F.C. Halifax Town
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| Full name | Football Club Halifax Town | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Shaymen | ||
| Founded | 2008 | ||
| Ground |
The MBI Shay stadium, Halifax, West Yorkshire | ||
| Capacity | 14,061 (5,830 seated) | ||
| Chairman | David Bosomworth | ||
| Manager | Billy Heath | ||
| League | National League North | ||
| 2015–16 | National League, 21st (relegated) | ||
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F.C. Halifax Town is a semi-professional association football club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, the sixth tier of English football. They replaced Halifax Town A.F.C., which went into administration in the 2007–08 season. F.C Halifax are also known as The Shaymen as they play their home games at MBI The Shay
History
Formation
Huge tax debts buried Halifax Town A.F.C. after almost 100 years as a football club. New figures put to a reconvened creditors meeting in May 2008 showed the cash-strapped Shaymen owed over £800,000 to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs. The Revenue refused any deal and that effectively finished the club – already over £2 million in the red.[1] Administrators had been trying to broker a rescue package but speaking after five hours of talks that left liquidation near inevitable, administrator Rob Sadler said: "Halifax Town will probably perish." It was originally thought the club owed the taxman around £500,000, which might have left scope for a deal. But the news that it owed £814,000 meant that even if all the other creditors had accepted the 2.5p-in-the-pound offer originally on the table it would not have been enough.[2]
At a meeting of the Football Association, discussing the makeup of the football pyramid for the 2008/09 season, F.C. Halifax Town were not placed in either the Conference Premier, the Conference North or the Northern Premier League Premier Division. Halifax appealed against the decision to remove them from the Football Conference.[3] Though the appeal was rejected on 11 June, the hope was that Halifax could play in the NPL Premier Division.[4] This did not materialise, and eventually Halifax Town were accepted to play in the Northern Premier League Division One North in the new season under the new name F.C. Halifax Town.[5]
2008–09
The club's first game under the new name F.C. Halifax Town was a friendly away against Tamworth on 19 July 2008. There was to be no fairytale ending however, and the game ended in a 2–0 defeat. The club's first ever victory was against Alsager Town on 26 July 2008 by a 2–0 scoreline. Colin Hunter scored the new club's first ever goal after six minutes. Their first competitive Northern League Division One North match was at The Shay against Bamber Bridge on 16 August 2008, but the game resulted in a 3–0 loss for the Shaymen.
The club got off to a poor start, despite recording their first competitive victory in the next match. However, a 7–1 home win against Salford City in late September seemed to turn the tide for Town. They went on an 8-game unbeaten run, 7 of those being victories, and shot to the top of the league table. The run eventually came to an end against Rossendale United, who ended up doing the league double over Halifax and finishing the season bottom of the table.
Despite the loss, Halifax remained top and more good results, including 5–1 and 4–1 victories against Garforth Town and Wakefield respectively, kept their promotion hopes alive. After the Wakefield match however, Halifax won just 2 of their final 14 league games, the wins coming against Harrogate Railway Athletic and Clitheroe, both 2–1. This poor run led to the sacking of manager Jim Vince, and senior player Nigel Jemson stepped up to the manager's position for the remainder of the season. The automatic promotion places were certainly out of Halifax's reach going into the final 5 games, but the club needed to win a minimum of 3 of these final 5 games to have any chance of reaching the play-offs. They could only manage 2 draws and so a poor ending to the season cost them dearly, and they had to settle for a final position of 8th.
2009–10
With new manager Neil Aspin taking the helm near the start of close season, Halifax Town got off to a much better start. Promising results in pre-season friendlies were consolidated after beating Colwyn Bay 3–0 on their own turf in the first league match of the season. The results continued to be impressive, most notably in September, winning every game and conceding only one goal in the process. This included a 2–0 away victory over promotion-pushing Conference North team Droylsden, before coming to a home defeat to Wrexham in the Fourth Qualifying Round in front of a then record gate for FC Halifax Town, 2,843.[6] Furthermore, first-choice goalkeeper Jonathan Hedge was called up for the England C national football team. Halifax's glory streak faltered a little after losing 1–0 away to Prescot Cables in the only game during the season where they failed to score.
Halifax failed to record a game for over a month during the heavy weather in the winter, and Lancaster City dominated the promotion race for a while. However, Halifax continued to rake up impressive results, and during a congested schedule beat Ossett Albion 5–0, and Harrogate Railway Athletic, Prescot Cables and Colwyn Bay 3–0 apiece among other results. A decisive moment came against Garforth Town away, when, after a Garforth substitute being sent off, Halifax came back from 3–1 down to win 3–4 in the last stoppage time.
