Depressingly there is the indignity of the club, or its earthly remains, being respectfully but firmly swept out of the Blue Square Premiership.
More encouragingly Mike Appleby, the Football Association official who oversaw the expulsion, was insistent that a replacement Halifax team would find a place somewhere in the football pyramid – it was just a question of at what level. How high or low can they go?
"We are not going to let football die in Halifax," were his stout words.
He acknowledged, however, that things were not helped by officials having to deal with two separate expressions of intent to form a new club – one from fans and one from the consortium that has controlled Halifax Town anonymously for 18 months, trying but failing to keep the wheels on.
The consortium was back to its old tricks on Wednesday, issuing an anonymnous statement that used a lot of words to shed little light – except to say: "We're still here."
Another plea for patience, another demand that we all trust them.
When in fact their very anonymity and refusal to deal openly with anyone, least of all the fans, is now proving part of the problem, not the solution.