FC Halifax Town: Lynch optimistic about Shaymen's play-off hopes - if they stick to their winning formula

Midfielder David Lynch believes hard work, experience and a winning mentality could be FC Halifax Town's recipe for success in the play-offs.
Actions from FC Halifax Town v Curzon Ashton, at the MBI Shay Stadium. David LynchActions from FC Halifax Town v Curzon Ashton, at the MBI Shay Stadium. David Lynch
Actions from FC Halifax Town v Curzon Ashton, at the MBI Shay Stadium. David Lynch

The Shaymen secured their top-five place with a 3-0 win at home to Curzon Ashton on Saturday.

Halifax could still finish second in the table, but look more likely to face Salford or Chorley in the play-off semi-finals after travelling to Chorley for their final game of the season tomorrow.

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Asked what is required for Town to gain promotion, Lynch, who has started 37 games for The Shaymen this season, said: “Just hard work - what’s gone into all the games that have got us there. It’s about working hard and doing the things the manager wants us to do. We’ll take it one game at a time - I know everyone will be getting ahead of themselves but we’ve still got Chorley on Saturday and we’ve got to try and win that and take a winning habit into the play-offs.

“The ability in the squad has never been in question - it’s always been a question of how hard we’re going to work. If you look at the run we’ve been on over the last two or three months to secure our place in the play-offs, everyone’s been putting a shift in, even the flair players higher up the pitch have been working hard.

“If we do that I don’t think anybody can match us.”

Lynch believes Halifax’s North Ferriby contingent - on and off the pitch - have an important role to play in any play-off success due to their promotion from the Conference North last season.

“I think there’s a lot of experience in that changing room,” he said. “There’s only really myself and one or two others who haven’t been involved in it before.

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“If you look round the squad there’s winners all over the place. The manager’s a winner, as is Bobby (assistant manager Mark Carroll), it’s just a case of the older lads, who have played in big games, helping some of the younger lads like myself.

“I’ll be honest, there might be a few nerves from myself, but that’s good. It’s only because you want to do well. If you;re not nervous then maybe you don’t care as much.

“There’s certainly enough experience in the squad when you look at the pedigree of some of the players - the likes of Kevin Roberts, Scott Garner, Liam King, Danny Hone, all the Ferriby lads.

“But we’re not looking past Chorley - that’s the most important game because it’s the next one.”

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Lynch is pleased with how his season has gone since joining from Altrincham in September.

“I think I’ve got better game by game and been fairly consistent in the role the gaffer wants me to do,” he said. “I’m learning that game by game.

“Early on I was getting caught out of position quite a lot but I’ve learnt the game a lot more now, but that’s only from playing with the players around me, the likes of Liam King and Jordan Sinnott, learning from them and taking that into my game.

“I think I’ve got more to my game than just being a stopper. I can handle a football and play it but my game’s not about dribbling round people, it’s about doing the simple things, breaking play up, getting round the pitch, moving the ball.

“Then the likes of Sinnott, Kosylo, Charles, Morgan and Denton can play higher up the pitch. I’m more than happy to do that.”