Caddis’ first managerial posting was at Edgar Street in April 2023, but after two good seasons it went sour earlier this year and he left – a month later he joined the Linnets.

His tenure has, it seems, been closely monitored by certain sections of Hereford’s support, who need little prompting to hit the vitriolic social media posting button.

For them, Lynn’s surprise 5-0 reverse at Worskop in midweek and Hereford’s just-as-shocking 1-0 home defeat by AFC Telford might even take a back seat. For them, this will be all about Caddis.

The 38-year-old knows that only too well and while he says Hereford holds a place in his heart, his loyalties are all with the Linnets.

Paul Caddis (Image: Ian Burt)

“I'm looking forward to it, I really am,” said Caddis. “I've no idea what reception I'll get.

“But as it stands right now, I've had the most points two years in a row in the National League North for Hereford.

“So we were really pleased (considering) what we walked into. It was a genuine disaster.

“I was told after about a week in the job that there was less than five grand in the bank, so I had to completely strip the squad. We had no players. I had one under-18, under-19 player that I kept on. And then I had to start again.

“It was just myself who walked through the door. No staff, nothing. I obviously then recruited Roons (Adam Rooney) further down the line. But when I first took over it was the end of April and Brackley were in the play-offs, so Roons was focusing on the play-offs with Brackley at the time. So it literally was just me and a desk the first day I walked in. And that was me for about a month, six weeks until Roons came on board.”

Caddis turned it around in style.

“I'm proud of what we achieved,” he said. “We got 69 points the first season. And statistically nine of the previous 10 years, 69 points got you in the play-offs. We finished 11th on 69 points, missed out. The following year we finished on 76 points and again, somehow that missed out.

“So I'm immensely proud of the time I had there. I had a brilliant relationship with everyone there internally. I had a good relationship with the supporters. Obviously things turn sour when things don't go so well. But we took the average attendance up from 1,800 to 3,500, almost touching 4,000. We had some brilliant moments there. A club I've got real respect for. They gave me my first opportunity in management.”

Fast forward and Caddis’ Linnets have slipped to ninth in National League North, with Hereford second.

“My full focus is going there and being that guy that everybody hates because I want to go there and go and win,” he said. “And I'll fight and kick every ball. Hereford's a place I've got loads of respect for.

“But my allegiance will lie well and truly with these players and this club. I would love nothing more than going there and getting three points. But that would be the same wherever else we go, it's no different to Hereford.”