1980–81 Hereford United F.C. season

February 2025 February 2025 Hereford United 1980–81 Frank Lord Peter Hill Edgar Street Division Four 22nd League Cup First round FA Cup Second round Welsh Cup Runners-up Frank McGrellis (10) Frank McGrellis (14) 7,745 v Newport County, League Cup, 9 August 1980 1,030 v Newtown, Welsh Cup, 17 November 1980 2,444 5–0 v Shrewsbury Town (H), Welsh Cup, 3 March 1981 0–5 v Newport County (A), League Cup, 12 August 19800–5 v Crewe Alexandra (A), Division Four, 7 October 1980 1979–80 1981–82 The 1980–81 season was the 52nd season of competitive football played by Hereford United Football Club and their ninth in the Football League. The club competed in Division Four, as well as the League Cup, Welsh Cup and FA Cup. Summary Hereford struggled from the off and had won only four league matches by the New Year, as well as suffering humiliating defeats in both major cup competitions. They were unable to field a settled side due to an injury crisis which resulted in lengthy absences to Tommy Hughes, Mel Pejic, Paul Gilchrist (who eventually retired from playing) and Frank McGrellis. Although doomed to apply again for re-election to the Football League, a run of four wins and three draws from the final eight matches at least enabled them to pull clear of bottom spot above Halifax Town and York City. In the Welsh Cup, Hereford fared significantly better as they reached the final, enjoying excellent wins over higher-graded Shrewsbury Town and Newport County along the way. Their opponents in the two-legged final were Swansea City, fresh from promotion to the First Division for the first time in their history, who narrowly prevailed 2–1 on aggregate.Parrott 1998 60–64 Squad Players who made one appearance or more for Hereford United F.C. during the 1980-81 season Pos.Nat.NameLeagueLeague CupWelsh CupFA CupTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsGKSCODrew Brand220002020260GKENGRay Cashley (on loan from Bristol City)200006000260GKSCOTommy Hughes4020000060DFENGDanny Bartley454218220577DFWALStuart Cornes32(1)100802042(1)1DFENGIan Dobson17220000(1)019(1)2DFENGKeith Hicks391007020481DFENGPaul Hunt8(8)10(1)0102011(9)1DFENGJohn Layton0010000010DFPOLAdam Musial160001000170DFENGRichard Overson1(2)0000(1)0001(3)0DFENGMel Pejic130203000180DFENGChris Price422207020532DFENGSteve Strong6000000060DFENGValmore Thomas90001020120MFNIRJimmy Harvey29(1)120702040(1)1MFENGJoe Laidlaw19(1)100730026(1)4MFENGSean Lane11(2)020000013(2)0MFENGGary Lowe90200000110MFENGPeter Spiring40(1)1206(1)12050(2)2MFENGWinston White435008220537FWENGTrevor Ames5(1)00000005(1)0FWENGFred Binney2(2)00000002(2)0FWENGGarry Jones21(4)420112126(4)6FWSCOFrank McGrellis24101074003214FWWALPaul Morris1(1)00000001(1)0FWENGStewart Phillips6(2)10010007(2)1FWWALDerek Showers224007200296 Parrott 1998 220–221Rothmans 1981-82 179–180 League table Fourth Division y HER Results Fourth Division 1980–81 Football League 1 16 August 1980 Hereford United 1–1 D Tranmere Rovers Harvey 85 Lumby 41 Edgar Street Hereford 3,034 2 19 August 1980 Bournemouth 1–0 L Hereford United Elliott 42 Dean Court Bournemouth 2,991 3 23 August 1980 Mansfield Town 4–0 L Hereford United Bird 18Burrows 63Austin 81Caldwell 87 Field Mill Mansfield 3,103 