F.C. Halifax Town History Part 1 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 â already over £2 million in the red. 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. 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. Though the appeal was rejected on 11 June, the hope was that Halifax could play in the NPL Premier Division. 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. 2008â09 The club's first game under the new name FC 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 2â0 defeat. The club's first ever victory was against Alsager Town on 26 July 2008 by a 2â0 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 3â0 loss for the Shaymen. The club got off to a poor start, despite recording their first competitive victory in the next match. However, a 7â1 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 5â1 and 4â1 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 2â1. 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. 2009â10 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 3â0 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 2â0 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 1â0 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 5â0, and Harrogate Railway Athletic, Prescot Cables and Colwyn Bay 3â0 apiece among other results. A decisive moment came against Garforth Town away, when, after a Garforth substitute being sent off, Halifax came back from 3â1 down to win 3â4 in the last stoppage time. That following Saturday, 10 April, Halifax faced Lancaster City at home, beating them 4â0 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 5â0. 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 2â2 home draw against Clitheroe after beating Ossett Albion away 4â2 the previous Saturday in front of over 1000 travelling supporters. 2010â11 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 make a big impact in more ways than one. The Shaymen began the season how they would have wanted, winning their inaugural match at this level 2â1 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 4â1 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 8â1 home win against Ossett Town in mid-January, FC Halifax Town's biggest ever win, settled minor worries after going down 2â1 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 3â2 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 2â0 at Retford United and gained automatic promotion to the Conference North. This was their second league title in as many seasons.
Buy in advance and save Fans are being reminded that they have until 5pm on Friday get their Early Bird tickets for Saturday's Conference fixture against FC Halifax. Supporters can save £2 on normal match day prices by buying their tickets in advance. Tickets are still available from either of the clubs' two retail outlets - Pirate Leisure at the Memorial Stadium and the Supporters Club shop in Kingswood. To find out more about ticket prices click here Read more at http://www.bristolrovers.co.uk/news...14-1880330.aspx#2XVwlmPTIzVZsmzl[/CENTER][/B]
Richard Peniket's Views... FC Halifax Town will make the long journey to Bristol on Saturday as they face newcomers to the Vanarama Conference, Bristol Rovers. The Shaymen go into the game on the back of a 3-2 victory against Lincoln City on Monday and striker Richard Peniket is relishing the trip. “I’m looking forward to it. Obviously they are a big club who have just come down from League Two, so these are the games we all want to play in and do well in, so hopefully we can go there and get the three points.” The Pirates have had a mixed start to the season, winning just one game out of five, against Telford and currently sitting 16th in the table but nevertheless Peniket is expecting a tough game. “I am expecting them to be in our faces right from the start, obviously it will be tough for us and they will have the crowd right behind them but we have to be prepared for that and match it and come away with the win.” Peniket has enjoyed a successful start to the season. The 21 year old has scored three goals and is currently the Shaymen’s joint top goal scorer this season alongside Marc Roberts, after joining Town in the summer from Tamworth and he is delighted with Halifax’s winning start to the season. “I thought we did well against Lincoln, obviously we could have done better by not conceding the two goals that we did, but five wins out of five isn’t bad and that is the most important thing, so overall we have had a great start to the season.” The striker has forced his way into Neil Aspin’s starting line-up after a number of impressive performances and Peniket was pleased with his own performance in a dramatic game against Lincoln on Monday. “I thought I did well in the first half, in the second half I could feel myself start to tire a little bit as the game went on but overall I thought I did quite well and I was pleased with my performance. “We had some good chances and I probably should have scored myself and so we could have killed the game off and got the fourth goal but we saw the game out and that was the main thing. “It was a hard game for all of us, obviously being part-time as well it makes it hard for us, but obviously you are not going to get that all season with two games in the space of three days so it was good to get the points against Lincoln and we now kick on and look forward to the game on Saturday.”
