FC Halifax Town defender Daniel Hone doesnโt mind who his side face in the next qualifying round of the Emirates FA Cup after the Shaymen downed a combative Stalybridge Celtic 2-1 at the MBi Shay Stadium.
Hone himself headed in the winner in the second half after former Halifax player Kiel OโBrien cancelled out Josh Wildeโs volley. Now Halifax Town could face a Vanarama National League side in the next round but Hone believes his team has a chance regardless of the opposition.
โWeโll pitch ourselves against anyone. The lower league clubs are always banana skins so I donโt mind who we have in the next round because weโll have a good chance against anyone.โ
It was a frustrating afternoon for the home side as the game was constantly being pulled back for fouls and stoppages disrupting the flow of the football. Stalybridge came into the game as the underdogs having won only two out of their previous ten games so the stoppages in play better suited the away team.
When asked if he prefers to face a combative team like Stalybridge or face a team that allow the football to flow freely Hone stated that his team would much better suit the latter.
โToday we would have liked to just get on with it because when itโs just stop and start it gets frustrating. We would rather have a competitive game but a free flowing game. You could see today the lads were getting frustrated with all the stopping because we like to play free flowing football.โ
Hone has showed early on in his Halifax career that he has an aerial prowess both defensively and offensively and again he managed to showcase his talents with a great back post finish to give Halifax the win.
Despite being the man who grabbed the last goal and win the game, Hone was quick to point out that it is more important that he scored for the team than himself.
โI said to the lads, I could see it come really. When youโve got Jordan Sinnott who can stick a dead ball on a six pence I told the lads to go front post and Iโll go back post. I stuck at it and just nodded the ball in. It was an easy finish in the end but itโs more important that the team won.
Hone and his team will be wanting to keep the winning run going after three wins on the bounce, and they have the chance to do that in their next game against Gloucester City on Saturday the 8thย of October at Whaddon Road, 3pm kick-off.
Read more posts by Kelly Gilchrist