FC Halifax Town could only manage a disappointing 0-0 draw with 8th placed Brackley Town in a game manager Billy Heath believes was a missed opportunity for his side.
The Shaymen had the opportunity to move into second place and close the gap on league leaders AFC Fylde to just eight points, it’s now just a case for Heath’s side to take each game as it comes.
“All we’ve got to do is keep winning our games and keep trying to put pressure on them. It’s going to be a tall order with us drawing tonight but we’ve said all along when the next game comes we’ve just got to try and get something out of that.”
After a first half performance that was tight and tense a changed needed to be made by the Halifax manager and the former North Ferriby man obliged by changing to a 3-5-2 formation, pushing full backs Kevin Roberts and Josh Wilde out wide to match the home side’s shape.
It was a tactical change that Heath suggests put his side firmly in control and made them play better as he explains.
“Absolutely they had the ascendancy. They were pulling us and dragging us from one side of the pitch to the other we just felt at half time we’ve got to match them up and when we did match them up it was one to one all over the pitch. We had a spare man at the back and they had a spare man at the back and we were comfortable.”
It was a shape that allowed centre-back Daniel Hone to make an increasingly rare appearance in the starting line-up. The defender was a regular in the starting line-up at the start of the season but a mixture of suspensions and injuries has limited his playing time, however his manager has praised the experienced influence he brought to the game.
“He was excellent. He used his experience to play in the middle of Scott Garner and Nathan Hotte and he’s very good at that position. He talks well and he just makes the shape much better.”
Heath would have been forgiven if he thought his side were certain to take the lead in the second half just before Garner missed a chance in front of goal that. The former Boston United man was perhaps the wrong man in the right place as he produced a finish befitting of his natural position after Wilde had set him up for a sitter.
With the left back frustrated that the ball didn’t hit the back of the net, his manager revealed he was desperate to shoot himself before he passed.
“Josh Wilde has done ever so well and I thought he was going to pull the trigger. He even said he was going to pull the trigger but Garner was screaming for it and he’s only six yards out and he’s rolled him it. It was a good centre halves finish.”
Although the Shaymen didn’t win the match in the end, the draw means that they round off three difficult away games with seven points.
It’s a run of for that Heath believes the player need to be praised for and wants them to continue until the end of the season.
“This is a tough place to come. They are one of the better teams in our league and this is a tough place to come especially when you’ve had two games away from home and the amount to effort we had to put in Kidderminster I think the lads should be proud of themselves tonight.”
It was a strong support from the travelling fans, something that has come to be expected and appreciated form the Halifax faithful. Despite the long trip down south to Brackley on Tuesday night the away support still turned out in good numbers and it is something Heath relishes and hopes will continue.
“The support tonight was brilliant form the fans that travelled they were excellent. They were trying to drive us on and trying to get us over the line. Hopefully We’ll get a big crowd at The Shay on Saturday and hopefully they can get behind the team and be that 12th man because they make a huge difference.”
You can come down to the MBi Shay Stadium to show your support as FC Halifax Town as they face off with Alfreton Town on Saturday the 8th of April.
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