Rose determined to retain slot

Dean Beckwith's three-match suspension has enabled one player to seize the initiative at Edgar Street over the Christmas period.

After a period on the sidelines Richard Rose was naturally delighted when he received the nod from Hereford boss Graham Turner prior to kick-off at Meadow Lane last Friday.

Despite having made 18 starts for Hereford this season most of those has seen Rose featuring at the heart of United's midfield. However, as he explained to BBC Sport, he's happy in a defending role.

'Yes. I'm delighted to be back. I've come in because of Dean Beckwith's suspension but, yes, I am delighted to be in the team in the 3-5-2 formation.'

'I've played in that role before in my career - so I'm not fazed by it. It's familiar to me so I'm aware of the in's-and-out's of it.'

The Bulls 1-0 victory at Meadow Lane on Friday evening was largely thanks to the resilience of Rose, alongside the towering figures of Phil Gulliver and Tamika Mkandawire. But, Rose feels that the following result against Bristol Rovers has also set things up nicely for the remainder of the Christmas programme.

'The three points gained away at Notts County was a good victory, and with the draw with Rovers - that's put four onto our total. So we're pleased with that.'

'We've now got to keep building and make Christmas even better than it is at the moment.'

'We've got two very tough games coming up, and we'll be concentrating on those before the cup game. We'll be aiming to add some extra points to our Christmas total.'

Looking further ahead Rose is confident Hereford's boss Graham Turner will further strengthen his squad in the New Year.

'I think the gaffer would have taken a top ten position at this stage of the season if he'd been offered it at the start of the campaign.'

'But we've got to build on that now and we know we're good enough to get into the play-off's. That's what we're going to be pushing for towards the end of the season. We think it's a realistic target.'

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