That following Saturday, 10 April, Halifax faced Lancaster City at home, beating them 4–0 in front of a new record gate, 3,152.[7] This result gained Halifax points over Lancaster for the first time since the beginning of the season. The Shaymen followed this excellent result on Monday 13 April by beating 3rd placed Curzon Ashton away 5–0. They held onto the top spot until the end of the season, becoming champions of the Northern Premier League Division One North with 100 points. The title was sealed with a 2–2 home draw against Clitheroe after beating Ossett Albion away 4–2 the previous Saturday in front of over 1,000 travelling supporters.
2010–11
Halifax started life in the Northern Premier League by making numerous signings, notably former Bradford City captain Mark Bower from Darlington and forward Jamie Vardy from Stocksbridge Park Steels, a player who would go on to lift the Premier League just five years later with Leicester City.
The Shaymen began the season how they would have wanted, winning their inaugural match at this level 2–1 against Buxton at the Shay, however draws against Frickley Athletic and Colwyn Bay plus a defeat at fellow newly promoted side Chasetown left Town in 13th position. However things did pick up; Town were unbeaten in their next twelve league games, winning a remarkable eleven of them to send the Shaymen six points clear of nearest challengers Colwyn Bay, and having played two games less than them. Within this unbeaten run, Halifax also played host to Conference Premier side Mansfield Town in the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup, although like the previous season they succumbed to a narrow defeat.
A shock home defeat against North Ferriby United was just an anomalous result in the league campaign. On New Year's Day 2011, Town hosted FC United of Manchester at the Shay which attracted a crowd of 4,023, an attendance that at the time held the record crowd for the Northern Premier League.[8] Halifax won with ease, coming out 4–1 victors thanks to two late goals after having already beaten the Red Rebels three weeks prior at Gigg Lane. Victory at Northwich Victoria and an emphatic 8–1 home win against Ossett Town in mid-January, FC Halifax Town's biggest ever win, settled minor worries after going down 2–1 at bogey side Colwyn Bay and the Shaymen continued to win games at will despite the odd hiccup.
Halifax won an incredible match against Chasetown in late March, with four of the five goals in the 3–2 win coming very late on after Town had gone behind. Halifax had the chance to wrap up the championship at home to Matlock Town but a late penalty for the visitors meant Town had to wait. They finally won the title after winning 2–0 at Retford United and gained automatic promotion to the Conference North. This was their second league title in as many seasons.
2011–12
After two incredible seasons, there was a belief around the club that three consecutive promotions could be on the cards. A good pre-season increased optimism but everyone was brought back down to Earth after Town lost their opening game at home to Corby Town. A close-fought encounter at Blyth Spartans ended in victory for the Shaymen but this win was succeeded by four consecutive draws. Meanwhile, star striker Jamie Vardy was bought by Fleetwood Town and after having a very successful season was snapped up by Championship outfit Leicester City. Defeats against Hinckley United and Vauxhall Motors didn't help the cause and Halifax were languishing in 16th place with only two wins from their opening nine games. This wasn't good enough and the team responded, winning four of their next six games including a victory against eventual league champions Hyde.
Despite the poor league form, Halifax were enjoying a good run in the FA Cup; the club reached the first round for the first time since their reformation and were drawn at home to Charlton Athletic who were five points clear at the top of League One at the time. The tie was selected to be shown live on ITV1. Town gave a very good account of themselves despite going down 4–0 after three late goals. The record attendance for the club was also broken, with a crowd of 4,601.
A sluggish period after the highs of the Charlton game were quickly forgotten after Halifax went on a ten-game unbeaten run, propelling them from 13th position to 3rd, a position around which they stayed for the remainder of the season. Defeats against Nuneaton Town began an inconsistent run which led to a nail-biting end to the season in the race to make the play-offs. Town lost away at fellow play-off hopefuls Stalybridge Celtic but three wins from the final four games secured a 3rd-place finish.
Halifax faced Gainsborough Trinity in the play-offs, a side who they hadn't lost to in the regular season, however after going 2–0 down at the Northolme they came back to draw the first leg 2–2. In the second leg, Town went down 1–0 despite having more of the ball throughout the game but poor finishing meant that they had to settle for another season in the Conference North.
2012–13
The season began with somewhat of a cull of the previous season's squad; only nine members of that squad were initially retained for the upcoming season. Numerous high-profile signings were made in the close-season including former Huddersfield Town captain Jon Worthington, ex-Wigan Athletic midfielder Jason Jarrett and strikers Dale Johnson and Gareth Seddon from Droylsden and Conference Premier champions Fleetwood Town respectively. The duo had formed a prolific goalscoring partnership at Hyde between 2006 and 2008. Following these signings, Halifax were installed as the pre-season favourites for the Conference North title ahead of fellow phoenix and ex-league club Chester.
The Shaymen's season began as they would've wanted with a 2–1 victory against the most southerly side in the division Bishop's Stortford, despite falling behind. Another defeat against Colwyn Bay was followed by a 5–1 drubbing of Workington before a draw at neighbours Bradford Park Avenue. The Shaymen struggled to find consistency in the early stages and after their draw at the Horsfall Stadium they already found themselves 5 points adrift of joint league leaders Guiseley, Brackley Town and Chester. A loss at Chester in September was followed by a good run, which included the start of Halifax's FA Cup and FA Trophy runs.
