GRAHAM Turner says Hereford United's recent plight triggered memories of Hereford United's darkest day.

United crashed out of the Football League after a 25-year stay on the last day of the 1996/97 season with a 1-1 home draw against Brighton.

That relegation, which resulted in a nine-year stint in the Conference, followed a run of 13 games without a win.

Hereford banished fears of a repeat with last Saturday's 3-0 victory over Boston ending a nine-game winless sequence and ultimately ensuring another League Two season.

United chief Turner said: "We are now mathematically safe and we will be a Football League club again next season.

"A lot of people scoffed at the idea that we could get caught up in a relegation battle when we were 11 points clear with just a handful of games to go but I still remember that week leading up to the Brighton match and the day still haunts me.

"So I, for one, took absolutely nothing for granted until it was all done and dusted.

"The aim now will be to finish in the top half of the table."

Despite their recent run, Turner believes the team has reason to be positive when they look back on their first season back among the professional ranks.

He said: "Reflecting on the season as a whole, our first one back in the Football League, we have not done too badly. We have played some attractive football, we have scored some good goals and we have generally been fairly solid defensively, so all that augurs well for the future."