"If you ask me how confident I am we're going to finish in the top seven, I'd say 100 per cent," says Town defender Jamie Stott

The defender has been an integral part of Halifax's start to the campaign that currently sees them sit on the verge of the top seven with the best defensive record in the National League.

"I'm 100 per cent confident in what we've got, and we've got what it takes," Stott told the Courier when asked how he rated Town's play-off chances.

"It was the same story last year, when we come up against the top teams, we show we've got the quality to be in and around them.

"The late goal against Chesterfield, we drew at Barnet but should have won, we beat Bromley first day of the season, we drew with Gateshead, we drew at Solihull but should have beaten them late on.

"We have dropped points lately that, if you look at the table, we should be beating but if you ask me how confident I am we're going to finish in the top seven, I'd say 100 per cent confident in the ability of the team and the squad.

"We've been unlucky with injuries. I'm not using that as an excuse, but with a fully fit squad there's competition for places everywhere and that's only going to benefit us coming into the second-half of the season."

Stott believes The Shaymen are in "a really good place" at the minute.

"Barring the last couple of results, we've been on a good run," he said.

"We've played some good stuff, I feel like we've played better at the start of the season and not been winning games.

"We're more solid at the back and over the last ten games we've scored a few more goals, although the last two away games we've not picked up points and then at York we dropped two points late on.

"Aldershot we dropped a point.

"We could easily have won those games so I feel like we've been on the end of a wrong bit of luck.

"It's all ifs, buts and maybes but if we'd got better results in the last few games, I feel like we'd be sitting comfortably in the play-offs at the minute.

"But that's still something we can do, we've got some tough games coming up but I'm confident in the team that we can pick up some wins before the New Year."

Halifax would be fourth in the table but for the late goals they've conceded recently against York, Fylde and Aldershot.

"These things happen in a season but there's no reason why we can't turn that around and be the team that's scoring late goals," said Stott.

"We've been creating chances, I don't feel like we're short of that, we've just got to be putting more of them away.

"Since we lost to Boreham Wood we've not been beaten by more than a single goal which just shows how tight the games are and that we're in games.

"We're just falling on the wrong end of them but hopefully we can turn that luck around or maybe have a bit more quality in-front of goal and we can finish games off earlier."

And Stott believes the quality is there in the Town squad to improve in the final third.

"We've got players at the top end of the pitch who can score goals," he said.

"Rob's come back now, you've got Aaron and Milli who've been grafting their socks off.

"Milli's been scoring goals, Az's been unlucky not to get more than he's got, but also it comes from players behind them creating the chances.

"We need to provide them with crosses and goalscoring opportunities rather than hoping that one of them pulls something out of the bag and gets us a goal out of nothing.

"You've also got the lads at the back - Adam Senior's got a few but there's me and Keano who probably need to contribute with more so that's something we need to work on.

"It's not just the strikers who need to score, although obviously that's what their main job is it's all of us.

"Even though we're only conceding one goal in games, we can do better ourselves as defenders. It's a team game.

"The attackers are defending brilliantly from the front and I just feel we could be creating them more chances or they could be a bit more clinical with the chances they get, and we'll be right up there."

Halifax have far less of an issue at the other end of the pitch, letting in just 21 goals in 22 league games, a better ratio than any other side in the fifth tier.

"I think it's consistency in the starting line-up. If you have consistency in your line-up you get consistency in your performances," Stott said when asked for an explaination.

"You get to know each other's games, I feel like we've got a good relationship at the back and the defending comes from the front, the boys are tracking back when they have to, they're making tackles, coming back at set-pieces.

"We've got Jonno in goal who's making unbelievable saves for us.

"It's a team contribution, that's why we've got the best defence in the league.

"From a defender's point of view I hope that continues, although I do feel like we can be more solid defensively, as mad as it sounds."

Stott forms 33 per cent of what has become a regular back three alongside Jordan Keane and Adam Senior.

"We've still got to make sure our performances are consistent because you've got Tom Wilson there and Festus is coming back," Stott said.

"There's players who want to get into the team.

"It's good we've played together quite a lot, and it's helped defensively because we know each other's game now.

"When you're playing out from the back and defensively, you know that if you go and press someone, Keano's covering. Same on the other side with Adam.

"It is important you get consistency in your team and I feel like that's helping in terms of the defence."

Stott, who joined Town from Stockport County last summer, spent the majority of last season as the middle centre-back but has mostly played on the left of the back three this term.

"I've enjoyed it," he said. "It's different because when you're in the middle, you're covering a lot or your passes are more simple passes.

"You find yourself further up the pitch on the left, which I do enjoy and I want to keep improving there, I want to contribute with creating goals.

"Me and Ryan Galvin have got a good partnership down the left, we work well together.

"I'm really enjoying it playing on that side and I feel like my game's coming on overall."

After a shaky start in a Town shirt, Stott has developed into one of the team's most consistent performers and is now one of the first names on the team-sheet.

"I feel my performances this year have been pretty consistent," he said.

"I do feel like there's a lot more to come from myself.

"Even though I feel my best attributes are with the ball, I want to be more solid and win my duels, my defensive duels and aerial duels, which I feel like I've done more this year

"I think my performances have been more consistent this year.

"Last year was a big learning curve for me and it showed at the end of the season, I feel like I came into my own and I was showing the fans what I can do.

"I feel like I've brought that into this season, I just want to add maybe some goals to that now to top off what's been a good start to the season.

"We're nearly halfway there and I want to take that into the second-half of the season and play every game hopefully."

Just as Stott feels like he can still improve, the defender reckons the same is true of his team over the second-half of the campaign.

"The injuries we've had have been unlucky because they've all been long-term ones, there's never been a niggle that's been a week or two," he said.

"Cookie's been out for a while, Jo's had an operation, Festus has an operation, Ange has been out for a long time, Jack Evans has had an operation, Summers has been ill, Rob Harker's been injured.

"It's been hectic but players are starting to come back and once we've got that fully fit squad I feel like it can only push us forward second-half of the season.

"We could be in a better place, but hopefully we can make up those points we've lost in the second-half of the season and finish in the top seven.

"We want to finish as high as we can, we want to be top end of the play-offs. Let's see where we end up but that's got to be the full focus from everyone at the club."