The Shaymen reached the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup, bowing out 2–0 to Lincoln City in a replay at the Shay, after having given the Conference side a good run for their money in a goalless draw at Sincil Bank. The Trophy saw Town fare better than in the Cup, reaching the quarter-finals but eventually ending up on the wrong end of a 3–2 defeat to another Conference side in a replay, this time in the form of Dartford.
During the middle of the season, Town experienced a large number of fixture postponements due to their involvement in the cups, the poor weather and the poor drainage system at the Shay, causing the pitch to become easily waterlogged. Incidentally Halifax's home league tie in February against Stalybridge Celtic had to be moved to Rochdale's Spotland Stadium. By the start of February, Halifax had ten games in hand on runaway leaders Chester and were 41 points behind them. The continuation of the foul weather left Halifax having to play 12 league games in 27 days in April. Many fans thought that such a backlog of fixtures would tire the players out and cause them to miss out on the playoffs entirely, after having been in the mix even with so many games in hand. The Shaymen only won 2 of these 12 games but still made it into the playoffs fairly comfortably to finish the season in 5th place.
Town were paired up with local neighbours Guiseley in the playoff semi final after they had finished in 2nd place. A 1–1 draw at the Shay left things finely poised for the second leg at Nethermoor. Halifax managed to pull off an excellent 2–0 victory which was thoroughly deserved against the side who finished 16 points ahead of the Shaymen. Halifax were through to face Brackley Town away in the playoff final.
A close match was fought between the two sides whose league games had both finished goalless. The match was won by a 75th minute Lee Gregory goal to send Halifax Town back into the Conference Premier after a five-season absence following their demotion.[9]
Two days later Halifax faced Guiseley again, this time in the final of the West Riding County Cup at Valley Parade. They won 1–0 in extra time thanks to a Gareth Seddon goal to win their second trophy in three days after overcoming Liversedge, Albion Sports and Ossett Town in previous rounds. They scored eleven goals without reply on their way to the trophy.
2013–14
The 2013–14 season began with manager Neil Aspin signing a new two-year contract which would keep him at the Shay until 2015. The pre-season activity started with the permanent signing of loanee Matty Pearson who had been released by Rochdale. Neil Aspin bolstered his promoted squad by signing, amongst others, Guiseley top scorer Josh Wilson, Adam Smith from Lincoln, Simon Ainge from Luton and unknown entities Marc Roberts and Lois Maynard from Buxton and Winsford United respectively.
There was to be no dream start for the Shaymen upon their return to the Conference. Despite taking a 1–0 lead at promotion contenders Cambridge through Lee Gregory's goal, Town quickly hit self-destruct and saw captain Danny Lowe and goalkeeper Matt Glennon sent off for professional fouls. The final score was 5–1, but the Shaymen did as best they could considering they played 70 minutes with 9 men. The first victory of the season came just two days later against Wrexham who had narrowly missed out on promotion the previous season in the play-off final.
Halifax continued to have some good results and after a win against recently relegated Barnet in September, their first defeat of the season, they found themselves in the play-off places, to the surprise of many. But as the season wore on there was a clear trend forming in Halifax's results; they were doing well at home but not well away from home. In fact their first away league win didn't come until mid-December against Dartford, a week after losing their first and ultimately only home league game all season against Woking.
Halifax were on the edge of the play-off places but it was a slightly false position as they had played more games than other teams. The home and away trends continued until March when Town got their second away league win of the season at Hyde and it marked the start of an unbelievable run. Including that game and a win against Tamworth the previous week, Halifax went on a 10-match unbeaten which included 9 wins, and during that 10-match run Halifax kept 7 consecutive clean sheets which was one game off equalling the Conference Premier record. The run saw Town go from mid-table to 5th place and a place in the play-offs, an incredible achievement following promotion the previous season and their part-time status – Halifax finished as the highest part-time side in the league and hence the country.
Town met Cambridge in the play-offs hoping to avenge their defeat at the start of the season. They won the home leg 1–0 thanks to a Lee Gregory goal. Club legend Gregory had scored 32 goals in all competitions for the Shaymen and was instrumental in captaining the side to the play-offs following an injury to club captain Danny Lowe earlier in the season. Halifax were effectively a draw away from reaching the play-off final and a trip to Wembley for the first time in both the new club and the old club's history, however they lost 2–0. Halifax's season ended exactly where it had begun – with a defeat at Cambridge.
2014–15
Just before the start of the season Lee Gregory left for Millwall for a fee of £250,000. Following the unbelievable end to the previous season, fans' expectations for the new season were raised to unhealthy levels. To try and match the previous season's play-off finish. Manager Aspin brought in Macclesfield top scorer Scott Boden and young striker Richard Peniket from Tamworth to try and fill the void left by Gregory.
