The Shaymen produced a dominant performance against Tamworth, securing a convincing 4-1 victory after a blistering first-half display saw Halifax race into a four-goal lead.
Tamworth got the game underway, but Halifax quickly took control of the opening stages. The Shaymen looked the more threatening side in the first five minutes, controlling possession and searching for a way through the Tamworth defence.
Halifax created their first chance after six minutes when Zak Gilsenan received a through ball from Max Bardell inside the penalty area. Gilsenan attempted to find Conor Carty across goal, but the forward could not quite reach the delivery.
The game was briefly paused after a clash between Tamworth’s Jabir Singh and Gilsenan.
Tamworth almost took advantage of a lapse in concentration from Halifax after 10 minutes. Kieran Donnelly made a daring run through the Shaymen defence and got onto the end of a pass, but he failed to get a clean touch, sparing Halifax.
The Lambs continued to apply pressure, but the defensive partnership of Shaun Hobson and Will Flint stood firm. Halifax’s Will Hugill was then shown the first yellow card of the match in the 16th minute following a late challenge on Tom Parker.
The Shaymen broke the deadlock two minutes later. Carty intercepted a loose back pass before racing through on goal. Showing composure with his first touch, he calmly finished past the goalkeeper to register his second goal of the season and give Halifax the lead.
Tamworth received their first booking in the 20th minute when Luke Fairlamb pulled Carty down by his shirt. Cody Johnson was then booked two minutes later for a late challenge on Morgan Roberts.
The Lambs made their first substitution in the 34th minute, with Tyler Lyttle replaced by Olly Dyson.
Halifax came close to doubling their advantage shortly afterwards when another sloppy back pass almost presented Carty with an opportunity.
Tamworth immediately countered, but Raheem Conte produced excellent defending to prevent the visitors from finding an equaliser.
The Shaymen did double their advantage in the 41st minute through Gilsenan. The winger exchanged passes with Ben Tollit before receiving the ball back and brilliantly skipping past two Tamworth players with a drop of the shoulder. Gilsenan then entered the penalty area and fired beyond the goalkeeper to make it 2-0.
Gilsenan struck again just four minutes later. He won possession from Teo Kurtaran before showing excellent skill to work his way past two Tamworth defenders and calmly slot the ball into the bottom-right corner.
Tamworth made a change at half-time, bringing on Ben Acquaye for Fairlamb.
Halifax began the second half more cautiously, retaining possession and controlling the tempo rather than immediately looking for another goal.
However, their patience paid off in the 49th minute when Tollit made it 4-0 with a rocket of a strike from 35 yards away from goal.
The midfielder collected the ball around 35 feet from goal, looked up and, with plenty of time, unleashed a low effort that beat the Tamworth goalkeeper and extended Halifax’s commanding lead.
Tamworth made another substitution in the 60th minute, with Nathan Tshikuna replaced by Dan Creaney, while Halifax introduced Arian Allen for Tollit five minutes later.
Allen was shown a yellow card in the 73rd minute after the referee judged that he had dived inside the Tamworth penalty area. A minute later, Carty was replaced by Amari Morgan-Smith.
Tamworth pulled a goal back in the 76th minute when a free-kick was floated into the Halifax box. The ball fell to TJ Bramble, who blasted past True Grant to deny the Shaymen a clean sheet.
The Lambs made another change in the 79th minute, with Jake Hutchinson replacing Kieran Donnelly.
Halifax continued to threaten late on and won a free-kick in a promising position after Gilsenan was fouled. The winger delivered into the box, but nobody could connect with the cross.
The Shaymen made two final substitutions in the 85th minute, with Conor Douglas replaced by Dylan Crowe and Gilsenan making way for Tayt Trusty.
Halifax comfortably saw out the remaining minutes to secure an emphatic 4-1 victory, with Carty, Gilsenan’s brace and Tollit’s long-range strike ensuring a memorable afternoon for the Shaymen.
Match Stats
FC Halifax Town
33 True Grant, 2 Max Bardell, 8 Will Flint, 5 Shane Hobson, 3 Raheem Conte, 4 Will Hugill, 30 Cody Johnson ( c), 17 Ben Tollitt (18 Arian Allen 66) , 10 Zak Gilsenan (20 Tayt Trusty 85), 11 Connor Douglas (23 Dylan Crowe 85), 9 Connor Carty (14 Amari Morgan-Smith 75),
Subs: 1 Sam Johnson, 7 Owen Bray, 22 David Kawa,
Tamworth
1 Jasbir Singh (C), 2 Tyler Lyttle ( 14 Olly Dyson 34) , 4 Teo Kurtaran, 5 Tom Parkes, 6 TJ Bramble, 10 Keiren Donnelly 10 Jake Huchinson 79 , 11Luke Fairlamb ( 7 Ben Acquaye 45) , 16 Riccardo Calder, 18 Jordan Cullinane- Liburd, 20 Nathan Tshikuna ( 9 Dan Creaney 60) , 30 Morgan Roberts
Subs: 39 Rhys Lovett,, 8 Ben Milnes, 19 Thomas McGlinchey,
Referee: Paul Marsden
Goals Carty 18, Gilsenan 41, Gilsenan 44, Tollitt 49, 6 TJ Bramble 76
Yellow cards Will Hugill 16, Luke Fairlamb 20, Cody Johnson 22, Arian Allen 73
Red Cards: None
Attendance 1175 ( 94 away)
FC Halifax Town 4 Tamworth 1
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