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Hereford United Football Club was an English association football club based in the city of Hereford that last played in the Southern League Premier Division, the seventh tier of English football. Founded in 1924, the club was elected to the Football League in 1972, and spent 31 seasons in the League in two spells, 25 of them in the fourth tier. The club reached the old Second Division in 1976, its best league performance, but was relegated after only one season at that level. Hereford achieved national prominence in 1972 when, as a Southern League club, they knocked top-flight Newcastle United out of the FA Cup.〔(Ronnie Radford Rocket Stunned Norwich City ) Daily Telegraph, 5 January 2008. Retrieved on 11 February 2008.〕 Hereford played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'The Bulls' after the Hereford cattle breed. The club's motto was "Our greatest glory lies not in never having fallen, but in rising when we fall". The club was affiliated to the Herefordshire County FA. On 19 December 2014, the club was wound up in the High Court after a petition had been brought against it by HM Revenue and Customs. Following the demise of United, a new 'phoenix club' was being set up, Hereford F.C..〔http://bullsnews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/new-hereford-fc-twitter-account-gains.html〕〔http://bullsnews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/hale-group-meet-trust-chairman.html〕 The new club incorporates the words 'Forever United' into its crest design, as well as the iconic Hereford Bull. ==History== (詳細はList of Hereford United F.C. seasons.'' Hereford United Football Club was founded in 1924 with the merger of two local clubs St Martins and RAOC (Rotherwas), with the intention of sustaining a higher class of football in the city of Hereford. Hereford joined the Birmingham Combination and lost its first match 2–3 to Atherstone United. The club's second ever match was an FA Cup Preliminary Round tie against future rivals Kidderminster Harriers which they lost 2–7. Hereford progressed to the Birmingham & District League in 1928 where the club spent 11 seasons, with a best position of 4th. By the late 1930s the number of clubs in the league had decreased and Hereford successfully applied to join the Southern League – but played only a few games in this league before the outbreak of the Second World War. At the same time the club became a limited company. When football resumed after the war, Hereford finished 1st in their first full season in the league only to be demoted to 2nd behind Chelmsford City, which was awarded points for unplayed matches.〔(Hereford United – 1924–1949 ) Hereford United Official Website. Retrieved on 6 March 2008.〕 In 27 seasons in the Southern League, Hereford finished as runners-up three times, and also lifted the Southern League Cup three times. When the league was regionalised for one season in 1958–59, Hereford also won their regional division to add to their third League Cup win. In 1966 Hereford signed John Charles, the former Leeds United, Juventus and Welsh international, boosting the support of the club.〔(Hereford United – 1960–1970 ) Hereford United Official Website. Retrieved on 6 March 2008.〕 He became manager a year later and set about building a team to challenge at the top of the Southern League and gain election to the Football League. With the club becoming one of the best-supported non-league clubs in the country Charles used his standing within the game to canvass votes from member clubs for election to the Football League. The 1971–1972 season saw the club finish second in the Southern League and gain national prominence due to its exploits in the FA Cup. Charles had departed the club in October 1971 and his successor Colin Addison inherited a side that defeated top-flight Newcastle United in the FA Cup. The star player was Dudley Tyler; Ronnie Radford and Ricky George's goals earned the club a Fourth Round tie against West Ham United where they were defeated in a replay at Upton Park. The Cup run played a part in the club's successful election to the Fourth Division, replacing Barrow. The club rose rapidly to the Second Division after finishing runners-up in their first season in the Fourth Division and winning the Third Division title in 1976. Dixie McNeil was the leading goalscorer in the top four divisions of English football in the same season, but Hereford would only spend one season in the second tier before dropping back into the Fourth Division. The club's peak was in October 1976 when they were in sixth position before playing Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest, losing 4–3 at the City Ground. After this period of success the club spent 19 years in the bottom division, suffering financial problems in the early 1980s which resurfaced in the mid-1990s. The club enjoyed brief glimpses of their past success in the Cup competitions, holding Arsenal to a 1–1 draw in the FA Cup of 1985 and narrowly losing 1–0 to Manchester United in the FA Cup of 1990. The club's first trophy for 14 years was the Welsh Cup won in the same season. In the league the club usually finished in the bottom half as it went through a succession of managers, finishing 17th in 4 consecutive seasons. Graham Turner was appointed manager for the beginning of the 1995–96 season and managed to lead the team to sixth place and the play-offs, despite the club being in 17th position two months previously. This resurgence was in part thanks to the goals of Steve White who emulated Dixie McNeil by being the leading goalscorer in the top four divisions. Hereford lost to Darlington in the play-offs and, with financial problems worsening, the club lost key players for the following 1996–1997 season. After a terrible run of form the Hereford were ultimately relegated after a relegation-decider at Edgar Street with Brighton & Hove Albion. In 1998 Turner purchased a majority shareholding from Peter Hill and Robin Fry. The club was in serious financial difficulties, with debts of £1million owed to a property development company which also controlled the leases on the stadium.