Some impressive pre-season results and five consecutive wins at the start of the season increased fans' expectations even further as Halifax sat clear at the top of the league. Inevitably they dropped off slightly but still picked up some credible results in September as they ended the month in second place. A poor run in October and November with only one win in eight games saw Halifax drop as low as 11th place. However within this poor league run was an FA Cup run which saw Halifax get drawn against local rivals Bradford City. Halifax lost the match 2–1 in front of a new club record 8,042 fans at The Shay which marked the start of Bradfords infamous cup run in which Bradford reached the Quarter-finals. To say that Bradford stunned Chelsea 2–4 in there cup run at Stamford Bridge Halifax played very well to only loose 1–2.
Halifax improved from the end of November with some good results and by mid-February were well in the play-off hunt sitting in seventh with a few games in hand following a few postponements, due to the poor weather and the Shay pitch's inability to recover, and a good FA Trophy run as Halifax reached the quarter-final for the second time in three years, losing to eventual runners-up Wrexham.
Halifax ended the season with a couple of impressive results, namely draws against league champions and runners-up Barnet and Bristol Rovers respectively. However these two draws were part of nine that Halifax drew in their final 15 games which saw them drop away from the play-offs, and they only won one of those 15. They did, however, finish as the third highest part-time side in the league.
A stuttered end to the season didn't go down well with a loud minority of fans who unrealistically believed Halifax should have made the play-offs at the very least, if not challenged for the title. Realistically, the season was promising if frustrating at times as Halifax lacked the firepower and the consistency from the previous season which ultimately proved the difference between a good season and a great one. Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the season was the way Halifax dropped off after having been in the top three for the first third of the season but, as a part-time side, being in those positions for so long was an achievement in itself.
2015–16
Town manager Neil Aspin brought many new faces to The Shay before the start of the season, including striker Jordan Burrow and defender Hamza Bencherif from Lincoln and winger Connor Hughes from the newly renamed Hyde United. Expectations were generally high but the season started disastrously. The club lost its first four games in the National League and collected only 5 point from the first ten fixtures, culminating in a 2–1 defeat to rivals Guiseley. Aspin was sacked after the game, parting ways with the club after 6 glorious years which saw them climbing from the eighth tier to the fifth.
Aspin was quickly replaced by Darren Kelly, who had recently been sacked as manager of League One side Oldham Athletic. Under Kelly, Halifax lost 6 out of 7 games they played, including humiliating defeats to Grimsby (7–0 away), Cheltenham (1–7 home) and Braintree (3–6 home). The latter one was the last straw and Kelly was sacked after less than two months with the club, to be replaced by his 58-year-old assistant Jim Harvey on a caretaker basis.
During Kelly's tenure Halifax were eliminated in the first round of the FA Cup, too, as they succumbed 4–0 at the Shay to League Two club Wycombe Wanderers. As for their league position, they were rooted to the foot of the table with only 10 points after 20 games, and relegation to the National League North seemed inevitable.
Harvey's appointment, however, turned on a switch for the club and they went unbeaten for the next 10 league fixtures (5 wins, 5 draws), a run that included impressive wins at Gateshead (4–1) and against high-flyers Dover Athletic (4–2 at home). After just eight league games under Harvey, Town was out of the relegation zone, and Harvey was appointed as permanent manager. Their league form slightly deteriorated afterwards, however, a remarkable run in the F.A. Trophy contributing.
In the latter competition, Harvey's men thrashed Tamworth 5–0 in the first round, and then beat both Barrow and Chester 1–0 at The Shay to qualify for the quarter finals. Then they meat Gateshead, a club managed by former Shaymen manager Aspin. An unremarkable goalless draw at The Shay meant a replay at Gateshead was needed. There, Halifax scored in the last minute of the game to equalise (2–2) and force extra time, which saw each team scoring once to take the game to penalties. The Shaymen won the shoot-out 5–4 and qualified for the semifinals for the first time ever. Level 7 outfit Nantwich Town were their opponents but they couldn't prevent Halifax from a first ever trip to Wembley Stadium, as the Shaymen prevailed 6–4 on aggregate (2–2 home, 4–2 away). They'll face Grimsby Town at the final in 22 May.
This memorable run took its toll, however, and Halifax won only twice in ten games to drop back into the relegation places with two games to spare. However, these two wins were vital ones, against fellow strugglers Altrincham and Boreham Wood, with Connor Hughes scoring the winning goals in both games. In the penultimate round of the season Halifax stunned second-placed Forest Green Rovers, beating them 1–0 away. Derby County loanee Shaquille McDonald was the scorer, and the Shaymen were once more out of the drop zone, surpassing local rivals Guiseley. They just had to beat Macclesfield Town at The Shay in order to complete an escape from relegation which seemed impossible when Harvey took over in late November. However, they only managed to draw 1–1 despite taking the lead and, with other results going against them, they were relegated back to the National League North.
