Published Date:
10 March 2009
TOWN enter the final quarter of their campaign when they entertain Harrogate Railway at the Shay tonight.
And it is going to be a tense finale to the club's first-ever season in Unibond One North.
Much depends on how the Shaymen play in the coming six weeks or so as they have proved they are a match for the best in the division.
They have also shown, on occasions, that they are vulnerable when they are expected to beat teams.
And that has twice been the case against Harrogate Railway this term.
Back in October, Town went to Station View with high hopes of progressing in the FA Trophy and were dumped out of the competition 2-1 despite a goal on his debut from Colin Daniel.
They returned to Starbeck on January 1, in one of the few games to survive the weather, and were beaten 2-0 - a result that severely dented their title hopes.
It did not, however, dent the team's confidence too much as one defeat in the nine games they have played since then shows.
Four of those games have ended up as draws and the current min-run is three points from a possible 12.
But when you consider that two of those matches were against in-form Colwyn Bay, against whom they suffered their only defeat, and Saturday's was at leaders Durham City, it is not that bad.
Manager Jim Vince's problem is not knowing which Town side will turn up on any given matchday.
If they perform like they did at Durham for the rest of the season they can be confident of making their mark in the play offs at least.
If they revert to some of the football on display against the likes of Harrogate then they could struggle.
Railway's recent form suggests major inconsistencies in their mentality.
In the past couple of months they have beaten Durham and Skelmersdale United, the two sides most likely to battle for the title with the Shaymen.
But they have also lost 4-1 at Garforth Town, a side that conceded five goals when they came to the Shay in January.
If Town play well, they will win - and after Saturday they know what they really are capable of.
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Last Updated:
10 March 2009 8:28 AM
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Source:
n/a
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Location:
Halifax