FOOTBALL consultant Mark Ellis has done a top job at Hereford United, according to advisors Andy Lonsdale and Joel Nathan.

Lonsdale said: “Mark Ellis has taken six to eight weeks out of his life to rebuild Hereford football club.

“He is not getting paid a penny and, for someone to do that, they have got to believe in what they are doing.

“Mark has put the team together and he’s getting stick all the time.

“I am a great believer in Mark.”

“He will be here until the first game and then spending one day or two days a week here on a consultancy basis.

“He is an asset for the club and his credentials are real.”

And Nathan has previously seen Ellis, who is a football agent, in action at the football academy in Loughton.

“When I first came up here, I was unsure about Mark whether he was the right person because I did not know enough about him,” said Nathan.

“But I would have him at Grays tomorrow – he has done a fantastic job at Hereford and the reason he gets the bad press is that people wanted him to fail – and he hasn’t.

“He has put a squad together that will compete in the Southern Premier.”

Lonsdale admitted he would love to get Colin Addison involved in the club again.

“I have met one man at this club – Colin Addison – since I have been here and he’s a lovely man and that’s the sort of people we want to be dealing with. He’s 74 years old and he’s a legend.

“It can’t be nice when you get Bulls Banter, Bulls News and Hereford Times all against you.”

Lonsdale claims the new regime has been hampered by the unknown level of debt at the club.

“When we first got involved in the club, we were told the overall debt was £300,000,” said Lonsdale.

“But every week I came down, the debts got bigger and bigger.

“Due diligence was done when Andrew Green was involved but he’s no longer involved with the club.”

Lonsdale added: “We are running a football club – we are not Herefordians or Hereford supporters. But we are going forward – we do not want to dwell on the past. This club has got a massive future.”