Halifax Town story: Season 1 Part 4

As the January window opened, the board were jubilant with my achievements so far, a far cry from the dark days of October. I had remained undefeated until January, conceding the least goals in the league, and lots of goals from midfield for when my strikers didn't turn up. The fans were still suspicious, but I aimed to prove them wrong with a few well thought-out signings. But there was a little matter of the January matches to contend with.

On the 1st day of January, we had a home game against Exeter in the league. I had just released Craig Mahon back to Wigan, and I wasn't looking to be proven wrong on that decision. Thankfully we won pretty comfortably, 3-0 in fact, to keep York and Oxford off our backs. Antony Griffith scored a brace, and Nick Gray got the other goal, in a match that greatly pleased the fans.

The next game was against Hartlepool (A) in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. I still remembered the pre season defeat; my first game in charge, and I wanted revenge. The only problem was that we had an injury crisis, with 7 first teamers out, so I had only 1 substitute. We held on 0-0 until half time, when I threw on Adam Quinn for Rob Scott to firm up our defence a touch more, and to give the midfielders more attacking freedom. It worked well, as Lewis Killeen and Tomi Ameobi both scored at the beginning of the second half to give us a brilliant 2-0 win. We were through to the 4th round of the FA Cup! Halifax, a Blue Square Premier side, facing Championship leaders Sheffield United! But while we were celebrating our win, York knocked us off 1st place, making us have to win our game in hand to go back top...

Our next game was potentially the key game of the season, with us facing York (A). I knew that a slip-up could allow Oxford back into the title race, and I also wanted to protect our unbeaten record. No signings had been made as yet, so we had to rely on the players we had. Somehow, we completly destroyed them on the match day, despite them having the top scorer in the league in their ranks. York opened the scoring on 10 minutes, but 2 injuries really slowed them down. At half time it was still 1-0 so I berated the squad, telling them that we had to get a result. This seemed to have woken them up, Ameobi in particular, as he scored a marvellous second half hat-trick. Soon to be sold, Cortez Belle got the other goal on 87 minutes. We had moved ahead of York by one point, with a game in hand. Oxford had drawn as well, so we were 2 points ahead of them as well. The future looked very bright!

Our next 2 games were against Banbury (H) in the FA Trophy Second round, and Woking (H) in the league. We secured a 1-0 win against Banbury, with Ameobi scoring to extend his run of form. But we won at a price, with Ameobi himself injured indefinately. And with Belle, Steve Bushell, and Jon Shaw all leaving a day before the Woking game, and only Antony Griffith brought in permenantly, we were very threadbare, and it showed, us getting yet another 0-0 draw. This was also our game in hand, so we ended up only 2 points in front instead of 4.

Come the Sheffield United (A) FA Cup game, we still had not brought anyone in, and were on the end of a crushing 4-1 loss. They ran away with the game, with 3 goals within the opening half an hour. Rob Scott scored a consolation in the 67th minute, but they scored again in the 88th minute to compound our misery. Our unbeaten record in all compititions had come to an end. But we had more important things to concentrate on, with the transfer window only remaining open for 1 week and 4 days, with 5 players still needed. With only 1 game left in January, I had no distractions and successfully got 4/5 players in time for the Rushden game on the 30th. We won it 2-1, with both goals coming from debutants; Kevin Kyle (ST) and Nathan Ashton (DL). Only concern was Griffith's sending off, but we had already brought in good cover in Robert Bayly (MC).

February came, and the transfer window slammed shut, with us making a last minute signing in Chris Day (GK). This improved our squad very well, and we finally had an almost full strength squad, everyone back from injury but Griffith carrying a 1 game suspension for his red card. Our first 2 games were both against Exeter, both at home, yet neither in the league. One was the FA Trophy 3rd round match, and the second was the Setanta Shield 5th round clash. The FA Trophy match we won 2-1, thanks to goals from Tomasz Cwyka and fan favourite Geoff Horsefield (on his debut). The second game wasnt nearly as comfortable, with us scraping a 1-0 win in the 90th minute, courtesy of Lewis Killeen. I had to admit that this was a lucky result, as Exeter were destroying us for most of the game. But I took it nonetheless!

