HEREFORD United will be able to kick-off their Southern League Premier Division campaign against St Neots Town tomorrow (3pm) after a safety certificate was finally granted for Edgar Street.

The match against the Cambridgeshire outfit had been in major doubt because Herefordshire Council were not happy with the state of the ground.

No matches have been played there since the end of last season and it took until yesterday to finally get the green light.

The council met with the club’s new safety officer and “were happy that Hereford United met all requirements to allow attended games”.

However, the ground's capacity will be limited to 1,000, with both the Len Weston Stand and Blackfriars End closed.

Spectators will be housed in both the Merton Terrace and Merton Stand.

Club chairman Andy Lonsdale said: “We are really pleased to finally get everything in place. It has been a battle to get there, but finally it is all coming together.

“Thank you to the local authorities for their support during the process. After a long hard summer for the club and fans we hope that the football will now do the talking.”

Although the Bulls can now host the match, they are unlikely to attract a big crowd as there is a boycott of home matches in place by Hereford United Supporters’ Trust.

Instead, fans have been following the exploits of the trust’s team of United legends playing friendlies – 812 supporters watched them lose 5-3 to a Worcester City XI at Malvern Town.

Hereford’s official website also only lists 13 players, all under the age of 23, and the team have played just three friendlies, all of which have been shrouded in secrecy.

They beat Eagley 16-0, lost to Turkish side Besiktas 6-0 and drew 5-5 at Droylsden but details of players involved or scorers have not been published.