1986–87 Hereford United F.C. season

October 2025 October 2025 Hereford United 1986–87 John Newman Peter Hill Edgar Street Division Four 16th Littlewoods Cup First round FA Cup First round Welsh Cup Third round Freight Rover Trophy Quarter-final Ollie Kearns (16) Ollie Kearns (20) 5,828 v Wolverhampton Wanderers, Division Four, 26 December 1986 1,358 v Newport County, Welsh Cup, 10 December 1986 2,583 6–0 v Burnley (A), Division Four, 24 January 1987 1–5 v Swansea City (A), Littlewoods Cup, 2 September 1986 1985–86 1987–88 The 1986–87 season was the 58th season of competitive football played by Hereford United Football Club and their 15th in the Football League. The club competed in Division Four, as well as the Littlewoods Cup, FA Cup, Welsh Cup and Freight Rover Trophy. Summary The Football League introduced play-offs to determine promotion places for the first time, as well as automatic demotion and promotion between Division Four and the top tier of non-league. Hereford were nearly beneficiary and victim of the new structure, at one point nudging close to the play-off zone and later slipping perilously close to relegation. Results in the first half of the season were indifferent at best, but showed an upturn after Christmas, peaking with a 6–0 thrashing of Burnley at Turf Moor which was Hereford's biggest ever win in a Football League match. Although they were in 8th place at the end of January, Hereford then lost eight matches in a row - the worst sequence of defeats in their history - and had slipped to 20th near the end of March. Their form stabilised thereafter, although safety was not confirmed until a 2–0 win over Swansea City at the beginning of May.Parrott 1998 94–98 Squad Players who made one appearance or more for Hereford United F.C. during the 1986-87 season Pos.Nat.NameLeagueLittlewoods CupFA CupWelsh CupFreight Rover TrophyTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsGKENGKevin Rose46020201040550DFWALWayne Cegielski17(1)00000001018(1)0DFENGIan Dalziel27(1)02020102034(1)0DFNIRSteve Devine40(1)11020104048(1)1DFENGBruce Halliday31(1)52020104040(1)5DFENGMel Pejic31020200030380DFENGIan Rodgerson44120201040531DFENGLee Rogers (on loan from Bristol City)13000000000130DFENGGary Stevens10000000000100MFENGPaul Butler16(10)10010000017(10)1MFENGMike Carter26(2)22020101032(2)2MFENGJohn Delve23(1)21000103028(1)2MFNIRJimmy Harvey34521101040426MFENGChris Leadbitter5(1)0000000005(1)0MFENGSteve Spooner4211212110415114FWENGOllie Kearns4016212110224720FWENGStewart Phillips3911210010304512FWENGPhil Stant7(2)100000(1)0239(3)4FWENGIan Wells15(1)10(1)020103018(2)1 Parrott 1998 256-257Rothmans 1987-88 189–190 League table Fourth Division y HER Results Fourth Division 1986–87 Football League 1 23 August 1986 Hereford United 0–0 D Wrexham Edgar Street Hereford 3,002 2 30 August 1986 Crewe Alexandra 1–2 W Hereford United Cutler 83 Spooner 60Phillips 86 Gresty Road Crewe 1,597 3 6 September 1986 Hereford United 2–0 W Burnley Spooner 74Kearns 84 Edgar Street Hereford 2,796 4 13 September 1986 Preston North End 2–1 L Hereford United Williams 41Thomas 48 pen. Kearns 82 Deepdale Preston 4,707 5 16 September 1986 Southend United 2–0 L Hereford United