Neil Aspin received the perfect birthday present in the form of three points after his superb FC Halifax Town side crushed play-off rivals Barnet courtesy of an “exceptional” performance. The 4-0 thumping at The Hive was Town’s seventh win in eight games, which strengthened their promotion push, and left Aspin to celebrate his 49th birthday in fine style.
He told Shaymen Player after the game: “No, I couldn’t have wished for a happier birthday because it wasn’t just the result – it was the performance, in a big game. “You can’t really get better days than this as a manager. I thought the players were absolutely fantastic. It is credit to myself as manager and to the Club because it was a hell of a performance. “I think for 70 minutes it was exceptional. I have not seen a team play as well. I thought Barnet started the game well but once we got in front I thought we went from strength to strength. “Matty made a good, important save; we got our confidence back and once we got the first goal, we never looked back. “It’s one of the best performances I have probably seen in my time as manager but it shows the level that we’ve travelled from – in that we’ve come from the UniBond North to be playing Barnet and winning 4-0. It is a fantastic journey we’ve been on.”
After two splendid Matty Glennon saves in the opening exchanges, Town gained control and demonstrated a ruthlessness in front of goal in a first half showing that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Football League. Two clinical Scott Spencer strikes –his first goals for the Club in his first start – either side of Lee Gregory’s header gave the Shaymen a comfortable lead at the break. It was Spencer’s second – and Town’s third – that caught Aspin’s eye. The manager said: “The third goal summed it up; it was lovely play, we kept the ball, we moved it around, it was a good delivery and a great finish from Scott Spencer who justified his selection. “As a manager, if you put somebody in, you hope that they will do the job you ask and he did that and more with his two goals.” Gregory’s goal was his 100th for the Club – but Aspin hopes the league’s leading scorer hasn’t stopped scoring yet for the Shaymen this season. He revealed: “It’s a fantastic record. I’m really pleased he got that 100th goal because it is a milestone when you get three figures. Let’s hope he has got a few more left.” For the full interview with Neil Aspin, log onto Shaymen Player
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