​On a deal until the end of the 2026 National League North season the announcement follows Paul Caddis’ departure after a poor run of results. Downes enjoyed a playing career spanning more than a decade, making over 350 senior appearances for Chesterfield, Bristol Rovers, Torquay United and Cheltenham Town before moving into coaching. He became Gary Johnson’s assistant at Torquay United in 2018 and as interim boss in 2024, guided the Gulls away from the National League South relegation zone despite an 11-point deduction and a transfer embargo. The kind of rescue act Hereford fans will hope he can repeat at Edgar Street. Downes will be bringing in former Hereford United midfielder Harry Pell. Bulls chairman Chris Ammonds said: “We are very pleased to have reached an agreement with Aaron for him to become our new manager. “He brings considerable experience as an assistant manager to the MandM Edgar Street Stadium and, importantly, has previously shown his ability to galvanise a squad of players in challenging circumstances as interim manager when he was appointed manager at Torquay for the final 13 games of the 2024 season. “Aaron was a stand-out candidate among the applicants and we were very impressed by his positivity, his personality, his belief in his own methods and how badly he wanted this job. He is also highly thought of by people he has worked alongside since moving into coaching. “Before we spoke to him, Aaron put forward a detailed plan to navigate us through the rest of the season, and he has clearly already spent a lot of time watching our matches and assessing the options available to him. “We will be offering Aaron support to freshen up the Bulls squad in the coming days and weeks and we are very much looking forward to working with him for the rest of this campaign, and hopefully beyond.” Downes said: “I am absolutely honoured to be given this opportunity and cannot wait to get started. “After several years as an assistant manager, I have been waiting for the right opportunity to become a number one and as soon as the role at Hereford FC became available, I expressed a strong interest. “While the league table shows that the season has not gone as everyone at the MandM Edgar Street Stadium hoped it would, I am confident that there is more than enough time to turn things round and that with tweaks to our set-up and a few new additions, we will be able to climb the table towards safety. “Having played against Hereford on a number of occasions I know how passionate the supporters here are and have no doubt that, if we all pull together, we will be able to secure the points required from the final 21 games to ensure this great club remains in the National League North going into the 2026/27 season.”