I WAS not surprised to see more than 5,000 fans packed into Edgar Street on Tuesday night to watch Hereford United play Cheltenham Town in an FA Cup second round replay.

After all, the prize for the winner was a home tie against Premiership giants Everton and the FA Cup always brings out supporters whenever a "small team" goes on a run.

It is safe to say that the past four years have been dreadful for the Bulls and I can understand why a number of supporters have stopped going to games.

But Tuesday night showed that there are fans out there.

When Hereford's financial problems were revealed, it brought out the best in community spirit.

Supporters wanted to do their bit to help the club in any way that they could - from making personal donations to taking part in fundraising initiatives.

The leg waxing event and a walk from Malvern to Hereford resulted in a great response and, in total, supporters have raised around £40,000.

So the result against Cheltenham was gutting, to say the least.

Cheltenham should not have been awarded a penalty and for the winner to come so late in the game was agonising.

I think Hereford did not do enough to win the game and lost their main goal threat when lead scorer Ryan Bowman was withdrawn after only 15 minutes with an injury.

But I cannot fault the players' work-rate and commitment and they have been brilliant in getting on with their jobs in light of the off-the-field problems the club has faced in recent months.

They have never complained and have really brought the club back to the community with their efforts on the pitch.

The week that resulted in wins against Shrewsbury, Luton and Wrexham was fantastic.

I just hope that Hereford fans now continue to support the club and carry on going to games.

It will be shame if attendances go back to the sub 2,000 mark, but there are some exciting games coming up.

There are the back-to-back games against Kidderminster on Boxing Day and New Year's Day, with a home tie against top-of-the-table Newport sandwiched in between.

And who knows, a win against Chelmsford on Saturday in the FA Trophy could kick-start a run all the way to Wembley.

The Hereford players appreciated the fans turning out in their droves on Tuesday and supporting them throughout the game.

Everton was not meant to be, but Hereford's season is not over yet.

The Bulls have made around £170,000 from their FA Cup run, which should enable that the club is financially secure in the short-term.

But, to ensure that their future is guaranteed long-term, they still need your support more than ever.