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Solid Town please boss
TOWN battled to a goalless draw with Conference North Droylsden in the second game of their pre-season campaign on Saturday.
And while boss Neil Apsin was pleased with another solid display against a side that reached the play-offs last season, he knows that there is still plenty more to come.
The Shay chief used all his fit players again, switching round his starting XI from the 5-0 win at Brighouse and making five outfield substitutions at half time.
And Town looked stronger the longer each of the halves went on.
"Organisation comes the longer you spend with the players," said Aspin.
"We have not done a great deal with the shape of the team, but you can see that the players know their jobs and what is expected from me and that is important.
"If you get one person not working hard it all breaks down.
"You could say that we could have kept the ball better, but that will come with games.
"If I had sent out a team and played openly we would have lost.
"We are not at their fitness levels yet.
"The first 20 minutes probably showed Droylsden have played a game more than us in pre-season.
"They were definitely sharper, without really creating a chance.
"That pleased me because I know that if we are defensively sound, we are definitely capable of winning games.
"It was an ideal pre-season game against a team that keeps the ball.
"As a fitness exercise, at non League level, you are not going to come up against anyone better at keeping it."
Defensively, Town were relatively untroubled by a Droylsden side that has a reputation for dominating the opposition.
And that was something that particularly pleased Aspin.
"I think it important to keep the back four solid," he said. "Then we have the personnel in front of them who we can change round depending on formation and who is in form.
"I want players to feel under pressure if they are not playing well."
Liam Hogan played the full 90 minutes at the back and looked good against the likes of experience Droylsden duo David McNiven and Lewis Killeen.
"I signed Liam because I feel he has potential and he showed that on Saturday," said Aspin.
"He produced a great block in the first half and he has the pace that we needed, but I was pleased with them all. "It was a great test."
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Weather for Halifax
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
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Temperature: -0 C to 1 C
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