Cadette 17Pennyfather 64 Roots Hall Southend-on-Sea 2,100 6 20 September 1986 Hereford United 1–1 D Orient Halliday 89 Cunningham 44 Edgar Street Hereford 2,454 7 27 September 1986 Cardiff City 4–1 L Hereford United Wheeler 9Vaughan 28Wimbleton 56 pen.Curtis 66 Delve 77 Ninian Park Cardiff 3,353 8 1 October 1986 Hereford United 2–3 L Colchester United Wells 50Halliday 68 Burman 6Hedman 19Ferguson 48 Edgar Street Hereford 2,144 9 4 October 1986 Hereford United 2–0 W Peterborough United Rodgerson 34Spooner 38 Edgar Street Hereford 2,104 10 10 October 1986 Hartlepool United 0–0 D Hereford United Victoria Park Hartlepool 2,139 11 18 October 1986 Hereford United 1–1 D Exeter City Wells 39 O'Connell 60 Edgar Street Hereford 2,461 12 21 October 1986 Rochdale 2–0 L Hereford United Young 35Wakenshaw 88 Spotland Rochdale 1,088 13 25 October 1986 Northampton Town 3–2 L Hereford United Morley 4Benjamin 8Hill 21 Phillips 68Devine 81 County Ground Northampton 5,336 14 1 November 1986 Hereford United 1–0 W Aldershot Delve 33 Edgar Street Hereford 2,209 15 3 November 1986 Stockport County 1–2 W Hereford United Stokes 64 Kearns 61 85 Edgeley Park Stockport 1,338 16 8 November 1986 Hereford United 0–0 D Lincoln City Edgar Street Hereford 2,305 17 22 November 1986 Torquay United 1–1 D Hereford United Pyle 70 Kearns 55 Plainmoor Torquay 999 18 29 November 1986 Hereford United 2–2 D Scunthorpe United Halliday 45Kearns 85 Rodgerson 53 o.g.Hill 78 Edgar Street Hereford 2,002 19 13 December 1986 Hereford United 2–3 L Cambridge United Halliday 24Stant 61 Crown 35Beck 72Spriggs 89 Edgar Street Hereford 2,117 20 19 December 1986 Halifax Town 2–1 L Hereford United Matthews 19Longhurst 76 Harvey 25 pen. The Shay Halifax 1,005 21 26 December 1986 Hereford United 2–0 W Wolverhampton Wanderers Wells 6Spooner 75 Edgar Street Hereford 5,828 22 27 December 1986 Swansea City 1–3 W Hereford United Pascoe 28 Spooner 1 33Phillips 85 Vetch Field Swansea 6,274 23 1 January 1987 Tranmere Rovers 3–3 D Hereford United Moore 8 76Muir 81 Kearns 14Phillips 24Mungall 66 o.g. Prenton Park Birkenhead 1,441 24 3 January 1987 Hereford United 2–2 D Torquay United Harvey 34 pen. 54 pen. Nardiello 10King 27 Edgar Street Hereford 2,840 25 24 January 1987 Burnley 0–6 W Hereford United Harvey 17 pen.Kearns 24 67Phillips 55 80 85 Turf Moor Burnley 1,955 26 28 January 1987 Hereford United 2–0 W Crewe Alexandra Harvey 59 pen.Kearns 80 Edgar Street Hereford 2,252 27 7 February 1987 Hereford United 0–1 L Southend United Cadette 64 Edgar Street Hereford 2,801 28 14 February 1987 Orient 2–0 L Hereford United Brooks 60Dalziel 63 o.g. Brisbane Road London 2,061 29 21 February 1987 Hereford United 0–2 L Cardiff City Cegielski 48 o.g.Horrix 70 Edgar Street Hereford 3,969 30 25 February 1987 Hereford United 2–3 L Preston North End Halliday 10Butler 14 Brazil 4 9Worthington 43 Edgar Street Hereford 2,628 31 27 February 1987 Colchester United 2–0 L Hereford United English 51 pen.Phillips 54 Layer Road Colchester 1,999 32 3 March 1987 Aldershot 1–0 L Hereford United Barnes 78 pen. Recreation Ground Aldershot 1,643 33 14 March 1987 Exeter City 1–0 L Hereford United Kellow 59 St James Park Exeter 2,342 34 18 March 1987 