National League North
Sat 14 March
MandM Edgar Street Stadium
Hereford
South Shields
15:00
Words: Will Morris
Hereford FC go in search of a third consecutive win on Saturday, as they take on table-topping South Shields at the MandM Edgar Street Stadium.
STATE OF PLAY
The rejuvenated Bulls are in fine fettle, gaining 13 points from their last six outings. Aaron Downes’ men will be brimming with confidence after Tuesday’s 5-1 victory over bottom-placed Leamington, courtesy of a George Munday hat-trick and efforts from Harrison Sohna and Andy Williams.
Hereford’s gaffer had this to say after the five-star display:
“Well, you hope for that [five goals], don’t you? You’re coaching for that, training for that, playing for that, but you can never really tell. It’s a great result and a great win.
“I’m really happy with the majority of the play. There’s never a perfect performance, but ultimately at this stage of the season it’s about making sure we’re doing the right things and getting results.”
Tuesday’s success means Hereford find themselves in a much healthier position going into Saturday’s clash, sitting one point behind 20th-placed Oxford City with six games in hand.
Loanee striker George Munday will be looking to add to his tally after a stellar performance in midweek. The Cambridge man took away the matchball and is determined to continue this form throughout the rest of the season.
“Scoring goals, there’s no feeling like it in football, especially for a striker,” he said. “It’s what you’re judged on at the end of the day. To score in front of that many people here is an incredible feeling. It makes me hungry to score more.”
THE OPPOSITION
South Shields are a force to be reckoned with. Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at Chorley extended the Mariners’ unbeaten league run to 16 games and ensured they held a two-point lead over AFC Fylde at the top of the table. The high-fliers are unsurprisingly strong on the road, losing two of 18 away trips in the league this term.
The Mariners will also be a tough team to break down, having conceded just 30 goals this season – the best defensive record in the division. The Bulls are free-flowing at the moment, however, so this should be an interesting match-up on Saturday.
ONE TO WATCH: PAUL BLACKETT
South Shields talisman Paul Blackett will hope to extend his prolific record. The striker has smashed 23 league goals this campaign, behind only Bedford’s Tyrone Marsh and Fylde’s Danny Ormerod in the National League North chart. The former Spennymoor poacher has scored six times in his last five outings and had netted in five straight games until the Chorley stalemate.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Historically the tie is honours even, Hereford experiencing two wins, a draw and two losses in previous tussles against Saturday’s opponents. The Bulls will be out to avoid a repeat of October’s reverse fixture, as the Mariners prevailed 2-1 with then-West Bromwich Albion loanee Michael Parker equalising for the visitors.
Hereford and South Shields have faced off twice at the MandM Edgar Street Stadium, a 3-0 win apiece both coming in 2024. With the two teams feeling bullish and sharing an even record, this could be one of the National League North games of the day.
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
October 2025
SOUTH SHIELDS 2-1 HEREFORD (Parker)
February 25
SOUTH SHIELDS 0-1 HEREFORD (Ceesay)
August 2024
HEREFORD 3-0 SOUTH SHIELDS (Gibson, Williams, Ceesay)
January 2024
HEREFORD 0-3 SOUTH SHIELDS
October 2023
SOUTH SHIELDS 0-0 HEREFORD
TICKETS
Back the Bulls as they take on the league leaders. Click here to grab your ticket.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Stay across all the action on our social media channels (X, Instagram, Facebook), listen to the game live on Radio Hereford FC and chat with fellow Bulls fans.