4 30 August 1980 Hereford United 1–1 D York City Jones 46 Ford 54 Edgar Street Hereford 2,757 5 6 September 1980 Doncaster Rovers 5–1 L Hereford United Warboys 18 45 pen.Little 36Nimmo 52 89 White 47 Belle Vue Doncaster 2,186 6 13 September 1980 Hereford United 0–0 D Southend United Edgar Street Hereford 2,464 7 17 September 1980 Hereford United 3–0 W Rochdale Jones 34Price 71Hicks 90 Edgar Street Hereford 2,475 8 20 September 1980 Hartlepool United 2–0 L Hereford United Houchen 8Ayre 76 Victoria Park Hartlepool 2,320 9 27 September 1980 Hereford United 4–1 W Northampton Town White 12 pen.Jones 48Price 49Bartley 61 Phillips 28 pen. Edgar Street Hereford 2,693 10 30 September 1980 Rochdale 0–0 D Hereford United Spotland Rochdale 2,328 11 4 October 1980 Hereford United 0–1 L Darlington Walsh 20 Edgar Street Hereford 2,934 12 7 October 1980 Crewe Alexandra 5–0 L Hereford United Coyne 30 51 63 73Hunter 70 pen. Gresty Road Crewe 3,033 13 10 October 1980 Stockport County 0–0 D Hereford United Edgeley Park Stockport 2,303 14 18 October 1980 Hereford United 1–1 D Wimbledon Jones 15 Hubbick 62 Edgar Street Hereford 2,369 15 22 October 1980 Hereford United 2–3 L Port Vale Dobson 59 86 Beech 25M. Chamberlain 67 85 Edgar Street Hereford 2,101 16 25 October 1980 Halifax Town 0–0 D Hereford United The Shay Halifax 1,288 17 28 October 1980 Bury 2–1 L Hereford United Hilton 30Tully 90 Hunt 23 Gigg Lane Bury 2,186 18 1 November 1980 Hereford United 0–2 L Lincoln City Neale 75 77 Edgar Street Hereford 2,755 19 5 November 1980 Hereford United 0–0 D Crewe Alexandra Edgar Street Hereford 1,476 20 8 November 1980 Scunthorpe United 3–1 L Hereford United Stewart 65 87Cammack 76 Phillips 19 Old Show Ground Scunthorpe 1,539 21 12 November 1980 Hereford United 1–0 W Bournemouth Bartley 48 Edgar Street Hereford 1,640 22 29 November 1980 Hereford United 1–1 D Wigan Athletic Bartley 45 Houghton 18 Edgar Street Hereford 2,358 23 6 December 1980 Peterborough United 3–0 L Hereford United Cooke 52Robson 67 74 London Road Peterborough 3,281 24 20 December 1980 Hereford United 4–0 W Bradford City McGrellis 1 69 80Showers 18 Edgar Street Hereford 2,114 25 26 December 1980 Aldershot 4–0 L Hereford United Sanford 11 85 87 89 Recreation Ground Aldershot 3,094 26 27 December 1980 Hereford United 0–1 L Torquay United Cox 38 Edgar Street Hereford 3,412 27 10 January 1981 Hereford United 0–1 L Bury Hilton 23 Edgar Street Hereford 2,382 28 24 January 1981 York City 1–2 W Hereford United Craig 20 Showers 27McGrellis 44 Bootham Crescent York 1,924 29 31 January 1981 Hereford United 2–1 W Mansfield Town Showers 19White 27 pen. Lumby 74 pen. Edgar Street Hereford 2,672 30 6 February 1981 Southend United 2–0 L Hereford United Pountney 45Spence 48 Roots Hall Southend-on-Sea 3,094 31 11 February 1981 Wigan Athletic 1–0 L Hereford United Wright 68 Springfield Park Wigan 3,370 32 14 February 1981 Hereford United 1–3 L Doncaster Rovers White 43 I. Snodin 21Nimmo 62 90 Edgar Street Hereford 2,806 33 28 February 1981 Hereford United 3–0 W Hartlepool United Laidlaw 21White 41 pen.McGrellis 79 Edgar Street Hereford 2,313 34 8 March 1981 Darlington 2–1 L Hereford United Stalker 20 60 McGrellis 44 Feethams Darlington 3,491 35 16 March 1981 Port Vale 4–0 