That's The Way To Do It!

Around a year ago, I wrote a post about the FA Cup final between Manchester United and Chelsea and how incredibly dull and uninspiring it was.
Well, yesturday, once again, it was cup final time (I know, time really does fly). We all positioned ourselves in front of the telly, as is the custom in our house, to watch the encounter between Premier League Portsmouth and Championship Cardiff City. And I am very pleased to report that I was not disappointed!
This year's final was 100, if not 1000 times better than last year's. In fact, it was possibly the best cup final that I have witnessed in my short time on this earth. I have no doubt that this was because the 2 teams involved were not from the Premier League's so called 'big 4' and, were probably as surprised to see themselves at Wembley as everyone else.
The cup this year has been nothing short of magnificent, to watch Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea get knocked out of the competition has been thoroughley enjoyable and, for about 40 minutes on Saturday, I thought there could be one more shock in store. Sadly for Cardiff, it was not to be and Portsmouth went home worthy winners in the end. But what a special day for all involved. Credit should go to the fans of both clubs, who did themselves proud, and what a wonderful sight to see the Cardiff fans stay behind to applaud the victorious Portsmouth players. It really felt like the spirit of the cup had returned on Saturday, having gone missing for quite some time!
Also, a word on Paul Parry from me. I was incredibly proud to see a player who came up through the ranks at my own club, playing on the biggest stage in English football and not only that, but, not looking at all out of place. I'm sure that all Hereford fans are thrilled to see him doing so well for himself, having watched him progress over the years.
So congratulations to Portsmouth once again. I wonder when we will see a cup final like that again!

Up, Up and Away

Well, it has been an excellent week for British football, with an all English Champions League final and a Scotish team in the UEFA Cup final. But please forgive me for looking slightly closer to home, at my own little football club.
Yes, Hereford United have done it again. Last weekend they secured automatic promotion to Coca-Cola Football League 1, after just their second season back in the football league.
On average gates of 3,200 odd, the Bulls managed to secure the third automatic promotion place in League 2, an achievement comparable to Man United, Chelsea or Rangers.
It cannot be overstated how far this club has come in the 11 years since it dropped out of the league and, it's largely thanks to one person, Graham Turner.
Shortly after that fateful day, when a point against Brighton wasn't enough to keep league football in the city of Hereford, Turner offered his resignation to the then board of directors, who declined it. This would turn out to be a wise decision and, moreover, just over a year later, Turner found himself re-mortgaging his house in order to take over the club. I can't imagine Sir Alex Ferguson doing that, can you?
The rest, as they say, is history and, after a few very difficult seasons, and a few not so difficult seasons in the conference, Hereford's league status was restored, one fine day in Leicester. Now, less than 2 years after that momentous playoff final victory, they are going up again, into the third tier of English football, somewhere they haven't been for around 30 years.
So, as you can probably imagine, it's been a pretty enjoyable few days for me and my fellow Bulls fans. We realise that the hard work is only just beginning, and that staying in League 1 will be no easy task, but, for now, there's a party at Edgar Street on Saturday and what's more, you're all invited!