Following a 1-1 draw at Penydarren Park against Oxford City, the Martyrs are swiftly returning to action as Paul Michael's side, backed by a sold-out away end, travel to Hereford with the hopes of returning to winning ways. The hosts, Hereford, currently sit in 22nd place in the Enterprise National League North, and their last fixture saw them face defeat for the seventh time in a row as David Davis made it 2-1 to Kidderminster in the last moments of the match.

Previous Encounters:

In recent history, the Martyrs have faced Hereford three times, with two of those encounters in the 2017/18 league season, when Hereford won the league with 113 points. Both clashes between the sides that year ended in a draw, while the last time Hereford faced the Martyrs was in December of this season, where a sold-out Penydarren Park witnessed a thrilling 2-2 draw despite Merthyr taking the lead twice after goals from Cole Jarvis and Ricardo Rees.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | KEY STAFF

Manager | Aaron Downes

Aaron Downes was appointed as the manager of Hereford in February 2026 following the departure of former manager Paul Caddis. Downes had a successful 15-year playing career where he made over 350 appearances for the likes of Chesterfield, Bristol Rovers, Torquay United and Cheltenham Town before he brought his playing days to an end and made the move into coaching in 2018, becoming Gary Johnson's assistant manager at Torquay. In February 2024, Downes was appointed as the interim manager of Torquay, overcoming administration and an eleven-point deduction alongside a transfer embargo to guide the 'Gulls' to safety away from the National League South relegation zone. Before taking the role as manager of Hereford, Downes was Mike Flynn's assistant at Cheltenham Town before leaving the club in September 2025 as Steve Cotterill was appointed as Cheltenham's new manager.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT-SEASON SO FAR

Hereford have had a disappointing 25/26 campaign, which sees them battling for survival as the season begins to reach its final stages. Since picking up a solid point at Penydarren Park, Hereford have managed to pick up victories on 5 occasions, but their first league game after drawing with Merthyr saw them pick up another point on the road as they held King's Lynn Town to a goalless draw. However, their next three league fixtures resulted in three straight defeats for Hereford as they lost 2-1 away at Curzon Ashton, 3-0 away at Telford United and 5-1 away at Southport. 'The Bulls' managed to bounce back from these losses with a narrow 1-0 home victory against Darlington. Despite the win against Darlington, Hereford were swiftly defeated again as their next fixture saw them host Scarborough Athletic, and they were defeated 2-1 at home. 'The Bulls' managed to hit a purple patch in form as they went five games undefeated, winning four and drawing once. Their victories in this run of form came against Chester, Worksop, Leamington and South Shields. However, coming into the clash with Merthyr, Hereford have lost seven straight games, with their most recent defeats coming against Buxton, Macclesfield and Kidderminster, which now sees them now sit in 22nd place. The top goal scorer for Hereford this season has been attacker Andrew Williams, who has found the back of the net on eight occasions.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | 2025/26 SQUAD

Goalkeepers | Theo Richardson, Ollie Lewis

Defenders | Aaron Skinner, Lewis Hudson, Matt Preston, Keenan Quansah, Mitchell Roberts, Kyle Howkins, Joseph James

Midfielders | Gus Mafuta, Lawson D'Ath, Harrison Sohna, Eddie Oppong, Madou Cisse, Keziah Martin, Preston Bitemo, Freddy Willcox, Harry Tustin

Attackers | Mikey Lane, Andrew Williams, Justin Donawa, George Munday, Cormac Daly, Harley Hamilton

Match Details

Date | Monday 6th April 2026

Competition | Enterprise National League North

Time | 15:00

Stadium | Edgar Street Stadium