Weale injury leaves Bulls short

Chris Weale's debut helped bring the Bulls their first away win of the season.

Hereford United have only one fit goalkeeper to rely on over the Christmas period after the latest chapter in their injury-scarred season.

On-loan Bristol City keeper Chris Weale is out for up to six weeks after a thumb picked up in training.

It leaves Craig Samson as the only goalkeeper available until the transfer window re-opens in January.

Weale is the second loan keeper to suffer an injury setback this season at Edgar Street.

Wolves' Matt Murray lasted just three games before suffering a new knee injury, the latest in a long line of setbacks, on which he has since undergone an operation.

Prior to that, the Bulls started the season with another on-loan keeper, Charlton Athletic's Darren Randolph.

He is officially still on the books at Edgar Street until January. But Randolph has not appeared since he refused to play in the FA Cup tie against Dagenham & Redbridge at the start of November after word got out that Murray was about to sign.

BULLS GOALKEEPERS 2008/09

Darren Randolph: played 14 lost 9, goals against 17

Craig Samson: played 5 (1) lost 5, goals against 15

Matt Murray: played 3, won 1 goals against 2

Chris Weale: played 1, won 1 goals against 1

Samson took Randolph's place for that game (as well as the replay at Dagenham), then came off the bench to replace Murray after he got injured at MK Dons.

But Samson was then dropped again for Weale, who lasted just one game (last weekend's 2-1 win at Colchester) before his midweek training ground injury. And, with Samson due to be recalled against Hartlepool on Saturday, that will be the sixth goalkeeping change boss Graham Turner will have made in the Bulls' last seven games.

Hereford's season-long goalkeeping nightmare has not helped in their mission to keep clear of the League One bottom four as they currently lie 22nd, five points adrift of safety.

And it comes on top of an injury record that has also cost the luckless Bulls at one time or another four on-loan players - Robbie Threlfall, Moses Ashikodi, Lionel Ainsworth and Andy Williams, as well as summer signings Sammy Oji and Steven O'Leary.