FC Halifax Town go into Saturday’s clash with Hyde FC looking to secure only their second away win of the season against a team rooted to the bottom of the table without a single victory on home soil this campaign. With only nine points to their name thus far, it represents a great chance for The Shaymen to pick up a morale boosting three points on the road for the first time since December.
However in spite of the struggles The Tigers have faced, Town manager Neil Aspin is still wary of the threat they can pose his side. Despite being on the wrong end of a 4-0 defeat at The Shay in November, Scott McNiven’s team will have felt the scoreline was harsh after a performance that defied their league standing.
During a period of few fixtures for FC Halifax Town, Aspin has been to Ewen Fields as a spectator and knows he hasn’t witnessed a side low on belief or fight as they continue to battle for only their second win of the season: “I watched Hyde last week against Aldershot and they’re still playing with spirit. They’re still going out there and they took the lead in that game.”
The Greater Manchester based club’s trials and tribulations on the field have been well documented in the wider media, and many are aware that their desire for victory grows stronger each week. Aspin is of course wary of the threat this desire may cause his team and is not expecting any complacency in the ranks: “The previous game against Lincoln they took the lead going into the last few minutes and they’re desperate for a win at home as they’ve not had one all season. We’ve got to make sure it’s not against us.”
However as Aspin has continually stated, each game must be approached just as any other. Preparation has to be first and foremost about his own team and how they will set up to try and win the game: “I can’t be worried about Hyde because I can only concentrate on my own team and we need to be trying to get three points.”
As poor as the host’s form has been throughout the season, The Shaymen’s struggles on their travels are no secret. It is a source of great frustration and confusion for the boss who does not know why there is such a stark contrast in performances away from The Shay: “You can’t say away from home it’s through setting up defensively or wanting to play negatively, but for whatever reason we haven’t done well away from home. We’re still going to go away and try and win games, there’s no point in sitting back because we need to win games and we will push home and away to try and get the three points.”
Whilst a place in the play-offs may look unlikely, a stark improvement to their away form and The Shaymen can begin to dream of a top five spot come the end of the season. However, that must start on Saturday.
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