HEREFORD United have turned full circle as they head for the County Ground tomorrow.

The Bulls' 1972 FA Cup win over Newcastle is arguably the most famous upset in the modern game.

But almost 30 years on, Newcastle are still a top flight force while Hereford are once again a non-league side.

The league status secured in 1972 was cruelly taken away in 1997.

Hereford crashed into the Conference after a nail-biting 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Brighton on the final day of the season.

Ironically, Hereford had a better goal difference than the Seagulls but had scored fewer goals.

Graham Turner was the manager that day and he remains at Edgar Street.

He recently handed over the managerial reigns to midfielder Phil Robinson to concentrate on trying to keep the club afloat.

Turner's love of Hereford grew to such an extent that he bought out the major shareholder.

After four unsuccessful attempts to bounce back (the best was a sixth place finish in 1997-98) into the league United fans were hoping 2001-2 would be their year.

But the promotion dream looks as though it will have to be put on ice for another year.

The Bulls are currently 16th in the Conference with six wins, six draws and nine defeats from their 21 matches.

They are just two points clear of the bottom three and recent form has not been encouraging.

Last Saturday saw a 2-0 reverse at Barnet.

That meant (FA Cup games aside) that Hereford had failed to score in four matches.

The best the Bulls could manage during that spell was a goalless draw at home to Doncaster Rovers.

The only highlight of late was a 6-0 thrashing of Scarborough.

Ian Wright, John Snape, Paul Parry, James Quiggin, Gavin Williams and Robert Elmes were the scorers.

Wright scored the crucial FA Cup winner over Wrexham but Elmes is the most prolific target man for the Bees.

The striker has netted six goals so far this season.

He is continuing the goalscoring form which saw him net 18 goals last year.

The recent slump is in sharp contrast to the way Hereford kicked off the campaign.

United lost just one of their first seven games and looked a good bet for a promotion challenge.

But with money tight at Edgar Street, a £30,000 victory 'reward' from the FA would be snapped up gratefully.

That and the prospect of a third round clash with a Premiership giant is a powerful incentive for the part-timers. Town beware!