Despite relegation, the Shaymen were determined to end the season in a high note, as a first-ever trip to Wembley saw them beat Grimsby Town 1–0 in front of more than 10000 of their fans in England's national stadium. McManus scored the only goal with a fine curling effort after 48 minutes. A troubled and miserable season for Halifax ended with a moment of glory, as they lifted the F.A. Trophy at Wembley Stadium. Despite this, Harvey was dismissed a few days later, and replaced with North Ferriby United manager Billy Heath.
2016–17
Before the season had begun the bookies were tipping FC Halifax to comfortably win the league meaning Billy Heath ha high expectations on his shoulders for the upcoming season.The Shaymen started the 2016–17 season in the Vanarama National League North with an away win at Nuneaton Town F.C. Halifax, despite dominating in their second game, could only salvage a draw against relegation rivals Altrincham FC. The next few games for the shaymen were up and down. Mainly good form at home followed with 4–0 and 3–0 wins against Tamworth and worcester. However, The Shaymen struggled to replicate their home form away and suffered 3–2 and 4–2 defeats to Gainsbourough Trinity and Curzon Ashton FC. The shaymen have so far reached the 2nd round of The FA Cup and are playing Eastleigh on Sunday 4 December 2016. The Shaymen started their FA Trophy defence against Matlock Town on 26 November, with both sides unable to be separated the match finished 1–1 with the replay was played Tuesday after where Town were stunned by Matlock losing 2–3 as they went crashing out of the FA Trophy in the Third Qualifying Round. Many supporters took their anger out on manager Billy Heath by hurling abuse at him and his players after the game.
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The Shaymen's 30 game unbeaten record at the mbi Shay stadium.
Spanning into three seasons, The Shaymen went 30 games at The Shay unbeaten. The run lasted from 18 April 2009 to 20 November 2010. It all began as a disappointing 2008–2009 season was coming to a close with a 1–2 defeat to Curzon Ashton, which ended any hopes of a playoff place that year, and cemented Curzon's.
They won 18 and drew three in the 2009–2010 season to seal the Northern Premier League Division One North championship with 100 points and 105 goals. A slow start to the beginning of the 2010–2011 season seemed to spell the end of the home run very soon, but with the return of injured left/right backs Danny Lowe and Aaron Hardy and star striker James Dean, The Shaymen's season quickly took off and they rose to top spot in the league. The Shaymen's unbeaten run finally came to an end on 20 November 2010, when North Ferriby United outplayed Halifax and dispatched them 0–2.
The complete run.
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Kit
| Period | Kit Manufacturer | Home Shirt Sponsor | Away Shirt Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2009 | Vandanel | Grand Central Railway | Halton Group |
| 2009–2010 | Doodson Broking Group | ||
| 2010–2011 | Polyframe | ||
| 2011–2012 | |||
| 2012–2013 | none | ||
| 2013–2014 | Sondico | MBi Consulting | |
| 2014–2015 | Adidas | ||
| 2015–2016 | MBi Consulting | Integro Doodson | |
| 2016– | Northern Powerhouse Developments | GB Architectural Cladding Products |
Halifax's traditional colours are blue and white. The club doesn't have any particular, identifiable style and as such there can be quite a change of style season upon season. For the majority of FC Halifax Town's existence the club has opted for blue shirts, blue shorts and blue socks with various different styles on the shirt. This rhythm was interrupted between 2011 and 2014 as in the 2011–12 season the kit was blue with black trim as opposed to white, and between 2012 and 2014 the club wore blue shirts, white shorts and blue socks. As Halifax Town AFC the kit was also variable, including full blue, blue with white shorts, blue and white stripes and in the 1970s the kit included orange and even full white kits with orange.[10]
FC Halifax Town don't have a specific away kit colour and tend to go for different colours every season. In the first few years the away kits were fluorescent in a variety of colours, namely yellow, orange and green, but since then the club has gone for red and white in alternating seasons. The trend ended in 2016 as a fluorescent orange kit was introduced.
        2008–09
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    2009–10
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   2010–11
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     2011–12
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  2012–13
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2013–14
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     2014–15
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    2015–16
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    2016–17
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Source:
Rivals and local games
| Club | Last Match | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Guiseley | D 1–1 | 2015–16 |
| Bradford City | L 2–1 | 2014–15 |
| York City | D 2–2 | 2007–08 |
| Huddersfield Town | D 0–0 | 2001–02 |
| Rochdale | L 2–1 | 2001–02 |
| Burnley | L 1–0 | 1991–92 |
According to a survey conducted in 2003, Halifax's three main rivals are Burnley, Rochdale and Huddersfield Town.[11] The rivalry with Burnley began in the 1980s when Burnley dropped into the Fourth Division and a number of intense affairs between the two clubs when the teams played sparked a rivalry. Despite not having met since and rarely beforehand, Halifax fans still view Burnley as being the club's biggest rival and make reference to it in several chants. Halifax have met Rochdale well over 100 times in the Football League[12] and like the Burnley rivalry has formed due to the Yorkshire-Lancashire connection and being one of the nearest towns to Halifax, albeit over the Pennines. Rochdale are the club's oldest traditional rival and many of the older generation of supporters still see them as the primary rival. The Huddersfield rivalry comes from the proximity between the two towns, being just 8 miles apart. Like Burnley, the two clubs have rarely met due to Huddersfield usually being in a higher division but the fans still see there as being a rivalry.
