Hereford United: Bulls players' contracts will be fulfilled

Troubled Conference Premier club Hereford United have announced to their concerned players that this season's contracts will all be fulfilled.

After speculation about their future, chairman David Keyte and former manager Colin Addison, now the club's non-executive director, met the players.

The club have now issued a bulletin reporting a "full and open discussion".

"The chairman made a clear statement that contracts would be met in full," said a club press release.

"The chairman expressed his concerns about the personal views being expressed to the local press and media that risk the commercial confidentiality that all businesses need and asked that comments be restricted to football."

Hereford go into Saturday's home game with Wrexham on the back of four straight defeats since the sale of star player Josh O'Keefe to local non-league rivals Kidderminster Harriers on January deadline day.

The visit of Wrexham is one of three games Hereford are due to host at Edgar Street in March, at which they are targeting 2,000-plus gates just to break even, having pulled in their lowest crowd in years, 1,013, for last Saturday's 2-1 home defeat by Macclesfield.

And Keyte insists that Friday's clear-the-air meeting with his players, and making it public knowledge, can only be of benefit.

"We all need to stick together and pull in the same direction," said Keyte.

"We want the supporters to get behind the players, as they were last month, to help them through the coming weeks.

"Nobody is happy about the current financial situation and it certainly is not an easy message to deliver or receive when talking about personal finance.

"Neither the current players nor management were responsible for the club's relegation in 2012, so it was encouraging to hear the players and management reiterate their commitment to the remaining battle ahead of us all this season.

"We shouldn't forget that last month the players performed at a level that won Martin Foyle the manager of the month award and they are more than capable of doing that again."