WITH the club losing their third team at the end of last season, it was Hereford 2nd who felt the blow most seriously.

A number of their better players moved up to the first-team squad and the players coming up from the disbanded third team did not quite match the standard required at that level.

However, second-team manager Chris Bryne feels that the squad are now beginning to progress nicely and is aiming for a big push up the league in the second half of the season.

“We are a few places below where we would like to be," he said. "But it’s been a season of reorganising the team, losing the players we did up to the firsts and it's taken a bit of time for the lads we've brought up from the disbanded third team to adjust to the level and step up to where we need them to be.

"I’m quietly confident we can climb the table and finish of the season on a high.”

Another plus for Bryne is the return from injury of some of their key senior players, which has been a big problem for the club this season as he explained.

“We’ve got Rich Edwards back, which is huge for us, a few other players in key positions back," he said.

"This will help us to shift up another gear as the younger, less experienced players can learn a lot from players like Rich.

"We’ve also got Steve Alderton and Matt Thomas, who I thought were exceptional again today, so I think the future looks good for us and for the club as a whole.”