Other rivals include Bradford City and York City. Despite Bradford being a similar distance away from Halifax as Huddersfield is and having met each other far more times, isn't considered as fierce a rivalry. York, although around 35 miles away, have a competitive rivalry with Halifax, particularly as the two were the only Yorkshire representatives when playing in the Conference Premier in the mid-2000s. Barnsley and Oldham Athletic were both considered rivals in the past; neither have played Halifax in a league fixture since the 1970s.
When Halifax were demoted to the regional leagues some of the smaller local clubs tried to form competitive rivalries but none of them really took off. The biggest of these rivalries was arguably with Guiseley as the clubs met several times and during Halifax's time in the Conference North the two clubs were both pushing for the play-offs. The rivalry has since declined and has become more of a friendly one as several ex-Halifax players now play and manage there. A small rivalry formed with Chester during their season in the Conference North as the two clubs were the two big, ex-league clubs and had gone through an almost identical fate, having been liquidated and demoted three leagues. Smaller rivalries were also formed with Bradford Park Avenue and Harrogate Town.
Players
Current squad
- As of 26 November 2016
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Current staff
- Club officials
- Chairman: David Bosomworth
- Directors: Bobby Ham, Stuart Peacock
- Associate Directors: Pete Hemingway, Pete Stajic
- Club Secretary: Mike Sharman
- President: Robert Holmes
- Vice President: Geoff Cope & Queenie
- Honorary Vice President: Kemp
- First Team Staff
- Manager: Billy Heath
- Assistant Manager: Mark Carroll
- Physio: Paul Bradford
- Physio and Kit Man: Martin Woodmansey
- Under 19 Staff
- Director of Youth, Junior and Community Football Development: Steve Nichol
- Youth Team Head Coach: Mark Trueman
- Youth Team Coach: Lee Burgess
- Strength and Conditioning Coach: Ben Nicholson
- GK Coach and Sports Tutor: Lee Kelsey
- Youth Team Secretary: Sam Shaw
Managerial history
- As of 15 November 2016
All competitions except West Riding County Cup
| Name | From | To | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Jim Vince |
2 July 2008 | 9 April 2009 | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 47.83 |
| Nigel Jemson (Caretaker) |
9 April 2009 | 25 April 2009 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Neil Aspin |
28 April 2009 | 17 September 2015 | 332 | 178 | 78 | 76 | 53.61 |
 Gareth McClelland (Caretaker) |
17 September 2015 | 1 October 2015 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Darren Kelly |
1 October 2015 | 17 November 2015 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 20.00 |
| Jim Harvey (Caretaker) |
17 November 2015 | 22 December 2015 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60.00 |
| Jim Harvey |
22 December 2015 | 24 May 2016 | 29 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 41.38 |
| Billy Heath |
24 May 2016 | Present | 22 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 63.64 |
Performance
League standings
| Year | League | Tier | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Position | League top scorer | FA Cup | FA Trophy | Average league attendance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Northern Premier League Division One North |
8 | 40 | 17 | 12 | 11 | 71 | 52 | +19 | 63 | 8/21 | Ashley Stott (15) | QR2 | PR | 1,165 | A promising season for the Shaymen was ended by only two victories in the last 14 games |
| 2009–10 | Northern Premier League Division One North |
8 | 42 | 30 | 10 | 2 | 108 | 38 | +70 | 100 | 1/22 Promoted |
James Dean (27) | QR4 | QR3 | 1,432 | Only the third promotion for a club representing Halifax in 99 years of history |
| 2010–11 | Northern Premier League Premier Division |
7 | 42 | 30 | 8 | 4 | 108 | 36 | +72 | 98 | 1/22 Promoted |
Jamie Vardy (22) | QR4 | QR2 | 1,630 | Second promotion in as many years, achieved with five games of the season left |
| 2011–12 | Conference North | 6 | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 80 | 59 | +21 | 74 | 3/22 | Lee Gregory (18) | R1 | QR3 | 1,422 | Halifax finished 3rd, but lost to Gainsborough Trinity in the play-offs |
