HEREFORD United will be looking to maintain their good home form when they meet Darlington in Saturday's League 2 clash at Edgar Street.

The Bulls have won four of their six home matches with only high-flying Wycombe Wanderers and Lincoln City leaving Hereford with all the points this season.

And United, who are positioned in mid-table five points from both the play-off and relegation zones, will be hoping to profit from a mini-crisis at the North-East club who recently parted company with manager David Hodgson and lost 5-0 at home to Rochdale in their last outing.

"Darlington are in a bit of turmoil at the moment," said United's director of football Graham Turner. "We just hope they don't appoint a new manager before Saturday, and that is not being disrespectful to the people in charge there at the moment."

United will be expecting to bounce back from their defeat at Grimsby last Sunday when, despite going down 2-1, they often showed up well with Stuart Fleetwood a constant threat in attack.

Rob Purdie's first-half penalty at Grimsby was the 2,000th goal that United have scored away from home in league competitions since the club began playing competitively in 1924.

Turner has reported no injury problems and United's reserve players will also have improved their match-readiness with an outing against Cheltenham Town's reserves at Edgar Street on Tuesday.

The Robins left with a 2-1 victory after Andy Ferrell notched United's goal in the first half.

Hereford will hope to make progress in the Johnstone's Paints Trophy when they entertain local rivals Shrewsbury Town for a first-round tie on Tuesday, kick-off 7.45pm.

The Bulls have enjoyed plenty of success in the competition - previously the LDV Vans Trophy - over the last couple of years and have progressed to the area semi-finals in each of the last two seasons.

While United have bigger priorities this season - meaning that one or two non-regulars may get a chance to stake a claim for a spot in the first team - the competition still provides welcome revenue and Hereford will be keen to establish superiority over their near neighbours.

The competition has traditionally not produced high attendances but Hereford will certainly expect a bigger gate than on the last occasion that the sides were paired at Edgar Street in the then Autoglass Trophy. Just 662 watched Hereford win 2-1 back in 1992-3.