We had our 3rd and 4th game in just 8 days, against Stafford (H), and Weymouth (H). Stafford was a very easy game, with goals from Robert Bayly and Killeen propelling us to a 2-0 win. Weymouth, on the other hand, was a much tougher contest. Our defence took a hell of a beating, but somehow we managed to scrape a 1-0 win, thanks to Bayly's second goal in as many games. We then had 2 more games within 4 days of each other, Histon (A), and Torquay (A), both in the BSP. It was a very fruitful 2 games for us, securing two 2-0 wins, Kyle and Griffith scoring against Histon, Matt Doughty and Cywka doing the business against Torquay. So we had a 6 game winning streak in February out of 6 games, conceding 1 goal in the process. But February wasnt done with us yet, with 3 games still to come before March arrived...

The first 2 were cup compititions, Altringham (H) in the Setanta Shield 1/4 final, and Ramsgate (H) in the 4th round of the FA Trophy. Altringham was a very physical game, not many chances being made whatsoever. Halifax took the lead in the 14th minute due to a brilliant Tomasz Cywka finish, and it remained that way until half time. I threw on Tomi Ameobi for Kevin Kyle, and Rob Bayly for Griffith, and demanded a win. It all went pretty well, until the 66th minute, when Tom Kearney got sent off for a disgusting challenge on the Altringham goalie. I put on Adam Quinn for Kelvin Etuhu, and employed defensive tactics to ride it out. Altringham looked berift of ideas against a 5 man defence, and our time wasting tactics worked. Our second game against Ramsgate was also 1-0, but this time I was left wondering why we couldnt score more. Chance after chance after chance came our way, and we finally made a breakthrough on the 65th minutes, with Cywka continuing his good run of form to score. On the flip side, Tomi Ameobi collected another injury which would put him out for 3 weeks. Our last game of February beckoned, with a number of injuries and suspensions keeping us stretched in key areas of the field. It was against Forest Green (H), who had been on a run of good form recently, moving up to 6th in the league table. We won it 1-0 (our third in a row!) thanks to ANOTHER goal from Tomasz Cywka, our hero in February. But only then did I check the league table for the 1st time since Torquay...

As March arrived, I stared dumbfounded at the league table, unaware that York and Oxford had played 2 games while I was in the cup games. I was confused as both were in the Setanta Shield, and Oxford were still in the FA Trophy, but the table did not lie. They both had put together a run of wins together, putting us back down to 3rd, but with 2 games in hand. Oxford were 3 points ahead of us, and York were 4 points ahead. I knew that my last game in hand didnt go well (Woking 0-0), so I got slightly worried. I could not afford to be though, as we had 10 games in March (3 in cup games), so I set ourselves a 6/7 win ratio for the league games. Only time would tell if we would achieve that or not...

Our first 2 games were against Farsley (A), and Crawley (H), both in the league. We won both 2-0, Kyle and Killeen getting the goals against Farsley, Kearney and Geoff Horsefield (ending his barren patch) scoring against Crawley. We had moved closer to Oxford, with them getting a draw to put us only 1 point behind with 2 games still in hand. But York were still 4 points ahead, and crushing teams left, right, and centre. We knew that we had to keep winning, as they would slip up sometime, and we would wait and steal back the number 1 spot. But we slipped further behind fixturewise, as we had 3 cup games consecutively.

Our first game was against Stevenage (A) in the 1st leg of the FA Trophy Semi Final. We put in a frankly pathetic performance, somehow managing a 1-1 draw, Kevin Kyle grabbing a late equaliser after Stevenage put us under the cosh. Our next game was the Setanta Shield Semi Final (no legs this time) against Weymouth (H). We managed to scrape a 1-0 win, courtesy of a 55th minute Antony Griffith strike into the top corner. I took off key players near the end, due to the impeding Stevenage 2nd leg game, at home.

