'A real team effort' to get matches back on at home stadium, says Hereford FC's chairman
The Bulls are to play their first match at the MandM Edgar Street Stadium in two months this evening after holding their last three home league games elsewhere due to "ongoing pitch issues"
Hereford FC's chairman has said the club is "looking forward" to making its return to matches back at their home stadium this evening.
The Bulls announced at the end of last month tonight's game against Leamington FC would go ahead at the MandM Edgar Street Stadium.
It'll mark two months since the club last played there on the 10 January in the FA Trophy, with the last three home fixtures being played elsewhere due to "ongoing pitch issues".
Chairman Chris Ammonds has thanked everyone who has helped get the pitch ready again and has said he can't wait.
"We're so looking forward to it, I think everybody is," he said.
"For the weather to have slightly turned and actually given us the chance to get the pitch dry and in a better condition is obviously massive because we couldn't control that.
"There's been a huge amount of work that's gone on over the course of the last couple of months led by our groundsman Ben Bowen, but we've had so much support from volunteers who've been out there with their forks at all hours of the day.
"It's not just the volunteers, actually our staff in the office have got involved, they've helped out when they can, a couple of the directors have spent afternoons at the ground helping, so it's been a real team effort."
The club played two of their three recent home games on the 17 and 24 February against Darlington and Chester at Sixways Stadium in Worcester where Worcester City FC and rugby union side Worcester Warriors play.
They also played the match against Scarborough Athletic in between those dates on the 21 February at Redditch United's Valley Stadium.
"There's been quite a significant financial impact on playing three home games away from our own ground," chairman Ammonds said.
"We're hugely grateful to Sixways and Redditch United for the support they gave us and allowing us to play matches there but we've incurred big costs and big losses from the fact that we've had to play elsewhere.
"Although we still kept the match income in terms of the ticket sales, we don't get any of the additional income from bars or refreshment sales or any of that sort of stuff, so it's been really tough for us."
The match will also be the first time manager Aaron Downes has coached the side, who are 22nd in the National League North, at Edgar Street.
Downes was appointed to the role until the end of the season last month after the club parted company with Paul Caddis and has so far overseen five matches, winning three, losing one and drawing the other, cutting the gap to the team outside the relegation zone to three points with games in hand.