Moss Rose rain can't dampen Hereford's winning spirit

Storm Boelo had quite an impact on British sport over the weekend as it blew in on Saturday to cause postponements, an abandonment - and wrecked a host of wind-affected football matches.

But the vote for the weekend's Weather Gods - the team least prepared to be blown away by the wind and rain - has to go to sixth-tier Hereford FC, the new leaders of National League North.

Playing the morning leaders Macclesfield at the Moss Rose, the Bulls made the 125-mile trip to Cheshire comforted by the knowledge that, whatever the weather, their game would surely be safe - as they were playing on a 4G all-weather pitch.

The trouble was that the rain was so heavy up in the foothills of the Pennines that pools began forming on the pitch at half-time - and match referee Jonathan Chadwick delayed the restart in an attempt to start drying out the surface.

Macc's ground staff did not immediately respond, so it was left to two of Bulls manager Aaron Downes' travelling backroom team to do the job, coach Harry Pell and goalkeeping coach Shaun Edwards, after Bulls chairman Chris Ammonds had spotted two water blotters.

"The ref was good at half-time," Bulls boss Downes told BBC Hereford & Worcester.

"He said we're playing this game, no matter what. So we had to sort of do it ourselves. The chairman spotted the spongers that were down the side of the stand.

"Pelly and Shaun got to work - and they were determined to get the game on by any means."

They requisitioned the two metallic orange giant sponges and, after a delay, the game restarted - although maybe not to the delight of the majority of the 3,235 Moss Rose crowd.

Already winning 1-0 against a Macc side down to 10 men, after Elliot Osborne's red card and Aaron Skinner's 16th-minute penalty, Hereford were rocked by Liam Duffy's 52nd-minute equaliser, only for Harrison Iwunze to restore the Bulls' lead six minutes later.

And, up against nine men for the last half hour after Josh Kay's 62nd-minute red card for a second booking, that was how it stayed.

"It's a tough place to come here anyway," added Downes. "Chuck in the weather and it makes it even more difficult."

Along with Macclesfield and Chester, two other former Football League clubs who have reformed after being liquidated, Hereford are bidding to bounce back to league football.

Like Macc, who reformed in 2020, and especially fellow fan-owned club Chester, who have been fighting this battle since 2010, they have so far found that hard going - on limited funds.

But being top of the sixth-tier table, with Macc down to third and Chester in seventh, is the highest the Bulls have so far managed in 11 years of trying.

And Downes is only looking onwards and upwards - and hoping Hereford's football outlook is at least better than the weather.

"That's a massive three points for us," he said. "A fantastic result. That's the most important thing for me."