Cheltenham clash already a six-pointer

2:28pm Thursday 13th November 2008

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HEREFORD United will entertain their local rivals Cheltenham in a League 1 clash at Edgar Street on Saturday, seeking the win which will get their season underway again.

A victory would move the Bulls off the bottom of the table and above their Gloucestershire opponents.

Ahead of Saturday’s match, Bulls chief Graham Turner has boosted his squad by agreeing a loan deal with Wolverhampton Wanderers for highly-rated goalkeeper Matt Murray.

Once considered an England prospect, Murray is on his way back after missing 18 months with a cruciate ligament injury.

“Having a player of Matt Murray’s stature, both physically and within the game, can only give us all a boost,” said Turner.

United’s regular goalkeeper this season, Darren Randolph, has, however, taken an unusual exception to Murray’s arrival.

On hearing speculation concerning the Wolves man’s possible loan signing at the end of last week, Randolph refused to play in United’s FA Cup tie with Dagenham & Redbridge and was replaced by Craig Samson, who kept a clean sheet.

Randolph, who had been due to spend the whole season at Hereford on loan from Charlton, now seems likely to return to the London club during the ‘loan break’ at the start of next year.

“Darren has to remain our player until January but it is unlikely that he will play for us again,” said Turner.

Samson, meanwhile, seems set to get a further chance to impress when Hereford head for Dagenham next Tuesday evening for their first-round FA Cup replay.

The prize on offer is a second-round visit to Leicester City on Saturday, November 29.

The draw gives a further reminder of the remarkable progress made by the Bulls during the current decade.

When the two clubs were paired in the third round draw in 1999-2000, City were a Premiership side while United were a mid-table Conference team.

If United were to beat Dagenham, they would travel to the Walkers Stadium as Leicester’s equals.