Hereford United 0–1 L Rochdale Parlane 81 Edgar Street Hereford 1,890 35 21 March 1987 Hereford United 4–0 W Hartlepool United Phillips 21Kearns 40 43 83 Edgar Street Hereford 1,832 36 28 March 1987 Peterborough United 2–1 L Hereford United Gunn 28 pen.Gage 84 Spooner 20 pen. London Road Peterborough 4,110 37 4 April 1987 Lincoln City 0–0 D Hereford United Sincil Bank Lincoln 1,201 38 8 April 1987 Hereford United 3–2 W Northampton Town Phillips 26Spooner 31Kearns 69 Chard 27Morley 90 Edgar Street Hereford 2,661 39 11 April 1987 Hereford United 1–2 L Stockport County Spooner 79 Entwistle 51Moss 62 Edgar Street Hereford 2,251 40 18 April 1987 Hereford United 1–0 W Tranmere Rovers Carter 75 Edgar Street Hereford 2,010 41 20 April 1987 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–0 L Hereford United Purdie 37 Molineux Wolverhampton 10,730 42 26 April 1987 Hereford United 1–0 W Halifax Town Kearns 41 Edgar Street Hereford 2,061 43 1 May 1987 Scunthorpe United 3–1 L Hereford United Johnson 46Broddle 73Russell 83 Spooner 48 Old Show Ground Scunthorpe 1,660 44 4 May 1987 Hereford United 2–0 W Swansea City Phillips 47Carter 65 Edgar Street Hereford 2,474 45 6 May 1987 Wrexham 2–2 D Hereford United Charles 33Preece 75 Kearns 31Spooner 89 Racecourse Ground Wrexham 1,253 46 9 May 1987 Cambridge United 2–1 L Hereford United Rogers 12 o.g.Smith 44 Phillips 82 Abbey Stadium Cambridge 1,900 Parrott 1998 252–255Rothmans 1987-88 188 Littlewoods Cup 1986–87 Football League Cup First round first leg 27 August 1986 Hereford United 3–3 D Swansea City Harvey 53 pen.Spooner 61Kearns 69 Andrews 21French 45Harrison 90 pen. Edgar Street Hereford 2,604 First round second leg 2 September 1986 Swansea City 5–1 L Hereford United Hough 20McCarthy 27 89Pascoe 42Harrison 57 pen. Phillips 52 Vetch Field Swansea 3,870 Rothmans 1987-88 448-449 FA Cup 1986–87 FA Cup First round 15 November 1986 Hereford United 3–3 D Fulham Kearns 17Wells 21Spooner 68 Barnett 14Marshall 24Coney 53 Edgar Street Hereford 3,777 First round replay 24 November 1986 Fulham 4–0 L Hereford United Davies 19 36Marshall 87Coney 89 Craven Cottage London 3,592 Rothmans 1987-88 479-482 Welsh Cup 1986–87 Welsh Cup Third round 3 December 1986 Hereford United 0–1 L Wrexham Steel 52 Edgar Street Hereford 1,642 Freight Rover Trophy 1986–87 Associate Members' Cup Preliminary round 10 December 1986 Hereford United 4–0 W Newport County Stant 50 75 76L. Jones 83 o.g. Edgar Street Hereford 1,358 Preliminary round 22 December 1986 Port Vale 1–0 L Hereford United Jones 71 Vale Park Stoke-on-Trent 994 First round 26 January 1987 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0–1 W Hereford United Kearns 44 Molineux Wolverhampton 2,892 Quarter-final 10 February 1987 Swindon Town 4–2 L Hereford United Quinn 18Coyne 33White 56Bamber 89 Spooner 9Kearns 77 County Ground Swindon 5,739 Rothmans 1987-88 462–465 References Bibliography Parrott Ron Hereford United: The League Era - A Complete Record Desert Island Books 1998 1-874287-18-X Rothmans 1987-88 Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987-88 (Editor: Peter Dunk) Queen Anne Press 0-356-14354-6 Category:Hereford United F.C. seasons Hereford United F.C.