Danny Batty experienced what can only be described as a mixed emotions debut for FC Halifax Town as he made his first start since signing from Hull on loan, as Halifax were beaten 4-2 by Tranmere.
The 19-year-old played the full 90 minutes and performed well in his first outing for the Shaymen, with some neat touches and nice passes, especially with winger Matty Kosylo.
Although only young, the midfielder knows how difficult some of the fixtures in this league can be, with Tranmere being a definite example of that.
โYeah it was always going to be a tough game coming here, especially for my first game.โ
โI thought we had some good spells going forward but we just needed to get tighter to our men and stuff like that but overall we couldโve had a few more goals, couple more chances.โ
Halifax found themselves two goals down in just fifteen minutes in this tie and Batty believes the side knew they had to work even harder after such a slow start.
โWe knew it was going to be hard, so we just had to give it our best shot after going down by two so early.โ
A rough start in what was already going to be a difficult game as Halifax looked to hit back at the side that knocked them out of the FA Cup earlier this season but unfortunately history repeated itself and the away side couldnโt muster enough to get the win.
Matty Brownโs header sparked some life into the Shaymen just after half time, however just a minute later Micky Mellonโs men had restored their two-goal lead and Batty believes the side got overconfident and lost focus.
โIt was a good goal to be fair, got us to 2-1 and then we sort of got confident for a couple of minutes then it just went, we conceded again and then it put our heads down again and, so we had to pick ourselves back up again.โ
โWe just had to keep digging at it, see how far we could get.โ
The youngster was very modest about his own performance, especially considering he managed to get his name on the score sheet on his debut, burying a low shot past Simon Davies in the 66th minute.
โI did alright I think. Started off a bit slow as you would, like everybody I think but then grew into the game and I thought I did alright.โ
Also, the 19-year-old showed great maturity and ability in his forward passing and his work rate, something which will have really pleased manager Billy Heath.
Batty also praised the travelling fans that made the trip to the game and believes the Halifax faithful are very impressive.
โYeah it was good for me to listen to the crowd, they kept us going at times and they always kept going.โ
โGreat fans so itโs good to be here.โ
Looking ahead to Tuesday nightโs West Riding County Cup fixture against Thackley, Batty knows the side need to improve and really put the effort in if they are to get out of this slump and bad patch of form.
โIt was a long hard game, so we go again on Tuesday. Just hard work I guess, work hard and do as best we can and get some goals really.โ
A fine performance from the youngster who, if he can continue churning out performances such as this, will be giving Heath some headaches for his midfield selections.
For more post-match reaction from Heath and David Lynch, or to watch the full Danny Batty interview, head on over to Shaymen TV.
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