FC Halifax Town midfielder David Lynch warns that “nobody will roll over” as the team head into the business end of the Vanarama National League North starting with a visit to FC United of Manchester this Saturday, March 25 (3pm). In October, Town won the reverse fixture 3-1 at the MBi Shay Stadium, but Lynch is expecting a much tougher test than that which saw the Shaymen race into a 3-0 lead by half time.
On Tuesday, Halifax beat Gainsborough Trinity 2-1 at the MBi Shay, and Lynch was impressed with the performance of the side, saying: “I thought the general performance was outstanding; we moved the ball well and we played with energy.”
The Shaymen did go behind in the game thanks to a Jordan Thewlis goal for Trinity, which stemmed from an error by the returning Nathan Hotte. Lynch said: “It’s just one sloppy bit of play, it’s all about making the right decisions. In this league, you know they’re good players so if you don’t make the right decisions you get punished.
“Other than that mistake, I thought we were magnificent, moving the ball well, cutting them open numerous times. I don’t think anybody watching that game can say we didn’t deserve to win; we were by far the better team.
“If I’m being honest we deserved to win by a mile, we could have been out of sight. But we went behind and to be fair to the lads we’ve responded and we’ve won the game and that’s what it’s all about. It doesn’t matter how we get it, it’s three points at the end of the day, that’s what we’ve got to do, just keep ticking them off. We just look at the next game, not beyond that.”
Looking ahead to Saturday’s big clash, Lynch expressed his confidence that the side wouldn’t let a big crowd or hostile atmosphere affect their performance. “We’ve got experienced players, we’ve got lads that have played in the football league, and lads that have played at Wembley,” he said. “I don’t think it will phase us at all, it’s just about doing our jobs.
“We’ll be preparing on Thursday, and everyone will be getting rested up and doing the right things. Then we’ll go again on Saturday, one game at a time.”
In response to the suggestion that Town might get an easier ride against a side not particularly fighting at either end of the table, Lynch was unequivocal in his response: “They’re not just going to roll over,” he said. “It’s FC Halifax Town going over so they’re going to want to beat us, it’s as simple as that.
“We’ll be taking a big crowd, and it’s a big game. We’ve got to do the right things; the minute you get complacent you start to drop points. If we don’t do the right things and play with that energy, we’ll get turned over, it’s simple.”
The Shaymen currently sit in fifth position, occupying the final Play-off spot, but are just a point clear of the chasing Darlington and Stockport County, who sit sixth and seventh respectively. Town are two points below Chorley and three off Salford City, with a game in hand on both, as things really begin to hot up in the National League North run-in, and Lynch knows that every one of the last eight games could prove crucial in the final standings. “Every game is important, playing for this football club and this manager, you’ve got to go into every game wanting to win,” he said. “Winning is everything, for these fans it’s massive, we’ve got to try to win every game.
“It’s down to how much we want it now, you’ve got to show spirit, and you’ve got to stand up at times because not everything is going to go your way.”
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