Match day arrived, and most of our players were back from injury, still only Kelvin Etuhu out for another 3 weeks yet. Stevenage took the lead on 12 minutes, but not without a hint of controversy. All of my players were adamant that the goal was offside, but all the referee did was to book 3 of my players for protesting! As half time approached, we were still 1-0 down, but on the last minute of injury time, Robert Bayly popped out of nowhere to sidefoot the ball past the Stevenage goalie, to give us a 1-1 half time score. I sympythised with my players, but still sent on Kevin Kyle in place of the ineffective Geoff Horsefield. Kevin did not disappoint me, with a last minute winner in the top corner of the net to send us to our second Cup final this season. I was a little worried about the finals though, having to face York in the final of the Setanta Shield, and Oxford in the FA Trophy. But for now, I was just jubilant to get into the final of both Cups!

My joy was increased by finding out that while I was playing 3 cup games, York lost to Cambridge, and Oxford drew to bottom club Farsley to put us 4 points behind, but with 3 games in hand. 2 of those would come in the tail end of March. Meanwhile, we beat Burton (H) 2-0, with Bayly, and an own goal putting us in the driving position for the title. York drew with Oxford to put us 2nd, 2 points behind York and ahead of Oxford on goal difference. York lost again, while we drew 0-0 to Oxford (H), to put us just 1 point behind them with better goal difference. And even another 0-0 draw with Northwich (A) for our 1st game in hand didnt stop us getting the top spot back. Our second game in hand closely followed, a 1-0 win over Droylesden (A), with Kyle grabbing the goal. We were now 3 points ahead, with a game in hand. Oxford were still 2 points behind York, despite Yorks bad form. Our last game of March was against Ebbsfleet (A), and a thumping 3-0 win (goals from Horsefield, 2, and Etuhu) coupled with a York draw and an Oxford loss, put us firmly as favourites to win the league. The new signings were playing exceptionally well, we were dealing with injuries brilliantly, and our defence was rock solid. We were in both Cup finals, and we were coming strong at the end of the season, to give us a good chance of collecting all 3 pieces of silverware.

April came upon us, and the squad was buoyant following a very successful 2 months. Our fixture list was eased out, following less Cup games, and everyone injured had come back to full fitness. Our last game in hand came against Altringham (A), a team that we had beaten every time this season. This time proved to be no different, as Tomi Ameobi's comeback from injury saw him score a brilliant goal in the 6th minute to give us a 1-0 win. We were now a collosal 8 points clear at the top with just 4 games to go. We knew that 1 win and a draw would put it beyond doubt who would win the league. And who could forget that we were STILL unbeaten in the league! And that our only defeat of the season in 60 games (all compititions) came at the hands of a Championship club in the FA Cup? We carried on our unbeaten record against Aldershot (H), drawing 0-0, with York drawing too, and Oxford losing. We extended the record against Cambridge, drawing 1-1 to make it 44 games unbeaten in the league. This also signalled the end of a remarkable record; 14 consecutive clean sheets in the league, dating back to the game against Rushden on January 30th. Killeen scored an excellent goal in the 48th minute, and agony in the 93rd minute as Cambridge denied us the chance to win the league with a win. But the league was ours, and our jubilancy was rife! But we had to concentrate on the next game, as it was the most important one we have had for a long long time...

