HEREFORD FC boss Pete Beadle has sounded an ominous warning ahead of Saturday’s big Southern One South & West game at Winchester City.

A sizeable crowd is expected at the Denplan City Ground for the visit of the Southern One South & West leaders, who have taken the division by storm since promotion as Midland League champions.

The Bulls have charged out of the blocks with six wins from six and are already 14 points clear of 18th-placed Winchester, who have just one win and a draw to their name.

Hereford head to Hampshire buoyed by a 3-0 FA Cup replay win over Romulus but, according to Beadle, the scoreline should have been more emphatic.

“We won 3-0, but it should have been five, six or seven,” he said.

“Someone is going to get a thrashing, a proper sound hammering, if we can start putting those chances away.”

Those are hardly comforting words for Winchester boss Ian Saunders who quipped: “I hope and pray that’s not going to be us!

“The disappointing thing is that four of our main players are not available.

“Jamie Brown is out with a back spasm, Adam Tomasso’s still injured, we’ve got no Taz Roberts who is at a wedding, and Howard Neighbour is also unavailable.

“But the bottom line is that you’ve got to play these top sides at some stage and, if you’re going to be without key players, maybe it’s better in a game that you are not expected to win.

“From the outside everyone will be saying it’s three points for Hereford, but within the Winchester camp we’re all hopeful that we can give it a real good go.

“Totton had a 700 crowd when Hereford played there at the start of the season and we’re hoping to get 500 if we're lucky. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Saunders is still trying to add three new faces to his squad – a centre-half, a midfielder and a forward.

The midfield target is AFC Totton’s Neil Williams, but the Stags are hopeful he will remain at the Testwood Stadium.

Even so, Saunders insisted: “We’re going to pursue it and see if we can get it over the line. I’m a patient man and Neil’s worth waiting for.”

Hereford also have absentees with striker Jamie Cuss due a scan on a knee injury and Pablo Haysham suspended.

Bulls’ leading marksman John Mills is the S&W’s top scorer with eight league goals.