L Hereford United Bowles 44 52M. Chamberlain 71Armstrong 81 Vale Park Stoke-on-Trent 2,379 36 22 March 1981 Wimbledon 0–0 D Hereford United Plough Lane London 3,898 37 28 March 1981 Hereford United 0–1 L Halifax Town Allatt 6 Edgar Street Hereford 2,588 38 4 April 1981 Lincoln City 1–0 L Hereford United Hobson 74 Sincil Bank Lincoln 3,655 39 11 April 1981 Hereford United 2–1 W Scunthorpe United McGrellis 9Cornes 25 Price 45 o.g. Edgar Street Hereford 2,009 40 14 April 1981 Northampton Town 0–0 D Hereford United County Ground Northampton 1,380 41 18 April 1981 Torquay United 0–1 W Hereford United McGrellis 63 Plainmoor Torquay 1,865 42 20 April 1981 Hereford United 0–0 D Aldershot Edgar Street Hereford 2,946 43 29 April 1981 Tranmere Rovers 2–1 L Hereford United Peplow 28Kelly 67 Bartley 48 Prenton Park Birkenhead 1,126 44 2 May 1981 Hereford United 1–1 D Peterborough United McGrellis 25 Cooke 88 Edgar Street Hereford 2,102 45 6 May 1981 Hereford United 2–0 W Stockport County Showers 7Spiring 85 Edgar Street Hereford 1,707 46 15 May 1981 Bradford City 0–1 W Hereford United McGrellis 23 Valley Parade Bradford 1,249 Parrott 1998 216–219Rothmans 1981-82 178 League Cup 1980–81 Football League Cup First round first leg 9 August 1980 Hereford United 1–0 W Newport County Bartley 66 Edgar Street Hereford 7,745 First round second leg 12 August 1980 Newport County 5–0 L Hereford United Tynan 1 74Aldridge 43 61Gwyther 59 Somerton Park Newport 5,683 Rothmans 1981-82 430–432 Welsh Cup Third round 17 November 1980 Hereford United 1–0 W Newtown Jones 28 Edgar Street Hereford 1,030 Fourth round 2 January 1981 Knighton Town 1–4 W Hereford United Hand 82 Showers 15McGrellis 47 50White 65 Bryn-y-Castell Showground Knighton 2,211 Fifth round 17 February 1981 Shrewsbury Town 2–2 D Hereford United Dungworth 46McNally 76 Keay 30 o.g.McGrellis 35 Gay Meadow Shrewsbury 2,350 Fifth round replay 3 March 1981 Hereford United 5–0 W Shrewsbury Town Showers 31Spiring 57White 60 pen.Laidlaw 68McGrellis 79 Edgar Street Hereford 3,003 Semi-final first leg 11 March 1981 Hereford United 2–1 W Newport County Bartley 82Laidlaw 84 Moore 4 Edgar Street Hereford 5,251 Semi-final second leg 31 March 1981 Newport County 1–1 D Hereford United Lowndes 83 Bartley 70 Somerton Park Newport 5,994 Final first leg 4 May 1981 Swansea City 1–0 L Hereford United R. James 12 Vetch Field Swansea 13,182 Final second leg 11 May 1981 Hereford United 1–1 D Swansea City Laidlaw 5 R. James 26 Edgar Street Hereford 7,038 https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/19540619.story-knighton-town---radnorshires-resilient-robins/ The story of Knighton Town - Radnorshire's resilient Robins Powys County Times FA Cup 1980–81 FA Cup First round 22 November 1980 Southend United 0–1 W Hereford United Jones 28 Roots Hall Southend-on-Sea 4,922 Second round 13 December 1980 Enfield 2–0 L Hereford United Burton 21 85 Southbury Road Enfield 2,263 Rothmans 1981-82 466-468 References Bibliography Parrott Ron Hereford United: The League Era - A Complete Record Desert Island Books 1998 1-874287-18-X Rothmans 1981-82 Rothmans Football Yearbook 1981-82 (Editor: Jack Rollin) Queen Anne Press 0362-02046-9 Category:Hereford United F.C. seasons Hereford United F.C.