FC Halifax Town are on the road again as they travel up to Victoria Park to take on Hartlepool United.
Billy Heath’s men will come into the fixture hoping to finally grab a win for the first time in a while, following some unlucky results in which the team have played better than previously.
Form
The Shaymen have now played 8 National League games without victory, racking up 4 draws and 4 losses. Their counterparts in Hartlepool, went through a similar sticky patch themselves at the beginning of the campaign, as they failed to win in their opening 6 matches.
Since then, things have appeared to run more smoothly for Craig Harrison’s men, who went unbeaten in 7 league games, and only lost once in 13, a run ended by their 2-0 home defeat to Aldershot Town this weekend.
However, looking more closely to their home form, they have only won once since September on their own patch. Since a 2-1 win over Solihull Moors, their games at the 7,856-capacity stadium have seen draws against Sutton United, Tranmere Rovers,
The form of both teams sees Town currently sit in 17th spot, while The Pools since in 14th, only 3 points separating the two, with the home form of their hosts, as well as recent performances, giving Halifax the confidence to close the gap.
Key men
With 10 goals between them, Jonathan Franks and Rhys Oates hold the mantle of talisman attackers for the Monkey Hangers.
Franks especially has been a revelation for Hartlepool since he signed from Scottish side Ross County, with the 27-year-old notching 6, making him the club’s top scorer, as well as their 2nd best assist creator with 3.
Also with 6 goals himself, Tom Denton will be the key man for Town. A headed finish against Sutton United saw his ran without a goal come to an end, and he will be hoping to build upon that in the coming fixtures after starting the campaign brightly.
Last meeting
It will be the first time a team representing the town of Halifax travels there since November 2001, when Halifax Town AFC were beaten 3-0 in a Football League Division 3 encounter, before the reformation.
Goals from Gordon Watson, Mark Tinkler and Tommy Widdrington giving Hartlepool the 3 points.
Watson would later come back to haunt the Shayman on their own turf, scoring again at The Shay in a 2-0 victory later in the season where Halifax would finish bottom.
Match Officials:
Referee: Joseph Johnson
Assistants: Dale Baines/Lewis Raper
Fourth Official: Mark Ryan
Follow the Game:
There will be live updates and commentary available on the club website and Shaymen TV.
You can also follow the action via Town’s official Twitter account, @FCHTOnline and Snapchat (FCHTOnline)
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