THE devastating manner in which Hereford United's season came to an end will still be fresh in the minds of all Bulls fans and will no doubt take some time to come to terms with.

But the penalty shoot-out defeat against Aldershot Town in the play-off semi-final should not be allowed to obscure the memory of United's best campaign in a generation and one of the club's best-ever teams.

Their free-flowing football and ability to conjure up goals from all areas of the pitch should long be remembered and were facets of their play which previous United teams could only dream of aspiring to.

The excellent young side which Graham Turner assembled and the manner in which the United boss and his coach Richard O'Kelly encouraged them to play means that, assuming the squad can largely be kept together, next season could promise even better.

Here are the end-of-term reports on last season's major performers.

Matt Baker: His position as the England National Game Xl goalkeeper tells its own story. Some brilliant performances and a generally consistently-high level of achievement. All keepers make mistakes but Baker's few should not detract from a fine season.

Ryan Green: Turner's ace pre-season signing meant that previous favourite full-back Matt Clarke was not missed. Hard to remember Green having a bad game as he excelled throughout, whether in attack and defence.

Michael Rose: His power in passing and shooting made him forget sometimes that accuracy was also required. Wasted the ball more than he should have but we shall long remember his dead-ball prowess.

Andy Tretton: The significance of his mid-season absence through injury only became apparent when he returned for the successful run-in. Remarkably, United won 19 and drew one of the 22 Conference games he appeared in.

Tony James: Peter Shreeves rated him the best defender in the Conference and his performances this season do not appear to require any re-evaluation. Superb from start to finish.

Tom Smith: The find of the season. Formed a virtually unbreachable back line with James and Tretton, displaying remarkable composure and confidence for such a young player.

Jamie Pitman: The engine of the side. For a part-time player his effort and commitment were certainly full-time and no-one would have deserved more a place back in the Football League.

Danny Williams: Started off the season in fine form before experiencing a slump after Christmas. His dead-ball skills can be a vital factor next year in the absence of Rose.

Ben Smith: The sort of goal-scoring midfielder that United have been seeking for years. His excellent form in the early months meant that his absence after a second shoulder dislocation was hard to bear.

Rob Purdie: That Smith's late-season absence did not lead to a critical downturn for the team was very much down to the brilliant form of Purdie, the season's most improved player. In attack or midfield, his talents were a revelation.

Steve Guinan: Skills on the ball, vision, and now a prolific goal-scorer, too. He will be hard to replace after his move to Cheltenham Town.

David Brown: Proved a fine foil for Guinan when he won a regular place in the side after a damaging pre-season injury. A natural finisher who showed he can play outside the box, too.

Danny Carey-Bertram: Much more to come from this pacy and talented youngster. Perhaps he will emulate Purdie's advance from last season.

Simon Travis: With his versatility, all-round quality of play and pace, quickly earned a spot in the side and looks an ideal replacement for Rose next season.

GOALKEEPER Matt Baker and skipper Tony James led the way in the Bulls' appearance charts over the season just finished with each missing just one of the 50 league and cup games played

Steve Guinan's 29 goals were a remarkable return from just 41 appearances but he was well backed up by David Brown and Ben Smith who were both comfortably in double figures while Tony James, Rob Purdie and Paul Parry all ended up with nine.

Appearances: Matt Baker 49; Tony James 49; Jamie Pitman 46; Michael Rose 45 + 1 as substitute; Ryan Green 44 + 1; Steve Guinan 39 + 2; Rob Purdie 37 + 4; Danny Williams 35 + 7; David Brown 33 + 13: Ben Smith 32: Paul Parry 28; Andy Tretton 24; Tamika Mkandawire 18; Tom Smith 10; Anwar Uddin 10; Scott Willis 9; Simon Travis 8; Dean Craven 7 + 8: Richard Teesdale 6 + 9; Mark Beesley 5 + 10; Danny Carey-Bertram 4 + 22; Jordan King 4 + 2; Rob Betts 3 + 4; Chris Palmer 3; Bertrand Cozic 1 + 3; Ben Scott 1; Nick Harrhy 0 + 1; Danny Moon 0 + 1; Rob Sawyers 0 + 1; Andy Wells 0 + 1; Andy Williams 0 + 1.

Goal scorers: Guinan 29; Brown 19; Smith 14; James 9; Parry 9; Purdie 9; Carey-Bertram 6; Williams (D) 5; Willis 3; Beesley 2; Pitman 2; Rose 2; Tretton 2; Uddin 2; Green 1; Mkandawire 1; Teesdale 1; Travis 1.