Matt Glennon Looks Forward...... FC Halifax Town made it an unprecedented five wins from their opening five games in the Vanarama Conference with victory over Lincoln last time out. Looking ahead to the away trip to Bristol Rovers on Saturday, goalkeeper Matt Glennon is brimming with confidence, an extension of the team’s mood at present. “I made my league debut for Bristol Rovers many, many years ago in League One against Wigan so not been back there for a while. The way we’re playing at the minute, everyone’s confident, if we keep on the way were going its hard to see teams beating us at this moment in time and the form we’re in.” Speaking to the stopper after the Lincoln game, Glennon was pleased to maintain the team’s 100% league record following a testing afternoon. “It’s the biggest test we’ve had since the Dover game, Dover were a decent side first game of the season, Lincoln are a very professional side with some good players, on the whole we definitely deserved the win.” The opening goal came from the away side in somewhat freakish circumstances, an attempted clearance from Marc Roberts was charged down by Lincoln’s Hamza Bencherif, which deflected over Glennon into the Shaymen goal. “I was watching it thinking, please let it go over the bar, and it didn’t, it just dipped in under the crossbar, to be honest it was just bizarre, they do happen but hopefully wont happen again for a while.” The Shaymen got back on level terms through Marc Roberts, before an astutely placed penalty by Scott Boden gave Town a deserved half time lead. “The keepers gone the right way and he has still rifled it into the corner, he’s been working his socks off all the time he’s been here, I kept saying to him, its going to come, its going to come. The header on Saturday was fantastic, pulled off his defender and stuck it in near enough the top corner, very hard technique to master, hopefully he’ll carry on scoring,” Town started the second half brightly; an early chance for Boden but it was the visitors who would level things up after James Bolton adjudged to have fouled Ben Tomlinson inside the penalty area. Tomlinson stepped up to despatch the spot kick. There would be yet more drama as Bencherif was given his marching orders by the referee for a second bookable offence after a foul on Lois Maynard. With the man advantage, it would be easy to say Town would be home and hosed, it didn’t quite play out like that, as Lincoln gave a good account of themselves, with Matt Glennon called into action. “I had a save to make at 2-2 and a couple of crosses but when teams are pushing for equalisers and winners they’re always going to put us under a bit of pressure, and that’s where I come in if called upon to do my job. The ball seemed to drop to them quite a lot, we got a little bit of luck in places but on the whole every time there was a 50/50 or the ball broke loose it seemed to break to them all the time but we dealt with stopping their play. The weather was all over the place, the pitch was hundred miles an hour, any sort of mistake, took your eye off the ball for a second, the ball was like a slippery fish at times, as you could see from our winner.” The winner came through Steve Williams, off the back of a goalkeeping error from Nick Townsend in the Lincoln goal. “Willo’s had about 25 opportunities to score so far this season as well so its great that he’s got that thing off his back as well. Glennon was a little disappointed to have conceded a couple of goals but was pleased with the gritty win, in which his side had to dig deep. “I’ve let two goals in today, first ones a fluke, Robbo’s unlucky with the deflection, its fantastic, 5 wins out of 5 but I don’t like letting goals in. If we have to win ugly we can do that, and we can play good football, in patches today and at Chester we ripped them to pieces playing football but today we’ve done both sides, we’ve lumped it, we’ve scrapped.” In a game that had everything against a tough Lincoln side, yet Town still grinded out the result will no doubt breed even more confidence into the players. Bristol Rovers will know they are in for a battle with the table toppers come 3pm on Saturday at the Memorial Stadium.
Manager on Saturday's game Darrell Clarke will not be allowing his side to get carried away after improved performances over the weekend. The manager knows that there is still a lot of hard work needed if his team are going to continue to make progress. He said: “It was a positive Bank Holiday weekend, but that is all it has been. We have got to keep going and not get carried away. There is a lot of hard work ahead. “We have picked up four points at home, Halifax have won their first five games, so it will be a tough game, but we look forward to it. I think our fans will be there in their numbers as always.” Halifax come to the Memorial Stadium in good form, but Darrell hopes that his side can be the first team to pick up points against them this season. He said: “They have had a really positive start, so let’s hope they are due a loss. “They are organised and well drilled, and they did well last season. They know what this league is about. “We have had them watched a couple of times, and we know quite a bit about them, but we have to be prepared for any scenario. You never get the same game twice. “It doesn’t matter if you are playing top of the league or bottom of the league, they are all tough games, so I won’t be getting carried away that Halifax are coming into town. We will respect their strengths and concentrate on our game.” Darrell would like to see a new face added to the squad before the transfer window closes, but he is also keen to see a more settled squad. He said: “I would like to bring in another face, at least, before the window closes. “There has been a massive transformation of players over the summer, and sometimes that can take a little bit of time to gel. “The spirit in the squad is very good, and nobody was more disappointed than the players, especially after the Altrincham game. “There is still plenty of improvement in those lads, it is a learning curve and you have to keep learning and improving. “I am sure if we can get a bit of momentum together we will start climbing the table pretty quickly.” The manager was keen to stress that Ryan Brunt is not being frozen out. He said: “Ryan has been out a long time, I thought he was miles off in the Altrincham game, but he has not been cold shouldered by me. “Ellis Harrison has had a good pre-season and been doing well in training, and Ryan has been off the pace a bit – but that can all change. “I brought Adam Cunnington in because he is experienced at this level, I have not brought him in to replace Ryan Brunt. “I am sure Ryan will get more opportunities, but my job as manager is to pick players who are performing and who are right for the occasion.” And in team news, Mark McChrystal will be assessed over the next two days to determine his fitness for Saturday.
