FC Halifax Town managed a 1-1 draw away at Southern opponents Dagenham & Redbridge. Goals from Jack Munns and Nathan Clarke ensure both teams went home with a point.
We spoke to Jamie Fullarton to get his thoughts on the game.
He said: โGreat credit goes to the players obviously. We came to the game and we were looking to win the game. Weโre playing against an inform side in Dagenham, having won six of their last seven, but we firmly believed, and the players showed in how they started the game that they could win the game.โ
Josh Staunton was shown a straight red after a tackle on Alex McQueen, and Fullarton believes the referee was over-stepping the mark with his bookings.
He said: โWe look for referees to manage the game not influence, and unfortunately, I felt the referee influenced the game and showed a lack of understanding with his yellow cards and red cards of what the contact sport is. Over and above that I thought there was many things that he didnโt get quite right today but great credit to our players.โ
Despite losing Staunton, Fullarton was confident the team could still get the result they were looking for.
He said: โAlthough we started well, we were looking to win the game, you go down to 10 men after 30 minutes, it makes the challenge even more difficult. I said to them at half time with 10 men we stay in the game, weโll win the game. With nine we wouldnโt.โ
Looking back to the game against Hartlepool and Fullarton knew that if they lost another man, the task would have been nearly impossible.
He said: โI was conscience of where we played and performed ever so well against Hartlepool, but with nine men, we made the task almost virtually impossible to win the game. When you go 1-0 down after an hour, I still firmly believed that if we stayed in the game and kept it at one, weโd get something from the game. In true to their word the players did that and we got something from the game.โ
Clarke equalised with 10 minutes to go from a Ryan Sellers corner. At the start of the season, Town were looking very threatening from set-pieces and Fullarton is pleased the team have been able to score from one again.
He said: โItโs evident from preseason right through, that set-pieces are a key contributor to goals for all teams and itโs important that when you get the opportunity, you take advantage of it. Nathan, Matty Brown, Josh Staunton, and Niall Maher have shown that we are a threat from set-pieces. It was great to see Nathan get on one when we havenโt scored from a set-piece recently.โ
The Shaymen were very strong defensively for most of the game which saw goalkeeper Sam Johnson have very few saves to make. Fullarton was adamant in his praise for the playerโs performances.
He said: โBut again, letโs not detract from the fact that we were, for an hour, with 10 men and yet Sam still didnโt have a save to make. Great credit to the players throughout for staying in the game. We were looking to try and take something from the game and thatโs why they got what they deserved today.โ
Town travel to Barrow next week in the first round of the FA Trophy, and Fullarton is looking forward to participating in another cup competition.
He said: โWith the group of players that we have, obviously suspensions and injuries have impacted us over the last two or three months. As a group, the players have contributed throughout. Weโre tirelessly working, on a daily basis, to enhance the squad, to add to the squad and create competition for places and try and prevent injuries and suspensions derailing what weโre trying to do. We have been impacted over the last two months and weโll be working, again on a daily basis, to look to prevent the suspensions from today and any other knocks and niggles that weโre picking up from impacting the flow of our progression. But weโre looking forward to a cup game away to Barrow next week.โ
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