| 2012–13 | Conference North | 6 | 42 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 86 | 38 | +48 | 75 | 5/22 Promoted |
Lee Gregory (20) | QR4 | QF | 1,222 | Town beat Brackley Town 1–0 in the play-off final and gained promotion to the Conference Premier |
| 2013–14 | Conference Premier | 5 | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 85 | 58 | +27 | 77 | 5/24 | Lee Gregory (29) | R1 | R1 | 1,600 | Halifax made the play-offs but lost out to Cambridge in the semi-final |
| 2014–15 | Conference Premier | 5 | 46 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 60 | 54 | +6 | 66 | 9/24 | Lois Maynard (11) | R1 | QF | 1,472 | Halifax finished in a respectable position of 9th, however the season deteriorated from February onwards. |
| 2015–16 | National League | 5 | 46 | 12 | 12 | 22 | 55 | 82 | −27 | 48 | 21/24 Relegated |
Jordan Burrow (14) | R1 | W | 1,546 | Town were dead and buried by mid-November but a revival gave them hope before ultimately running out of steam. |
| 2016–17 | National League North | 6 | 17 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 38 | 20 | +18 | 33 | 4/22 | Tom Denton (12) | R2 | QR3 | 1,723 |
FA Cup
| Year | Round Reached | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | 2nd qualifying round | Lost 1–4 to Nantwich Town |
| 2009–10 | 4th qualifying round | Lost 0–1 to Wrexham |
| 2010–11 | 4th qualifying round | Lost 0–1 to Mansfield Town |
| 2011–12 | 1st round | Lost 0–4 to Charlton Athletic |
| 2012–13 | 4th qualifying round | Lost replay 0–2 to Lincoln City |
| 2013–14 | 1st round | Lost 1–4 to MK Dons |
| 2014–15 | 1st round | Lost 1–2 to Bradford City |
| 2015–16 | 1st round | Lost 0–4 to Wycombe Wanderers |
| 2016–17 | 2nd round | To play Eastleigh |
FA Trophy
| Year | Round Reached | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Preliminary | Lost 1–2 to Harrogate Railway Athletic |
| 2009–10 | 3rd qualifying round | Lost 1–3 to Guiseley |
| 2010–11 | 2nd qualifying round | Lost 1–2 to Curzon Ashton |
| 2011–12 | 3rd qualifying round | Lost replay 1–2 to Colwyn Bay |
| 2012–13 | Quarter-finals | Lost replay 2–3 to Dartford |
| 2013–14 | 1st round | Lost 0–1 to Guiseley |
| 2014–15 | Quarter-finals | Lost 0–1 to Wrexham |
| 2015–16 | Final | Winners 1–0 against Grimsby Town |
| 2016–17 | 3rd qualifying round | To play Matlock Town |
West Riding County Cup
| Year | Round Reached | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | 1st round | Lost 1–2 to Wakefield |
| 2009–10 | 2nd round | Lost 1–2 to Farsley Celtic |
| 2010–11 | Semi-finals | Lost 1–3 to Guiseley |
| 2011–12 | Quarter-finals | Lost 0–1 to Guiseley |
| 2012–13 | Final | Winners 1–0 against Guiseley (AET) |
| 2013–14 | Quarter-finals | Lost 1–2 to Harrogate Town |
| 2014–15 | 1st round | Lost 0–3 to Guiseley |
| 2015–16 | Quarter-finals | Lost 4–5 on penalties to Bradford Park Avenue after a 3–3 draw |
| 2016–17 | 3rd round | To play Silsden |
Northern Premier League Challenge Cup
| Year | Round Reached | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | 1st round | Lost 1–2 to Curzon Ashton |
| 2009–10 | 4th round | Lost 5–2 to Boston United |
| 2010–11 | 3rd round | Beat Bradford Park Avenue 3–0 but were expelled from the competition due to fielding an ineligible player. |
Northern Premier League President's Cup
| Year | Round Reached | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | 3rd round | Lost 0–2 to Retford United |
| 2009–10 | 3rd round | Lost 1–2 to Stamford after extra time |
Honours
- Conference North:
- Play-off winners: 2012–13
- FA Trophy:
- Winners: 2015–16
- Northern Premier League Premier Division:
- Winners: 2010–11
- Northern Premier League Division One North:
- Winners: 2009–10
- West Riding County Cup:
- Winners: 2012–13
Player records
- Most league goals in a season – 29: Lee Gregory, (2013–14)
- Most league goals in total – 89: Lee Gregory, (2010–2014)
- Most goals in a season – 40: James Dean, (2009–10)
- Most goals in total – 102: Lee Gregory, (2010–2014)
- Most goals scored in a single game by one player – 4: Lee Gregory, v Gloucester City (15 September 2012), v Worcester City (2 March 2013)
- Most league appearances – 210, Scott McManus (2011–)
- Most appearances – 247, Scott McManus (2011–)
- Fastest goal – 25 seconds, Jon Worthington, v Gloucester City (15 September 2012)
- Oldest player – Nigel Jemson, aged 39 years and 258 days v Chorley (25 April 2009)
