(Credit: Juan Carlos Rodríguez dos Santos/ Nueva Era Deportiva)
When it comes to FA Cup giant killings, it doesn’t get much bigger than when the Bulls stunned their top-flight opposition in 1972.
It was expected to be plain sailing for Newcastle when they arrived at Edgar Street for their FA Cup third round replay against Hereford United.
Yes, the hosts had managed to force a replay which in itself was incredible for the then-Southern Football League side in the fifth tier of English football, drawing 2-2 with giants Newcastle.
What the footballing world was treated to instead, was perhaps the greatest shock in the tournament’s illustrious history and even one of its greatest goals from Ronnie Radford’s rocket.
It was a game with a legacy so significant to the people of Hereford, that the 2-1 win was re-enacted in a play in the area starting in 2018, 46 years on from the victory itself, which was simply named ‘The Goal’, a reference to Radford’s strike.
Such was the legacy of the victory in the local area, that the play was even brought back to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the game.
In the first incredible FA Cup shock of the TV era, Hereford managed to force extra time with an iconic goal in the tournament’s history, and then see off Newcastle, despite them taking the lead in the 82nd minute.
The pitch was atrocious in truth, yet very few could have hit the ball the way Radford did on a carpet, so when he waltzed onto it and hammered the ball into the top corner from miles away, shock and joy surrounded the ground.
Fans were on the pitch in seconds, and interestingly, the game is often thought to have springboarded the career of legendary commentator John Motson, whose commentary of the goal impressed despite being early on in his career.
“Oh what a goal, Radford the scorer” are fairly iconic words associated with the Bulls to this day.
That was just the equaliser too, so when Ricky George found the bottom left-hand corner to win the tie in extra time, it sparked scenes of wild celebrations yet again, with more fans rushing onto the pitch as Hereford secured an all-time great victory in the FA Cup.
In the end, a fourth round replay after a goalless draw at home saw none other than Geoff Hurst score a hat-trick to send the Bulls out the FA Cup, losing 3-1 at Upton Park.
In truth, as the side who had become the first non-league team to send a top-flight outfit packing in the cup in 23 years, their legendary status as an FA Cup team had been secured before a ball was kicked in the following round.
It’s been a rough ride for Hereford at times since the iconic moment, which, technically, was played by a team that went bust in 2014, with Hereford FC, the phoenix club, arriving days later at the end of the year.
Untenable debts forced the original Hereford United to fold, but with the phoenix club now back into the sixth tier of English football, the Vanarama National League North, things are beginning to look up again.
Their 11th place finish this campaign was their best finish since the club reformed, a sign of the progress they have made in such little time.
Having had attendances eclipsing that of some League One sides whilst they were playing in the ninth tier of English football, Hereford still have a rich history and dedicated fan base.
Many supporters still look back on their iconic day against Newcastle as the best game in their history, in what would’ve been the 100th anniversary of the club’s formation had Hereford United not dissolved in 2014.