F.C. Halifax Town History Part 2 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.Fc Halifax Town fought valiantly over these two games but found the Dartford strength too much During the middle of the season, Town experienced a large number of fixture postponements due to their involvement in the cups and the poor drainage system at the New 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 once 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 signing of former loanee Matty Pearson who had been released by Rochdale. Neil Aspin boosted his squad by signing Guiseley duo Kevin Holsgrove and Josh Wilson. Keith Briggs joined the Shaymen from Conference Premier rivals Kidderminster, Adam Smith from Lincoln, Simon Ainge from Luton and the return of Paul Marshall to the Shay, amongst others. The summer of 2013 also saw the departure of Liam Hogan to Fleetwood Town after a three-year spell with the West Yorkshire club. There was to be no dream start for the Shaymen upon their return to the Conference. Despite taking a 1–0 Lead at 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 took heart from playing 70 minutes with 9 men. The first victory of the season came two days after the game with Cambridge and 4 years after the FA Cup defeat to Wrexham the two sides met again, and this time it was Halifax who won by a margin of 3 goals to 2 with goals coming from Lois Maynard, Josh Wilson and Lee Gregory. A two goal victory over Dartford was to follow. The side whoS had knocked the Shaymen out of the FA Trophy in the previous season were no match for the Shaymen, and goals from Lee Gregory and Kevin Holsgrove were the difference. Town's first away point of the season came at Macclesfield. The visitors raced into a two goal lead, and the dismissal of Silkmen striker Connor Jennings looked to have given town a third win in a row, but Scott Boden and Jack Mackreth scored the goals to restrict Halifax to a solitary point. Followed by a 1–0 victory over early leaders Southport, a game which saw Lee Gregory taken off with a broken hand and Kevin Holsgrove's 86th minute winner. The former Guiseley man's second goal in the space of 48 hours enough. Halifax eventually managed a 5th place finish in the Conference Premier. They met Cambridge United in there play off match. They won the home leg 1–0 due to a Lee Gregory goal but lost 2–0 in the away leg.
lol **** off happy camper, you can't blame me for being a negative ****, what with what we have seen over the last couple of seasons
I've been a regular attendee for over 30 years and by rights should be suicidal but I still think we'll come good one day.
The Shaymen's 30 game unbeaten record at the Shay 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 3 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 last meeting against Halifax was on 9th February 2002; when goals by Sergio Ommel and Nathan Ellington gave the Gas a 2-0 win. In their latest game the Shaymen ended Lincoln City’s own unbeaten record and Boss Neil Aspen commented, “We were up against a team full of confidence on the back of some good results, but we got over the line. It was certainly a game that had everything and, at times, it wasn’t easy to watch from the sidelines.” Lincoln took the lead on nine minutes as a clearance from Marc Roberts cannoned into Hamza Bencherif. The ball looped up off the Imps striker and flew in over the head of the helpless Matt Glennon. Halifax were level just before the half-hour through a close range finish from Roberts after his earlier header had struck a post. Adam Smith’s right-wing cross enabled Matty Pearson to shoot on goal for the Yorkshire team in first-half stoppage time. Tony Diagne blocked the ball with his hand and Scott Boden made no mistake from the spot. The game was all level again within four minutes of the restart as James Bolton recklessly clattered into Ben Tomlinson, who got to his feet to score from the spot. Two minutes later, Jordan Burrow shot against the crossbar before the game once again turned Halifax’s way when Hamza Bencherif was dismissed for a foul on Lois Maynard to earn his second yellow card of the afternoon. Halifax made their numerical advantage pay 15 minutes from time when Steve Williams headed in after goalkeeper Nick Townsend had spilled what should have been a simple catch from Danny Schofield’s corner. Town striker Richard Peniket is one player looking forward to Saturday’s game, “Obviously they are a big club who have just come down from League Two, so these are the games we all want to play in and do well in, so hopefully we can go there and get the three points. “I am expecting them to be in our faces right from the start, obviously it will be tough for us and they will have the crowd right behind them but we have to be prepared for that and match it and come away with the win. “I thought we did well against Lincoln, obviously we could have done better by not conceding the two goals that we did, but five wins out of five isn’t bad and that is the most important thing, so overall we have had a great start to the season. “I thought I did well in the first half, in the second half I could feel myself start to tire a little bit as the game went on but overall I thought I did quite well and I was pleased with my performance. “We had some good chances and I probably should have scored myself and so we could have killed the game off and got the fourth goal but we saw the game out and that was the main thing.” “It was a hard game for all of us, obviously being part-time as well it makes it hard for us, but obviously you are not going to get that all season with two games in the space of three days so it was good to get the points against Lincoln and we now kick on and look forward to the game on Saturday.”
