His desolation stood for the whole club

His desolation stood for the whole club.Somewhere, this coming week, someone else will weep because, by failing to win, they'll be denied the right to take part Feel for them.Peter Drury is an ITV sports commentator. Grown men wept the day Hereford United suffered the fate which awaits the side who finish at the foot of the Third Division a week tomorrow. Grown men wept the day Hereford United suffered the fate which awaits the side who finish at the foot of the Third Division a week tomorrow.According to Hereford's chairman-manager, Graham Turner, relegation to the Nationwide Conference was more than a crying shame ­ it was a financial hammer blow.For one season after their relegation in 1997, the famous giantkillers received half the sponsorship and television money available to League clubs. This summer, when each member of the Third Division banks £390,000, Hereford will receive £8,000 from the backers of the top non-League competition."It's been a rude awakening," explains Turner, the former Wolves and Aston Villa manager.

"Going down wasn't the end of the world, although it seemed it, but has been difficult financially. It has become a major issue because it's only one up and one down."The fact that ourselves, Doncaster, Scarborough and Chester (the last four demoted sides) haven't even come close to bouncing back despite staying full-time proves the strength of the Conference. To make it fairer, and even more competitive, three up and down would be ideal. Right now, League chairmen view us as the abyss and won't vote to tip themselves over by agreeing to another relegation place or two."Hereford's demise was particularly traumatic because, like Lincoln 10 years earlier, they did not hit rock bottom all season until 4.45pm on the final Saturday. Needing to win, they scored early, but Brighton, who required only a draw after propping up the table for months, equalised to send Turner's team down on goal difference.As manager of Hull City, Brian Little could yet end Carlisle's charmed League life (remember the status-saving last-minute winner by the on-loan goalkeeper Jimmy Glass two years ago?) Like Turner, his CV lists Wolves and Villa as well as relegation from the League.

There the similarity ends, for Little led Darlington back at the first attempt in 1990."When we went down it was regarded as a catastrophe, or at least a huge step backwards because it was a new system and the Conference was entirely part-time," the former England striker says."Now it's such a well organised and respected set-up. The stigma isn't nearly as bad."Darlington's destiny, after Little took over in February, was entwined with Colchester's. They met in a six-pointer on the last Saturday April when "we really needed people to perform and they just didn't", the Essex side winning 2-1. He had became a Teletext obsessive ­ "I'd watch the scores, shouting 'Yesss' or 'Oh, no' " ­ but his worst fears were confirmed with a week to go by a 5-1 spanking at Scunthorpe."I kept thinking: 'This could be my last game as a manager'. The chairman, who was also new, summoned me but instead of sacking me he said: 'If you go, I go'.

We decided to stay full-time for two years to try to get back. The next two seasons we won the Conference and the Third Division."Little's response to relegation was to free 20 of Darlington's 24 professionals: "They weren't a bad bunch. But after so many defeats I didn't think they'd have the strength of character to bounce back." Turner, with hindsight, wishes Hereford had done the same.. With two-thirds of South America's World Cup qualifying campaign completed it is becoming clear that the marathon process provides problems to the strong, while giving the weak the opportunity to grow stronger. With two-thirds of South America's World Cup qualifying campaign completed it is becoming clear that the marathon process provides problems to the strong, while giving the weak the opportunity to grow stronger. The likes of Ecuador and Venezuela have clearly gained from playing so many competitive games. Meanwhile, with vastly different results, Argentina and Brazil have both struggled to come to terms with the fact that so many of their top players are based in Europe, a long and tiring journey away.Almost the entire Argentina squad make their living abroad, and it is never easy ensuring that their clubs release players on time. To the disgust of the coach, Marcelo Bielsa, the Argentinian FA gave in to pressure to allow the Lazio quartet to play in Italy on Sunday.

There was thus no time to adapt to the altitude of La Paz.Small wonder that their Lazio striker, Hernan Crespo, complained that players would soon need to be cloned to protect them from the madness of the fixture list. Argentina, too, would probably like to clone Crespo after his two goals helped them to a dramatic 3-3 draw with Bolivia.With two minutes remaining Argentina were 3-1 down. Always uncomfortable in the Bolivian capital, right from the start they played with the air of men desperate to ask the referee how long was left. This was a game the runaway leaders of the qualifying competition could afford to lose.