Certainly a half-time scoreline of 17-17 with Halifax having been 10-0 down after just five minutes should have augured well.

But once again their lack of a real killer instinct, coupled with some handling errors and lapses in defence, conspired to cost them dear as they slipped to second bottom of the table.

There was another long, long inquest out on the pitch after the game with head coach Rhys Morgan giving vent to his bitter disappointment and downright frustration.

Quite simply, this is another game Halifax could and should have won and they have to start turning the screw on teams if they are to begin picking up points.

The home side could not have made a worse start. A fumble from the kick off invited Manchester to attack and when Halifax were caught offside with less than 30 seconds on the clock, winger Gareth Wynne stroked over the penalty.

Halifax responded in positive fashion with scrum half Craig Aikman setting off on one of his trademark breaks.

He was quickly tagged but a neat overhead pass under pressure just eluded supporting hooker Will Kay.

Unfortunately, Manchester were also adept at shifting the ball at pace and after five minutes centre Andre Wilson was allowed to break some flimsy cover to go in under the posts leaving Wynne with a simple conversion.

Halifax's response was as swift as it was clinical.

Just two minutes later the home side moved the ball around with some confidence and McGee stepped inside and hared through a gap in the creaky Manchester defence to race over, the supremely confident Joe Knowles making little fuss of the conversion.

Halifax were forced into sterling defensive duties as Manchester came back strongly, but it was Halifax who nearly added to their tally, Will Greenwood charging down a clearing kick then hacking the ball forward.

Centre James Endersby led the chase but Manchester infringed in the act of trying to tidy up.

Tom Eaton kicked for the corner and an excellent catch and drive promised to reap dividends only for Manchester to prevent Halifax getting over the line.

Halifax continued to pile on the pressure via a series of scrums close to the Manchester try line which the visitors did superbly well to resist.

And it was typical of Halifax's afternoon that when Manchester did relieve the pressure Greenwood knocked on from the kick.

Manchester's second try was a combination of poor discipline from Halifax and quick thinking from the visitors.

Manchester had taken their turn to put Halifax's defence under the cosh and just when it seemed they had survived, play was brought back for an earlier infringement.

STAR PLAYER
Craig Aikman is one of those players who never gives up; try to introduce a bit of flair and generally look to do something exciting and different, particularly when things aren't going his team's way.
Again, the talented scrum half dipped into his box of tricks with some neat dummy passes that created the space for his own daring breaks.
He is always at the heart of things, attempting to do what all good No 9's do and that is to inject some purpose and direction into the proceedings. Once again a fine all round display gains no rewards as far as his team goes, which must be mightily frustrating.
Joe Knowles only took up kicking again when he joined Halifax last season and he is certainly making up for lost time.
Knowles has no nerves when it comes to shooting for the sticks and his ability to keep the scoreboard ticking over continues to be a major plus for Halifax.
He is also a fearless tackler and possesses greater strength than his frame perhaps suggests.
One player who will always give 100 per cent is flanker Gareth Lewis.
He puts himself in where it hurts and never stops tackling. Lewis also thrives on adversity and is never better when trying to retrieve difficult situations.
And he showed that determination on Saturday, making sure he was in the right place to pile over for his side's third try.

MATCH FACTS
Halifax: Knowles, Hall, Endersby, McGee, Greenwood, Eaton, Aikman, Blades, Kay, Jenkins, White, Harrison, Skillen, Lewis, Moon. Replacements: Gordon (McGee 57), Townsend (Kay 55), Brown (Skillen 55), Walsh (Blades 45)
Tries: McGee, Jenkins, Lewis
Con: Knowles (3)
Pens: Knowles
Drop Goals: None
Yellow Cards: None
Red Cards: None
Manchester: Coulbeck, Wynne, A Wilson, Rawlings, Vilk, Wainwright, Bramhall, Mantell, C Wilson, Flynn, Ralph, Owen, Moss, Platt, Eboral. Replacements: Davies (C Wilson 61), Gadd (Mantell 74), Baldwin, Cliff
Tries: A Wilson, Rawlings, Bramhall, Coulbeck
Cons: Wynne (4)
Pens: Wynne (2)
Drop Goals: None
Yellow Cards: None
Red Cards: None
Referee: Andrew Vertigan (RFU)

PLAYER POINTS
WORKOUT WAREHOUSE PLAYER OF THE SEASON:
9 Craig Aikman, 8 Joe Knowles; 3 4 Gareth Lewis; Dave Hall, Gareth Lewis, George Jenkins, Danny McGee; 2 Richard White, Matt Harrison; 1 Richard Brown, Tom Eaton.