LONDON – Bermuda’s first-choice goalkeeper Dale Eve hopes to turn his short-term deal at English sixth-tier National League North side Hereford into a permanent one; he told the Bernews website after the Bulls were knocked out of the FA Cup by Portsmouth.
The 27-year-old, who joined Hereford temporarily last month, put in a solid performance, making two good saves, but his side lost 3-1 in Friday’s first-round match at Edgar Street after taking the lead against their League One opponents.
“It’s always difficult going up against a club three leagues above you,” Eve said.
“The score doesn’t reflect the effort from the boys. Portsmouth scored from a [goalmouth] scramble in the first half and two set plays in the second. Head-to-head, I thought we held them out pretty well.”
The Bermudian was called up last month because of a goalkeeper crisis at Hereford, with Dino Visser injured and on-loan Cian Taylor unavailable for the FA Cup.
“The first two games I played, I only knew the names of the center halves!” said Eve, who has made four appearances for the Bulls this campaign.
“The club brought me in and made me welcome. Hopefully, with some luck, I’ll get something going long-term. The set-up is brilliant, and I’m happy to be here.”
Eve, who made his national debut in a 2-1 win against Barbados in a 2014 World Cup qualifier when he came on as a second-half substitute for the Gombey Warriors, has been training with Hereford twice a week after leaving league rivals Spennymoor Town at the end of last season.
“I was fairly lucky to get my chance,” he said. “I was training at a few different clubs to get fit. I came here, and a few things happened, a few injuries. That’s football.”
Once on the books of former Premier League club Stoke City, where he was considered a top prospect, Eve later had brief spells with Forest Green Rovers and Ilkeston before returning to Bermuda and playing for Robin Hood in 2017.
He played one match for English outfit AFC Knowsley earlier this season, a 4-2 victory over Poynton in the Cheshire Football League Premier Division.
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