All you need to know ahead of tomorrow's game Rovers will be looking to record back to back home victories when they welcome FC Halifax to the Memorial Stadium tomorrow. Opposition: FC Halifax have made a great start to the 2014/15 campaign, picking up five wins out of five, which sees them sitting top of the league at this early stage. Manager Neil Aspin should have a fully fit squad to choose from for the game. Opposition View: Striker Richard Peniket told their official website: âIâm looking forward to it. Obviously they are a big club who have just come down from League Two, so these are the games we all want to play in and do well in, so hopefully we can go there and get the three points âI am expecting them to be in our faces right from the start, obviously it will be tough for us and they will have the crowd right behind them but we have to be prepared for that and match it and come away with the win.â Opposition View: Striker Richard Peniket told their official website: âIâm looking forward to it. Obviously they are a big club who have just come down from League Two, so these are the games we all want to play in and do well in, so hopefully we can go there and get the three points. âI am expecting them to be in our faces right from the start, obviously it will be tough for us and they will have the crowd right behind them but we have to be prepared for that and match it and come away with the win.â Darrell Clarke's comments: âWe have picked up four points at home, Halifax have won their first five games, so it will be a tough game, but we look forward to it. I think our fans will be there in their numbers as always. âThey have had a really positive start, so letâs hope they are due a loss. They are organised and well drilled, and they did well last season. They know what this league is about. âWe have had them watched a couple of times, and we know quite a bit about them, but we have to be prepared for any scenario. You never get the same game twice. âIt doesnât matter if you are playing top of the league or bottom of the league, they are all tough games, so I wonât be getting carried away that Halifax are coming into town. We will respect their strengths and concentrate on our game.â Last Meeting: The last meeting between the two sides was at the Memorial Stadium in February 2002. Rovers won the game 2-0 thanks to goals from Sergio Ommel and Nathan Ellington. Team News: Mark McChrystal's ankle injury will be assessed ahead of the game. Listen Live: Unable to make the trip to The Memorial Stadium? Then you can follow all the action from 3pm as Bristol Rovers take on FC HalifaxLIVE on Gas Player or on BBC Radio Bristol on the 1548MW frequency.
Don't you? He scored about 10 goals for us in the 2001-02 season including the one which kept us up against Kidderminster. Trust me, 10 goals for us was amazing that season if you weren't Nathan Ellington.