The Setanta Shield final against York, with our captain Sean O'Hanlon injured, and Tomi Ameobi suspended. As the match approached, I wished them good luck, but it obviously came to no avail. York took the lead on the 41st minute, but we hit the woodwork twice before half time, and it was evident that we were still very much in it. I threw on Horsefield, Griffith and Etuhu for Kyle, Bayly and Nick Gray respectivly. Griffith in particular made an immediate impact, grabbing the equaliser on the 73rd minute. The match went to extra time following a tight finish, both teams getting chances. We hit the post in the first half of extra time, and York had a penalty saved in the second, and the match went to penalties after a score of 1-1 AET. York were first to take the penalties, and their star striker blew it wide of the post! Nathan Ashton scored his penalty confidently, sending the keeper the wrong way to give us an immediate advantage. York messed up their second penalty as well, whereas Geoff Horsefield scored his, blasting it down the middle. York scored their third, but when Kelvin Etuhu scored, you got the feeling that it was too little too late. This was proved when their 4th penalty taker scuffed it over the bar, handing Halifax their first Cup win in 10 years! Halifax Town have won the Setanta Shield!!

As the hangover from the Cup win continued, we drew our third consecutive league match against Kidderminster (H). A jaded performance turned into a disappointing 0-0 draw, but with York losing and Oxford drawing (again!) we moved 9 points clear at the top, with 1 game to go. This game was a win as well, over Salisbury (A). Salisbury took the lead, but a brilliant second half performance brought us a 3-1 win (Cywka 2, Horsefield 1). So that was that. The league was ours, by a clear 9 points, and the Setanta Shield was ours too. One game remained of the season; the FA Trophy final aganst Oxford at Wembley. We were 100% at Wembley this season (Setanta Shield), and Oxford have been on an alarming slide in the league, so we were very confident about adding a third piece of silverware to our trophy cabinet. We were having an injury crisis, so I had to call up want-away reserve striker Steve Torpey up to the bench for arguably the biggest game of the season for us. No pressure then!

Captain Sean O'Hanlon returned to our starting line up for the game, and boy did we need him! We barely survived for most of the first half, clinging on to a 0-0 scoreline as half time loomed. But then disaster! Rob Scott made a terrible mistake to let an Oxford striker through on goal, and an exquisite chip made it 1-0 to Oxford on the stroke of half time. I was crushed at half time, and threw on Ameobi for Kevin Kyle, and Torpey for Rob Bayly. This brightened up our play to no end, and we were starting to dominate Oxford. In the 54th minute we got our reward, as Lewis Killeen scored a fantastic team goal to equalise. And just 2 minutes later, Adam Quinn scored a free kick to put us 2-1 up, and firmly in control of the tie. Oxford roared back though, and on the 69th minute, Yemi Odubade got his second goal of the game; and his 42nd goal of the season, to tie the match at 2-2. A nervous finish followed, as both teams went all out for that crucial winner. But defences were on top, and the match went to extra time. I put on Tom Kearney for Tomasz Cywka, to keep us a bit defensive minded, so the attackers could freely attack without worrying about the back 4. It seemed to not work at first, with Oxford all over us, and Cywka's absense making us berift of ideas. But, in the 118th minute of the game, Oxfords midfield gave the ball away, and we were on the counter attack. Killeen gave it to Ameobi, Ameobi gave it to Etuhu, and Etuhu gave it to Torpey. Torpey dribbled past 1 defender and sweetly struck the ball into the goal from 20 yards out, to send our fans ballistic! We held out for 2 nail-biting minutes and Halifax had won the lower league treble for the first time in their 93 year history!! The board were ecstatic, the fans won over, all doubts from the players vanished. I had become a Continental manager, and all through May and June, I recieved job offers from League 1 and Championship clubs. I politely refused all of them, so I could get on with my aim; to get Halifax into League 1. It would take a lot of work, some new players, a new assistant manager (mine was frankly rubbish), but I knew I could do it. After this season, I felt that the sky was the limit!

Oxford were the other team that got promoted to league 2, via the playoffs. My next season will be a month to month (in game not real life) blog, rather than 4 long sections. I will scrap the 1 blog for transfers and 1 for matches, unless you guys really want me to keep it. I hope you enjoyed my Halifax story! Season 2 will be coming very VERY soon!