FC Halifax Town manager Billy Heath believes his side are starting to become the team that he envisioned when he took over the Yorkshire side in the summer.
A hard-thought 2-0 victory away at Gloucester City last time out in the league, thanks to goals from Alex Simmonds and skipper Liam King , made it 4 consecutive victories for the Shaymen , as well their 5th win in six games.
“I thought Gloucester was such a terrific performance from my players” said Heath when speaking after the Gloucester game.
“In my eyes it was almost the perfect away performance. Everyone chipped in and worked hard for the team and we were extremely well disciplined”.
“There was a good number players out there who stepped up and at times sacrificed their own game for the benefit of the game plan. When that happens, it shows me that the togetherness of the team is very strong” said Heath.
Attention now turns to yet another away trip for the Shaymen, the 2nd of four consecutive league fixtures away from the MBI Shay, where they’ll face 2nd placed side Harrogate Town in the final FA Cup qualifying round before the first round proper commences.
The last meeting between the two sides ended in disappointment for Halifax back in August, in what was the club’s first league defeat at home. Striker Jack Emmet scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory for the Sulphurites.
The CNG Stadium will prove a tough place for Billy Heath’s players due to the controversial artificial playing surface. However, the boss has seen a change in the team in recent weeks and expects a much more positive result on Saturday.
“Harrogate is going to be a tough game. They are doing well in the league and of course we weren’t successful the last time we faced them. We’ve come a long way since then though and in regards to Saturday’s game it’s the standard cliché – cup games are totally different affairs” believes the Shaymen boss.
“We’re much more resolute side now and our starting to become the type of team that we want to be- where we can explosive at times going forward alongside being defensive and solid at the back when the time comes to dig in and hold onto a result”.
“We’re going to play on their 3g, 4g pitch, plastic pitch however you want to call it and straight away that gives me the advantage. They play and train on it every other week but we can’t really let that be an excuse for us” insists Heath.
“We are in good form, the team is starting to express the football better and hopefully we can give the fans a great day out and a right result as at the end of the day that is the most important thing”.
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