TWO of Hereford United's top performers have had their contributions to the Bulls' excellent season acknowledged with places in the Conference Team of the Season.

Skipper Tony James and midfielder Rob Purdie have both been named in the squad which forms part of the inaugural Non-League Paper National Game awards.

James has long been regarded as one of the Conference's outstanding defenders and this season showed exemplary form at the back, as well as scoring nine goals from the penalty spot.

Purdie also scored nine goals, displaying his versatility as he switched from being an out-and-out attacker in the season's opening phase to becoming an indispensable performer just behind the two strikers in United's 11-match winning run-in.

He was badly missed when absent from the play-off semi-final second leg with Aldershot Town due to injury.

The awards to Purdie and James are the latest in a long list of accolades given to United during the season.

Ben Smith and David Brown both won the Conference player of the month award, while Graham Turner was the division's top manager on three occasions as well as sharing the title on another.

Purdie and James also received international recognition with calls-up to the National Game squads for England and Wales respectively. International honours also came the way of Andy Tretton, Matt Baker, Michael Rose, Steve Guinan and Ryan Green while Paul Parry, who began the term at Hereford, ended as a full Wales international playing for Cardiff City in Division 1.