Neil Aspin commended his FC Halifax Town players yet again as the Shaymen made it 25 out of a possible 27 points with a narrow victory over play-off rivals Grimsby.
The 1-0 triumph at Blundell Park – Town’s fifth successive win on the road – lifted the Shaymen above their hosts into third in the Skrill Premier table and left Aspin with nothing but praise for his “great” troops. He told Shaymen Player after the game:
“It’s another fantastic result. It wasn’t a performance like the Barnet game but certainly in terms of importance and getting the points it was a massive three points for us.
“Again it is credit to the players who have had to work exceptionally hard and they have put in another great defensive performance. It doesn’t just happen; if you want to keep clean sheets then you need the full team working hard and they all put in a shift.
“We obviously gave them one clear-cut chance in the first half but, apart from that, I can’t think of a chance they created. There was possibly one near the end but it was a great defensive performance and that has been another factor in us getting the three points.
“It wasn’t a classic by any means; I don’t think either team was playing to their best in the first half. There were a lot of misplaced passes and there weren’t a lot of good passages of play.
“But we knew that if we could keep it tight then we’d have a chance as we always feel that we can get a goal. The players have got that belief.
“Defensively we were solid, we headed balls in the box when we needed to, there were some good interceptions and there was always cover. As I say, you need to do that and you also need your goalkeeper to play as he did. Although he wasn’t really tested in terms of shots, his catching was excellent again.
“It was then a fantastic goal to win it.”
That “fantastic goal” was a moment of inspired genius from Lois Maynard who notched his second goal in two outings – and seventh of the campaign – with a sumptuous strike from the edge of the area just after the interval. Aspin, who couldn’t wait to relive the cracking match-winning strike, purred:
“I’d love to see it again. It was a fabulous goal. I have spoken about Lois in the past and about how well he has done but now he is obviously chipping in with goals, which is a bonus.
“What a player he has been this season. He can only get better.”
The trip to Lincolnshire came only a matter of days after the exhilarating performance at Barnet, in which Martin Allen’s men were trounced 4-0. And whilst Aspin admits Town might have lacked the high-intensity of that game against Grimsby, the battling qualities that were prevalent at Blundell Park will be key for the remainder of the season, as they continue to make the Town proud. Aspin revealed:
“I want them to play with a high-intensity, we want to play like that and we want to push on and we want to press.
“But you’re not talking about full-time training and full-time preparation. You’re talking about a journey back from Barnet, then you’re talking about players going back to work Monday and Tuesday before a journey to Grimsby. Physically, you are not always going to be the same.
“Then you are relying on character, desire, attitude and all those things to stay in the game when you are maybe not playing as well.
“That is why I feel you can only give all the credit to the players. I thought the supporters turned out in good numbers tonight and they’ve seen a team who might not have been at their fluent best but were a team who have certainly got a desire to do well for the Club and for the supporters. They are a team the supporters can be proud of.”
For the full interview with Neil Aspin, log onto Shaymen Player
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