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Halifax Town v Buxton: Match preview
After one of the longest pre-season campaigns in recent memory, the waiting is finally over and Town will begin their Evo-Stik Premier Division campaign at home to Buxton this afternoon.
And following the club's first season under Neil Aspin, when they won the One North title with 100 points and scored more than 100 goals, expectations are sky high.
Momentum will count for something - the players who were at the club last term have a real winning mentality.
But there will be plenty of eyes on the summer signings who Aspin will be expecting to push the team on to the next stage.
At the back, Mark Bower and Liam Hogan have both impressed during pre-season and in attack, the link up between Danny Holland Jamie Vardy and will be a key feature of Town's play.
The loss of last season's 40-goal leading scorer James Dean to injury in the early weeks of the campaign will be a big loss and how the two new boys - plus the likes of Nathan Taylor and Scott Metcalfe - perform will be crucial.
For all that, it is the return of Harry Winter that could be the most important change to the squad over the summer.
The midfielder's loan spell last season was a massive success.
He made 11 appearances after arriving as a replacement for the suspended Scott Phelan and really prospered when he partnered the former Bradford City man and Tom Baker in the middle of the park.
Winter bagged four goals in his final four games and has already shown in pre-season that his passing can unlock any defence.
However the Shaymen line up, the one thing they have to try to do is win.
A good start can set the tone for the opening couple of months of the campaign and with successive away days at Frickley and Chasetown to follow three points tomorrow are a must.
Town have experienced mixed fortunes on the opening day in the past two campaigns, losing 3-0 at home to Bamber Bridge two years ago under Jim Vince but winning 3-0 at Colwyn Bay 12 months ago in Aspin's first competitive game in charge.
The former Leeds United and Port Vale defender will be looking for something similar this time round.
Buxton will be starting their fourth successive Premier Division campaign tomorrow having gained promotion in 2007 as first division champions with 101 points.
They reached the play offs at the end of their first campaign in the top flight, eventually losing to Gateshead - now in the Blue Square Premier - in the final.
The season after that, 2008-09, they were 14th and last season they improved six places to finish eighth.
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Weather for Halifax
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light snow
Temperature: -0 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Light snow
Temperature: -2 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South