A very good three points not sure we deserved it but its about time had some luck very pleased with result and performance overall lets start climbing that table
Bristol Rovers 2-1 FC Halifax Bristol Rovers ended FC Halifax Town’s perfect start to the 2014/15 season with victory at the Memorial Stadium. Substitute Ellis Harrison secured all three points in the closing minutes with Rovers having taken the lead in the first half through Adam Cunnington’s first goal for the club. Rovers made one change to the team following Monday’s 1-1 draw at Forest Green Rovers. Jamie White came in to replace Matty Taylor, who missed out through illness. Halifax came into the game having won their first 5 matches scoring 13 goals in the process. Jamie Jackson and Paul Marshall both had close range efforts but were very easy for Mildenhall to gather. Jackson’s shot was straight at him and Marshall’s free kick was easy for the Rovers shot stopper to claim. Rovers then had an effort cleared off the line from Neal Trotman. The powerful centre back jumped highest to meet Lee Mansell’s corner but Marc Roberts was on the line to prevent the ball hitting the back of the net before Matt Glennon gathered. Adam Cunnington scored his first goal for Rovers since arriving on loan from Cambridge just before the half hour mark to break the deadlock. Jamie White latched onto a loose ball and powered into the Halifax area before floating a ball high towards the penalty spot. Cunnington out jumped Roberts and headed past an outstretched Glennon into the Town goal. Steve Mildenhall was responsible for keeping Rovers in front at the half way stage making two top class saves, one from Paul Marshall and one from Scott Boden. Following a foul by Neal Trotman on the edge of the Rovers area, Marshall lashed a free kick goalwards only for Mildenhall to save down low to his right hand side. Moments later, Boden was free in the penalty area but Mildenhall was equal to it, this time saving with his chest. Halifax came out with attacking intent in the second half and Paul Marshall forced Mildenhall into another good save. The Halifax man wriggled free in the box and fired a shot towards the top left corner but Mildenhall was able to palm it behind for a corner. The visitors eventually turned their second half dominance into a goal just past the hour mark as Scott Boden scored his third goal of the season. Boden wriggled through three Rovers defenders in the penalty area before pushing the ball across the six-yard box and past Mildenhall into the far corner. With less than 20 minutes remaining both sides were pushing for that decisive goal and it was Adam Cunnington who could have put Rovers ahead for the second time in this game. Lee Mansell whipped in a floating ball from the right hand side, Cunnington got up to meet the ball but headed wide of the goal under heavy pressure from Steve Williams. In the final 10 minutes substitute Ellis Harrison fed Ollie Clarke as the midfielder burst through the centre of the pitch but Harrison was unable to latch onto Clarke’s return ball. Rovers snatched all three points in the final few minutes as Ellis Harrison bundled home from close range ending FC Halifax Town’s unbeaten start to the season. Harrison headed Sinclair’s ball in from the right but Glennon could only parry it into the six-yard area and Harrison poked the ball over the line. Up next for Rovers is an away trip to Braintree Town before they entertain Wrexham at the Memorial Stadium on Tuesday 9th September. Rovers: Mildenhall, Lockyer, Parkes, Trotman, Brown, Monkhouse, Clarke, Mansell (C), Martin (Sinclair – 66), White (Harrison – 60), Cunnington. Substitutes: Puddy (GK), Leadbitter, Brunt. Halifax: Glennon, Bolton, McManus, M Roberts, Pearson (Dyer – 69), Marshall, Jackson (K Roberts – 85), Peniket (Schofield – 24), Williams, Boden, Maynard (C). Substitutes: [/COLOR]Senior (GK), Ainge. Attendance: 5,394 (260)
[video=youtube;iKfkBU6R57s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKfkBU6R57s[/video] Beware poor sound quality
Manager on today's win Darrell Clarke was delighted to pick up three points against previously unbeaten FC Halifax at the Memorial Stadium this afternoon. But the manager admitted he was not happy with his team’s second half performance. He said: “I am pleased we won the football match, but I am disappointed with our second half performance. “I always try and make an honest assessment of the game and I expect more from my players. “But we dug in there, continued to try and win, and we did win, and I am delighted with the three points, and so are the players. “But I set higher standards than that, and I thought second half it never got going - but we can learn from that. “I am not knocking my players for their effort, attitude and the way they went about their business. “But I am asking them to be better; and we need to be if we are going to do well this season. “It was a tough game against a team riding high in this division. Halifax are good at what they do, and reached the play offs last season for a reason.” It was a late goal from Ellis Harrison that sealed the three points for Rovers. Darrell said: “Ellis Harrison has worked hard in pre-season and today he got his reward. “He goes away with the Wales U21 squad, so he misses the next couple of games, which is great for the lad and disappointing for us.” And Darrell is keen to stress that his team have to continue to work hard, as no game in this league will be easy. He said: “This is a big football cub with a big support base, but we are rightfully in the Conference, and we have no right to turn up and win any football match. “We have to work hard to get the points on board, as it is a tough league. We have to be at it every single game. “The fans were fantastic again today. We are regrouping as a club, and we have to keep going, and keep going together.” And the manager reiterated that he would like another player in before the transfer window shuts on Monday. He said: “I want to bring another face in before deadline day, but it has to be the right player at the right price.”