- Youngest player – Andrew Villerman, aged 17 years and 179 days v Newcastle Blue Star (21 March 2009)
- Oldest goalscorer – Nigel Jemson, aged 39 years and 251 days v Trafford (18 April 2009)
- Youngest goalscorer – David Brooks, aged 18 years and 59 days v Aldershot Town (5 September 2015)
Most league appearances and goals
- As of 15 November 2016
The following table shows players who have made 75 league appearances or more for the club (including substitutions) in descending order:
| Seasons | Player | Appearances | Seasons | Player | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011– | Scott McManus | 210 | 2012–2015 | Paul Marshall | 93 |
| 2009–2014 | Danny Lowe | 169 | 2013–2015 | Marc Roberts | 91 |
| 2012–2016 | Matt Glennon | 157 | 2011–2014 | Ryan Toulson | 89 |
| 2008–2012 | Tom Baker | 145 | 2013–2015 | Lois Maynard | 85 |
| 2010–2014 | Lee Gregory | 145 | 2008–2011 | Scott Phelan | 83 |
| 2010–2013 | Liam Hogan | 111 | 2013–2015 | Adam Smith | 82 |
| 2013–2015 | Matty Pearson | 105 | 2014– | Kevin Roberts | 79 |
| 2009–2012 | James Dean | 101 | 2009–2011 | Jonathan Hedge | 77 |
| 2013–2016 | James Bolton | 100 | 2010–2012 | Simon Garner | 75 |
| 2009–2012 | Aaron Hardy | 99 |
The following table shows players who have scored 15 league goals or more for the club (including penalties) in descending order:
| Seasons | Player | Goals | Seasons | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–2014 | Lee Gregory | 94 | 2008–2012 | Tom Baker | 22 |
| 2009–2012 | James Dean | 53 | 2009–2012 | Nick Gray | 20 |
| 2010–2012 | Danny Holland | 27 | 2013–2015 | Lois Maynard | 19 |
| 2010–2011 | Jamie Vardy | 25 | 2012–2014 | Dan Gardner | 16 |
| 2009–2011 | Richard Marshall | 24 | 2008–2009 | Ashley Stott | 15 |
Team records
- Highest attendance – 8,042, v Bradford City, FA Cup 1st round, 9 November 2014
- Highest league attendance – 4,023, v FC United of Manchester, Northern Premier League Premier Division, 1 January 2011
- Lowest attendance – 295, v Retford United, Northern Premier League President's Cup, 16 December 2008
- Lowest league attendance – 778, v Warrington Town, Northern Premier League Division One North, 16 September 2008
- Highest average attendance – 1,630, 2010–11 season
- Highest league win – 8–1, v Ossett Town, 18 January 2011. 8–1, v Ossett Albion, 8 November 2016. 7–0, v Hinckley United, 5 March 2013
- Worst league defeat – 0–7, v Grimsby Town, 13 October 2015[13]
- Most goals in a game – 9, v Ossett Town, 18 January 2011, v Braintree Town, 14 November 2015, v Ossett Albion, 8 November 2016
- Longest league unbeaten run – 19, 2 March 2010 – 24 August 2010
- Most league games won in a row – 10, 18 September 2010 – 16 November 2011
- Most league games without winning – 12, 3 April 2015 – 29 August 2015
- Most league games lost in a row – 8, 11 April 2015 – 18 August 2015
- Most league games drawn in a row – 6, 7 March 2015 – 24 March 2015
- Most consecutive league clean sheets – 7, 15 March 2014 – 15 April 2014
- Most clean sheets in a season – 18, 2009–10
References
- ↑ BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Halifax Town | Halifax on the brink of collapse
- ↑ Halifax Town Clockwatch: Wednesday 13 August – Halifax Today
- ↑ BlueSq Premier | North | South | Latest news on the new Blue Square Premier, North and South season | Conference AGM news
- ↑ BBC SPORT | Football | Non League | Halifax fail with demotion appeal
- ↑ HTST Advise Town Accepted Into Unibond | Halifax Town | Fans | Supporters Trust | Supporters Trust Archived 6 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ FC Halifax Town 0 Wrexham 1: Aspin so proud after late goal heartbreak – Other clubs – Yorkshire Post
- ↑ FC Halifax Town 4 Lancaster City 0: Town move closer to title – FC Halifax Town news – Halifax Courier
- ↑ The Evo-Stik League Northern Premier – News | www.evostikleague.co.uk
- ↑ "Blue Square Bet North play-offs: FC Halifax promoted". BBC Sport. 12 May 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ↑ Kit classics Halifax, "http://www.kitclassics.co.uk/kits/halifax.png"
- ↑ Football Fans Survey, "http://www.footballfanscensus.com/issueresults/Club_Rivalries_Uncovered_Results.pdf"
- ↑ Footy Mad Head-to-Head, "http://www.footymad.net/head_to_head/rochdale/vs/fc_halifax_town/index.shtml"
- ↑ "Grimsby 7 – 0 Halifax". BBC Sport. BBC. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
