FC Halifax Town fell to a 1-0 loss at the hands of Chesterfield. Assistant manager Phil Hughes spoke to Shaymen TV to give his thoughts.
He said: โIt was a very tight game. In the first half I felt it was evens. We came in at half time and we thought weโd had a good opportunity to get something from the rest of the game. We had the same game plan as we had previously, but clearly, the penalty has knocked us back.โ
Neither team created many chances in the opening half. Hughes believed we looked comfortable and for the most part, the game plan worked.
He said: โWe managed the game very well. Our game plan was to come here and take the sting out of the game early doors. Then work our way into the game and hopefully get a grip of it.โ
Chesterfield often looked to send the ball long towards Scott Boden and later Tom Denton. Hughes feels we coped with this well.
He said: โI think in the main, we handled their game plan well. From our point of view, we were wanting to be as creative as we could. It was a very lively pitch and it was difficult for us to break forward. I think we kept at the task.โ
Chesterfield scored from a penalty after Matty Brown brought down Boden in the box. The former Shayman stepped up to net the only goal of the game.
โI think in the build-up, it was disappointing. I thought that when the ball went into the box, I wasnโt too sure if what I was seeing at that time was a penalty. Matty [Brown] was the other side of him so it looked like he had him in a good position.โ
Next up, Halifax host Aldershot Town in Vanarama National League. Hughes is confident the team will be able to bounce back to get the three points.
He said: โToday was a game where we wanted to come and not lose. Weโre fully focused on what the week ahead is going to hold. Weโre going to look at the Aldershot game as the next game for us to try and get something from. Aldershot are a very good side. Theyโll be hard to beat but at the Shay, weโre going to be work very hard this week to look at getting some points from that game.โ
Watch the full interview on Shaymen TV.
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