It was a miserable windy Boxing Day at Victoria Park as The Shaymen went down 3-1 losers to Hartlepool United.
The hosts started the game strongest, taking the lead on the 7th minute thanks to a backpost header from centre back Ryan Johnson. However, it only took 6 minutes for Town to pull level as Billy Chadwick latched on to a perfectly weighted through ball from former Pools player Kieran Green, before firing low and hard into the bottom right corner.
The Shaymen came close to taking the lead on the half hour mark after some fine hold up play from Nyal Bell. A Niall Maher header made its way to Bell, who held off Johnson before driving the ball just wide.
It wasn’t until the 56th minute until we saw the next bit of action. But it was a big blow to Town as Rhys Oates beat Tom Bradbury to a forward ball before unleashing an unstoppable strike across Johnson’s body into the far side of the goal.
Summerfield came close to levelling the tie on the hour mark but his curling effort went agonisingly wide. But the game got harder for Town when loanee Bell was shown his second yellow with twenty minutes to go.
The game was put to bed in the 89th minute when Mason Bloomfield used his pace to beat the Halifax back line and unleash a rocket, beating Johnson at his near post.
Match Stats
1 Ben Killip, 23 Jamie Sterry, 3 David Ferguson (39 Joe Bunney 27), 5 Timi Odusina, 15 Ryan Johnson, 38 Tyler Magloire, 6 Mark Shelton, 8 Nicky Featherstone © 14 Gavan Holohan, 11 Rhys Oates (9 Mason Bloomfield 84), 29 Luke Armstrong
Subs: 7 Ryan Donaldson, 12 Joe Grey, 22 Tom Crawford
Sam Johnson, 3 Jack Senior, 6 Tom Bradbury, 8 Kieran Green, 11 Danny Williams, 15 Gevaro Nepomuceno (10 Jack Earing 79), 19 Luke Summerfield, 26 Martin Woods, 31 Niall Maher, 36 Billy Chadwick, 39 Nyal Bell
Subs: 12 Harrison Davison-Hale, 20 Dominic Tear, 32 Neil Danns, 37 Nick Crane
Goals: Johnson 7, Chadwick 13, Oates 57, Bloomfield 90
Yellow Cards: Bell 54
Red Cards: Bell 69
Attendance: Behind closed doors
Referee: Andrew Kitchen
Full Time: Hartlepool United 3 FC Halifax Town 1
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