HEREFORD have been handed a tough Carling Cup first round draw with a trip to Coca-Cola Championship side Crystal Palace.

The Bulls will visit Selhurst Park on either Tuesday, August 12, or Wednesday, August 13.

Any special ticket arrangements will be released as soon as they are known.

Palace, who are managed by Neil Warnock, failed to gain promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs at the end of last season.

In last year's Carling Cup, Hereford defeated Yeovil Town in the first round, before losing out 2-1 to then-Premier League outfit Birmingham City at St Andrews.

The Edgar Street club's full League One fixture list is set to be announced at 10am on Monday.

Meanwhile, former Bulls goalkeeper Wayne Brown has paid tribute to the Hereford fans and spoken of how much he enjoyed his three-year stint with the club.

The 31-year-old stopper has penned a two-year deal, with the option of a year's extension, at League Two Bury and will be living much closer to his daughter.

He said: "It's because of my daughter, Mia. I have been down in Hereford for three years and it will be good to see her more often.

"It's about being a hands-on dad. I will be moving to Manchester which is only a short distance from Mia."

Brown was voted the Hereford United Independent Supporters Association's player-of-the-year last season and kept 21 clean sheets.

He joined Hereford, initially on loan, in July 2005 after almost 10 years with Chester City and 276 appearances.

He added: "There are plenty of other goalkeepers out there and I am sure the Hereford fans will soon forget about me.

"I am quite gutted to be leaving but I know that I'm doing it for the right reasons.

"I have had a lot of texts from the players and my dad notified me about the posts on the message boards.

"I didn't think the fans liked me as much - it was amazing to read those posts."