FC, who managed to overcome Bowers and Pitsea in added time to win their two-legged fixture.
But, there is little doubt that the Hereford fans will travel in their thousands to the famous Wembley arch and hope that they can bring back the Vase to the Cider Country.
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