So often maligned in a disastrous National Two campaign, this display against the league leaders and promotion favourites Otley almost harked back to the days when Halifax were finding their way through the league system.

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Certainly in terms of team spirit, the performance was right up there with the best the last few seasons has offered.
And with a little more self-belief and conviction, particularly during the first half, Rhys Morgan's side would surely have finished with something to show for their Herculean efforts.
Nobody would have denied Halifax a bonus point at least, not even one suspects the large travelling Otley support, who voiced their disapproval at their own team's efforts along with those of that perennial scapegoat, the referee.
Stand in coach Mark Luffman was even moved to kick the water bottles around on the sidelines - a sure sign Halifax had got under his and his players' skins during a typical derby encounter.
It wasn't always pretty, but it was always entertaining and a couple of minor bouts of fisticuffs near the end did not come as any great surprise, especially as Oli Marns was singled out as the Otley hate figure - one player who always wears his heart on his sleeve.
It wasn't just Marns but every Halifax player who showed plenty of heart throughout and that was the key to the overall performance.
Otley's pack are rightly held up as a model example. They possess strength and mobility and they take no prisoners.
They must have been surprised therefore to come up against a set of Halifax forwards who not only matched them at their own game, but at times got the upper hand.
Meeting fire with fire, Halifax repelled a number of early Otley attacks close to their own line with the backs, notably skipper Danny McGee and Marns, producing the telling tackles while stand off Iain Gordon was always on hand to complete the clearances.
But with all the pressure Otley were exerting, it was inevitable that the defences would be breached and Jonathan Buchanan was allowed to break a tackle in midfield and race in, leaving winger Robin Kitching, sporting a unflattering pair of tights, to land a difficult conversion.
Sadly, Halifax lost Dominic Moon to a knee injury in the build up to the try with the former Waterloo forward seemingly set to build on his man of the match performances in the previous two games.
And though Halifax continued to be starved of possession, they were still defending as though their lives depended on it.
Unfortunately they were unable to prevent Otley crossing again, Stephen Parsons being well tackled but the visitors recycling the move for Paul Mooney to go over wide out, Kitching landing another superb kick in the swirling wind.
Halifax saw their good work undermined further three minutes later when the luckless Joe Knowles saw his clearing kick charged down and the ball ricocheted nicely for flanker Paul Williams to collect and run to the line, pulling up lame as he did so and having to leave the action.
Kitching converted comfortably from in front of the posts and it appeared that Halifax may have given it their best shot when, three minutes before the break, Kitching was allowed to increase the margin to 24-0 with a penalty under the posts.
However, they kept their heads and when play was taken close to the Otley line they gave the visitors a taste of their own medicine, an excellent scrum pushing the visitors back and George Jenkins gratefully dropping over the line, Knowles nailing the conversion and bringing reward for the time he spent, long before kick off, practicing his kicking in the windy conditions.
Halifax were visibly lifted as they took to the field for the second half and they added to their tally when good pressure forced Otley to infringe and Knowles made it 24-10 with the penalty.
Otley tried hard to get a grip on the game but increasingly they came up against a pumped up Halifax side who had, by now, started to believe in themselves.
The visitors hammered at the Halifax line and the home side spent a long time under pressure before Gordon was able to complete a welcome clearance.
And that hard defensive work paid off when Knowles reduced the deficit further with another penalty following an excellent spell of Halifax pressure.
A bonus point - not to mention some kudos among the other teams in the league - must have been uppermost in Halifax's mind as they surged forward in search of another score.
They still had to be careful and Marns and Gordon both excelled in mopping up potentially dangerous situations as the match entered its final throes.
Halifax were looking the most likely and frustrations on both sides spilled over when Marns had been denied a try in the corner after Otley's defence had been stretched again.
A bit of pushing and shoving got the coaching staff from both sides a little over-excited before Marns made a few more enemies in the visiting camp when a second crunching challenge sparked another brief flare up.
It was fitting that Halifax were the side pushing forward when the referee finally called a halt - although it would have been sweeter had they been able to secure another try to earn the bonus point their overall play deserved.

MATCH FACTS
Halifax: Knowles, Mitchell, Marns, McGee, Brear, Gordon, Dillon, Blades, Kay, Jenkins, White, Harrison, Moon, Lewis, Brown. Replacements: Endersby (Knowles 60), Sanderson (Jenkins 66), Townsend (Brown 56), Smith (Moon 15)
Tries: Jenkins
Conversions: Knowles
Penalties: Knowles (2)
Drop Goals: None
Yellow Cards: None
Red Cards: None
Otley: Shuttleworth, Parsons, Buchanan, Mooney, Kitching, Monks, McCormack, Trethewey, Steele, Fullman, Snowball, Parr, Williams, Andre, Lewis. Replacements: Sayers (Steele 77), Wederell (Trethewey 66), Bland (Williams 27), Dench (Monks 66).
Tries: Buchanan, Mooney, Williams
Conversions: Kitching (3)
Penalties: Kitching
Drop Goals: None
Yellow Cards: None
Red Cards: None
Referee: Richard Draper (RFU).

STAR MAN
Some weeks this season it is fair to say that nobody has deserved the points.
This week, however, there are a list of candidates deserving of the accolades.
Lock Matt Harrison can play anywhere in the pack and wherever he operates he is equally devastating.
His aggression is a major part of his armoury and he certainly let Otley know he was there during every phase of the game.
He carries the ball with great strength and is no respecter of reputations, preferring to carve out a positive one of his own.
A player in the same mould is flanker Gareth Lewis. He has seen better times at the club but refuses to let the current state affect him.
Every time he fastens that scrum cap he is ready for a battle and he continues to throw himself into situations where sane men would fear to tread.
Lewis's talent and hunger is something the club can only benefit from and he has to be somebody that Halifax look to keep at the end of the season.
And then there is Oli Marns. I defy any club to say they would not want a player of his passion turning out for them. He accepts he is not perfect, but his sheer pride for the club and determination to succeed always counts massively in his favour.
Marns tackled like a demon and when he got the chance with ball in had his sole aim was to take Halifax forward.
And why not get involved in a few fisticuffs in front of the visiting coaches? There was nothing malicious in that, just a sense of honour and, perhaps, a little bit of mischief.

PLAYER POINTS
WORKOUT WAREHOUSE PLAYER OF THE SEASON: 17 Craig Aikman, 14 George Jenkins, Matt Harrison; 13 Gareth Lewis; 10 Joe Knowles, Oli Marns; 6 Dominic Moon; 5 Tom Eaton; 4 Richard Brown; 3 Dave Hall, Danny McGee, James Endersby, Ben Mitchell, Iain Gordon; 2 Richard White, Adam Blades; 1 Phil Skillen, Martin Smith, Gareth Brear.