FC Halifax Town will look to extend their impressive seven game unbeaten run as Boston United become the latest side to visit the MBi Shay Stadium on Saturday.
The Shaymen’s notable run of form has seen them earn a place in the play-off places on goal difference as we enter the busy period towards the end of the season. With games in hand on all of the top five, Town will be aiming to cement their position in time for April.
As for Boston, the visitors see themselves at the lower end of the table in fifteenth place, although a four point gap between them and AFC Telford United one place below has eased fears of being dragged into a relegation battle.
Current Form
The Shaymen will certainly be the more confident of the two sides going into Saturday’s game, amassing six wins from the last seven league outings. The most recent coming against Worcester City as the in-form Matty Kosylo and striker Tom Denton scored to award Town with a 2-1 victory in Worcestershire.
Billy Heath’s side have certainly forgotten about the difficult Christmas and New Year period, and will turn into serious play-off contenders if they are able to earn the full three points this weekend
As for Boston, it is a completely different story. Three wins out of five over Christmas and New Year saw the Pilgrims in good form as 2017 arrived. However, since then a difficult February has seen Boston lose four out of their last five games, their last win coming against high-flying Chorley just over a fortnight ago.
Last Meeting
Back in October, Town enjoyed a decent day out in Lincolnshire as they ran out 4-1 winners at the Jakemans Stadium. Denton opened the scoring with a well-placed header early on to go into half-time with the one goal advantage.
As the second half began the ball was in the back of the net almost instantly thanks to Alex Simmons, before the hosts pulled one back 20 minutes later. However, there was to be no come back.
Simmons made it three following Denton’s assist before the striker also grabbed his second of the afternoon with a fantastic 20 yard strike, extending Town’s winning run to six games.
Key Player
One man you will want to keep your eyes on this weekend is striker, Jay Rollins. You may recognise him as the goal scorer in Town’s 4-1 win over the Pilgrims earlier in the season, and the former Askern Villa man has been impressive for Boston so far this season.
Notching ten goals and earning five man of the match awards, Rollins is fast becoming a talent to watch out for in the Vanarama National League North. Despite a forced substitution last time out through injury, Rollins is expected to return at The Shay, and will certainly be a threat if he does so.
Match Officials
Referee: David McNamara
Assistant Referees: Christopher Porter and Peter Shacklad
Follow the Game
Full match commentary will be available via Shaymen Player HD. Match updates will also be available on the Shaymen Wall as well as the club’s official Twitter feed. (www.twitter.com/FCHTOnline)
Read more posts by Kelly Gilchrist
