Hereford

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 3-2 to Atherstone United. The club's second ever match was an FA Cup preliminary round tie against future rivals Kidderminster Harriers which they lost 7–2.

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. 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. 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 1971–72 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 spent only 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 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 £1 million owed to a property development company which also controlled the leases on the stadium. Turner purchased only two players between 1997 and 2008 for a combined total of £40,000.

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.