The Bulls have confirmed that goalkeeper Theo Ricardson is under contract for the forthcoming season. They have also added captain Lewis Hudson and defender Kyle Howkins, who have both re-signed for a third season with Hereford. Talking about signing skipper Hudson the Bulls boss said: “It’s fantastic to have our skipper signed up so early and be so committed to come back and join us for next season. As the manager, to get your captain on board to lead the charge into a new season is pivotal.” Downes added about physical defender Howkins: “Kyle was brilliant for me at the back end of last season. He’s pivotal in the way we want to do things, so it’s fantastic for me and the supporters to have such a vital player signed up for another year in Hereford colours.”
Hereford have also offered deals to Aaron Skinner, Harrison Sohna, Keziah Martin, Preston Bitemo and Ollie Lewis. They are also in discussions with Joseph James. Downes said that the pre-season fixtures have already been arranged, yet to be confirmed, and that his goal for the summer is to recruit a side for Bulls fans to be “proud of.” “We’re having to get everything done as quickly as possible and do a lot of work to make sure we’re ready for the start of the next season. We’ve scheduled a lot of meetings in with players, with agents and we’re working extremely hard beyond the scenes to make sure that we get a squad together early. I challenged the players and the supporters at back end of last year. Now it’s down to me. My challenge is to make sure I give them back something, and I give them a team they can be proud of. That’s my goal this off season, to make sure we recruit the most competitive team we can.”
However, the Bulls have released Lawson D’Ath and Matt Preston after two seasons with the club, along with Gus Mafuta, Keenan Quansah, Harley Hamilton, Eddie Oppong and Mitchell Roberts. The loan players who played key roles in Hereford’s survival have returned to their parent clubs. They are Freddy Willcox, George Munday, Cormac Daly, Mikey Lane, Harry Tustin and Madou Cisse. Meanwhile, veteran forward Andy Williams has confirmed his retirement. “They’ve shown so much commitment and effort to this football club,” added Downes. “Unfortunately, you have to make tough decisions as a manager. There’s a few there that have performed excellently for me. I want to wish them all the best. I want to thank them. I’ve spoken to them all individually and personally.”
Downes has also spoken about the financial challenges they face in trying to attract players. He added: “A lot of it is around talking to potential targets and trying to make sure our recruitment process is really solid. We’ve got parameters that we want to stick within, with regards to how we recruit. There are certain things that we have to identify and make sure are correct. There is a statistical element to the process as well, and while it can feel like a different article at times, it remains a professional news approach to building a squad that can compete at the level we aspire to.”