〔(Financial crisis threatens Hereford ) The Independent, 17 October 1997. Retrieved on 8 May 2008.〕〔(Turner ready for final push ) BBC Hereford and Worcester. Retrieved on 27 February 2007.〕〔(Hereford mourn loss of a legend ) The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 20 March 2007.〕 Turner purchased only two players between 1997 and 2008 for a combined total of £40,000.〔(Turner's Bulls on a League Charge ) The Football League Official Website, 14 December 2007. Retrieved on 14 December 2007.〕 The club's first five seasons in the Conference saw little success on the pitch, with the club being forced to sell many of its key players and the future of Edgar Street in serious doubt. The 2001–02 FA Cup saw the club receive a financial bonus when the BBC televised the First Round match against Wrexham live. Turner stated that the money was critical to the club's survival and therefore Gavin Williams's goal against Dover Athletic in the previous round is seen as the goal that saved the club.〔(Back In The Big Time! ) BBC Hereford and Worcester, 2 August 2006. Retrieved on 22 February 2008.〕 Having reached a 40-year low of 17th in the Conference, the summer of 2002 proved a turning point as almost the entire squad was changed, the majority of new signings having been released from Football League clubs as a result of the ITV Digital collapse. The new squad transformed the club into title contenders which, after a record-breaking season in the 2003–04 season, finished as runners up in the Conference but failed in the play-offs. 2004–05 saw an identical outcome but in 2005–06 Hereford were promoted after defeating Halifax Town in the play-off final.〔(Green finds the extra edge to put Hereford on cloud nine ) Guardian Unlimited, 21 May 2006. Retrieved on 27 February 2007.〕 The club returned to the Football League with a vastly improved financial situation. Under Turner the club was now strictly living within its financial means, having turned a sizeable profit in the latter Conference seasons whilst spending just £20,000 on transfers. In addition the team was playing attractive football which had earned them the mantle of "the best footballing side in the Conference".〔(Warburton Leads Aldershot Through ) The Independent, 4 May 2004. Retrieved on 22 February 2008.〕〔(Turner Bullish About A Hereford Comeback ) The Daily Telegraph, 8 May 2004. Retrieved on 22 February 2008.〕 In 2006–07 Hereford achieved victories over five of the top eight finishing clubs, but a poor run of form in the last part of the season dropped the club into 16th position. In the 2007–08 season the club were never out of the top five from November onwards and consistently placed in the automatic promotion places. Despite strong competition from Stockport County, Hereford secured third place and promotion with a match to spare by defeating Brentford 3–0 at Griffin Park, though they were tipped to struggle in League One.,〔(League Two form guide ) BBC Sport, 6 August 2007. Retrieved on 8 May 2008.〕 2008–09 saw the club play in the third tier of English football for the first time since 1978. They rarely placed outside the relegation zone throughout the season, and achieved only 17 points at the halfway point. A 5–0 home win over Oldham Athletic was a rare good result, with top scorer Steve Guinan scoring a hat-trick. Hereford's relegation was confirmed on 18 April 2009, after they recorded 1 win and 11 defeats in a 12 match spell. Turner subsequently stepped down as manager, paving the way for John Trewick to become manager. However, Trewick did not last a full season after a disappointing campaign and was dismissed on 8 March 2010; and Turner once again took over first team duties on a temporary basis. David Keyte was announced as the new club chairman on 4 June 2010 with Tim Russon as the new vice-chairman. They appointed Simon Davey as manager on 22 June 2010. Davey was sacked on 4 October 2010 after poor league form. He was succeeded by physio Jamie Pitman who acted as caretaker manager until he was made manager on a full-time basis until the end of the 2010–11 season. Hereford were further relegated to the Conference from League Two at the end of the 2011–12 season. Hereford were expelled from the Conference on 10 June 2014 due to financial irregularities. It was revealed a week later that the club's debts could total as much as £1.3million. The club was accepted into the Southern League Premier Division for the 2014–15 season on 19 June 2014. However, financial worries continued, including a winding-up petition started by Martin Foyle, who resigned as Manager in March 2014. Hearings of the winding-up petition were adjourned a number of times, including on 7 July 2014. A number of other creditors attached themselves to the Foyle petition, including Andy Porter, former Assistant Manager, and HMRC. A CVA was proposed by the Board of Directors of the company, but was rejected by creditors. Many Hereford fans chose to boycott the club due to clashes between fans and the board. Many fans felt anger over the board's choice not to pay a bond to remain in the Conference Premier and other management choices that the fans felt were not in the club's best interests. On 10 December 2014, after failing to fully and properly comply with obligations to respond to questions coming from an Independent Regulatory Commission, the FA suspended Hereford United from all forms of football activity with immediate effect, until the order of the Independent Regulatory Commission was complied with to the full satisfaction of the Commission. Hereford United's suspension from all football activity was lifted by the Football Association the following day, after Chairman, and new majority shareholder, Andy Lonsdale confirmed the FA received the necessary documentation – including the transfer of shares in the club to Lonsdale. The club was wound-up in the High Court in December 2014.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=Hereford United is wound up by High Court over tax debt )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hereford United F.C.」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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