Herefordshire Sport
Former British Paralympic Association chief executive Phil Lane feels Hereford United's pain
12:44pm Wednesday 22nd February 2012
THE former chief executive of the British Paralympic Association, Phil Lane, is a self-confessed Hereford United fan.
And the Essex-based supporter believes United must solve four problem areas to win their Football League survival.
“We don’t seem to play the same team week in week out and I think that consistency eats away at confidence,” said Lane, who grew up in Ruardean.
“I would hope that we could get some consistency in, play a little bit more football, cut out the silly mistakes and we need to find a goal-scorer.”
Lane has been to five Paralympic Games as Chef de Mission and now has a senior role in sport development.
He played rugby at Berry Hill and Drybrook and has coached Saracens, Blackheath, England Under-18 and under-19 teams.
Lane, whose mum still lives in the Forest of Dean, was the guest speaker at last night’s annual Herefordshire Sports Awards.
“Hereford are right there in my heart as a football team and it’s really disappointed to see where they are,” he said.
“We are in realistic times – it’s about results and you have to do what you have to do to get a result when you’re at this end of the table.
“It’s the wrong place to be – it’s probably not the right time to start playing too much football.
“I hope long-term we are able to stay in the League because I would like to see Hereford developing as a community club.
“I think it’s late in the day to change management or players.
“We probably have to dig in, When you look at thenumber of the players registered – you’ve got to ask yourself what is the best combination?”
He added: “At the end of the day, whether we’re in the League or in the Blue Square, I will still go to watch Hereford.
“I enjoyed it when we were in the Conference as much as anything.
“My wife says one of the great days of my life was at the Walker’s Stadium when we won promotion from the Conference.”