But just how difficult took some observers by surprise as they took root at the foot of the National Two table early on and stayed there.
On paper they looked to have assembled a squad capable of holding their own in a notoriously unforgiving division.
And throughout the season they had players who constantly stepped up to the plate - pack men Gareth Lewis and Matt Harrison were always key performers and Joe Knowles's accuracy with the boot saw him finish as top points scorer.
But they were ultimately undone by a number of factors.
Injuries certainly played their part, but it was the lack of strength in depth that really did for coach Rhys Morgan.
He was forced to run cap in hand to Rotherham who sent a number of players Halifax's way.
Had that not been the case then so stretched were Halifax's playing resources there would surely have been a danger of them failing to fulfil fixtures.
Halifax fielded 39 players with only two, Adam Blades and Joe Knowles, ever presents.
Morgan did an excellent job, operating under such limitations and increasing pressure. It would have been extremely harsh had he been made a scapegoat.
As it is he is already planning for next season in National Three (North) and is determined to make sure the problems experienced this time around are ironed out over the summer.
So used to breaking records of the right kind, Halifax had to suffer a number of ignominies this time around - a crushing 59-0 defeat at Westcome Park and a 67-3 mauling at Manchester, not to mention a run of 20 consecutive league defeats in a 26-match season.
But, the positive side has to be the tremendous spirit and camaraderie shown by everybody connected with the club even in such adversity.
Many players would have buckled - and indeed it could be said that a couple did, both stand off Tom Eaton and scrum half Craig Aikman leaving mid-campaign.
Those that remained proved a tight-knit bunch and it was their determination to pull together which really stood out.
It might have been so much different had Halifax not squandered a 27-6 interval lead in the first game against Wharfedale at Ovenden Park.
As exhilarating as that first 40 minutes of the season had been, the second half encapsulated what Halifax's campaign would be all about - errors and unfulfilled promise.
As winning can become a habit then so can losing.
There was never an issue about players hiding or failing to put the effort in - Halifax were usually competitive.
But when everything is going against you, the passes don't come off, the ball doesn't stick in the hands and confidence takes a battering.
Influential scrum half Aikman, who was later to decamp to Fylde, lifted the gloom by scoring a hat-trick of tries in a first win of the season - a tense 37-34 success over Southend, and suddenly things didn't look too bleak.
Title favourites Otley, then proceeded to burst Halifax's partly-inflated bubble with a 40-10 victory.
After that it was pretty much a tale of woe with Halifax suffering disappointing defeats while running teams such as Nuneaton and Manchester close at Ovenden Park before coming up short.
A brief respite came in the form of a 41-3 National Trophy success against a largely second string side at rain-lashed Westcombe Park.
But again Halifax were unable to kick on, losing their next game 24-0 at Waterloo before, three weeks later, returning to Westcombe Park for that 59-0 horror-show.
Interest in the Trophy ended with a battling 24-3 defeat at Blackheath in mid-January by which time Halifax's league fate was all but sealed.
Mixed performances could not produce mixed results with the figure in the games lost column rising every week, culminating in the low spot - the heavy defeat at Manchester.
If anything that result served as a turning point where the players' incredible spirit came to the surface.
A 20-11 home defeat by Cambridge in atrocious conditions saw Halifax regain a modicum of pride, yet it was a 20-17 reversal at Blackheath that really gave them something to feel good about.
Blackheath got off lightly and the applause and tributes that followed from the London club's officials and supports alike spoke volumes.
"The best team lost" was heard more than once on that particular afternoon.
That set Halifax up nicely for their final home game against mid-table Waterloo and they did not disappoint, producing a performance brimming with pride and determination that deservedly brought them just their second league success.
It would have been a tall order to expect them to get anything from a final day jaunt to Wharfedale and in truth it definitely proved a game too far for Morgan's battle-weary yet unbowed troops.