RUFC - Zip's Head to Head - Hereford

With the start of the new season fast approaching, our resident stats man zipadeedoodah, has been busy with his head in books so he can bring us our Head to Head articles.

Our first game of the season will be a visit to Hereford United

A lot of water has passed under the bridge, (and in view of the recent floods, over the bridge) since our last visit to Edgar Street the home of next Saturday's opponents Hereford United.

We have gone through three promotions, three relegations and a Wembley final since that day in 1992, while Hereford have spent nine seasons trying to get back into the Football League, but both teams find themselves back in the Football League's basement looking to get back up the pecking order.

Our last trip to Hereford came on Grand National day April 4th 1992, and while Carl Llewelyns mount Party Politics was beating Romany King to the winning line at Aintree, Chris Fry's second half goal for Hereford was enough to beat Rotherham United, who remained just outside the Fourth Division automatic promotion places in Fourth.

However fellow promotion rivals Mansfield were losing 2-1 at Blackpool leaving them just one point in front of the Millers in third, while we still had a game in hand.

Earlier that season Rotherham and Hereford had ground out a drab goalless draw at Millmoor.

Prior to that season we had met on just three other occasions at Edgar Street.

A 1-1 draw in the 1988-89 Championship winning season.

A first half opener by Hereford's Phil Stant was cancelled out by an own goal in the second half from Hereford's Russel Bradley, who was on loan for the Bulls from Nottinham Forest.

This point put Rotherham back on top of Division Four.

Thirty seasons ago saw the only Millers win at Edgar Street.

An early season's 3-2 victory proved to be one of the few high spots in a season of struggle for Rotherham as we finished twentieth in Division Three, avoiding relegation by just three points.

The goalscores that day were, Trevor Womble with the only goal of the first half plus goals from Mark Rhodes and Alan Crawford, with replies from Les Briley and Dixie McNeil.

The first ever League encounter at Edgar Street came in the 1975-76 season.

A season of consolidation for the Millers as we finished sixteenth after promotion from Division Four the previous campaign.

However Hereford had a season to remember as they won the 3rd division title after just four season's in the Football League.

Rotherham put on a brave show against the newly crowned champions but The Millers season ended with a 3-2 defeat in front of 8,950 as the champagne flowed at Edgar Street.

Dudley Tyler 2 and Dixie McNeil scored the goals which beat Rotherham who replied through Richard Finney and Alan Crawford.

Hereford still had an outstanding League game left, and an Hat-trick fom Dixie McNeil in a 3-1 home win over Preston left him with thirty-five league goals.

This made him the leading League scorer in all division's just 1 in front of Walsall's Alan Buckley and a bloke at Tranmere called Ronnie Moore.

OVERALL RECORD V HEREFORD

GAMES = 8

ROTHERHAM WINS = 3

HEREFORD WINS = 2

DRAWS = 3

GOALS = 14-8

1991/1992

Division 4 Hereford United 1-0 Rotherham United 04-04-1992

Division 4 Rotherham United 0-0 Hereford United 07-09-1991

1988/1989

Division 4 Rotherham United 6-0 Hereford United 29-04-1989

Division 4 Hereford United 1-1 Rotherham United 26-11-1988

1977/1978

Division 3 Rotherham United 1-0 Hereford United 18-04-1978

Division 3 Hereford United 2-3 Rotherham United 10-09-1977

1975/1976

Division 3 Hereford United 3-2 Rotherham United 24-04-1976

Division 3 Rotherham United 1-1 Hereford United 23-08-1975

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