25 years on from a season full of debt, drama and uncertainty for The Shaymen

Somebody pointed out to me the other day that it was 25 years ago that Halifax Town played out one of those ‘last-game-ever’ types.

Amid a sea of accrued debt, the club went into their penultimate fixture with the future uncertain with Kidderminster Harriers providing the opposition.

The match was filmed and packaged for prosperity, the visitors coming from behind to win a poor game 2-1, that after they’d given the Shaymen a helping hand by scoring for them.

Of course, the club was saved, the supporters rallying around as they’d done so many times in the past, but when the 1994-95 season actually began, there was no hint of the drama and financial worry to come.

Manager at the time was John Bird – he’d succeeded Peter Wragg with several months of the previous campaign remaining – and he’d put together an exciting looking squad that he hoped would challenge for the Conference title and with it promotion to the Football League after two years’ absence.

Already at his disposal had been the likes of goalkeeper Darren Heyes, Craig Boardman, Steve Prindiville, Kieran O’Regan and David German, but Bird worked hard to add to these.

Thus, arriving at The Shay was midfielder Kevin Langley from Wigan Athletic – he had earlier won a League Championship medal while an Everton player – flying winger Andy Kiwomya (Rotherham United) and forwards Andy Flounders (Rochdale) and Gary Worthington, son of former player Dave, signed from Exeter City.

They were also joined by midfielders Lee Fowler and Grant Leitch, who had both impressed on a pre-season tour, and lanky striker Dave Lancaster, who cost

£10,000 when signing from Rochdale, £2,000 of that money being funded by the Supporters’ Club who, under chairman Derek Newiss, had launched a ‘Sign A Striker Appeal’ the previous summer.

It would prove to be a troubled season in many ways, though for much of it Town competed near the top of the table, having opened their campaign with a 3-0 success at Woking and went on to set a club record of six unbeaten matches from the start of the campaign.

Among their best performances during the early months were the 4-2 home win over Bromsgrove Rovers and a 4-1 victory at Dagenham.

On 5 November, the side trounced Stafford Rangers 6-0, and having brought in former Shay favourites Dean Martin, on loan from Scunthorpe United, and full-back Paul Fleming, after a spell with Guiseley, the side put together an impressive run which saw them climb to fifth, their defeat at the hands of Altrincham on New Year’s Eve spoiling a run of six victories.

Still, despite the encouraging signs, the board were concerned at the low attendances. The 4-0 victory over Runcorn on 10 December had been watched by a meagre 733.

Town’s involvement in the FA Cup provided a welcome financial boost, despite being forced to participate in the final qualifying round for the first time since 1923. But by seeing off Lancaster City they moved into the first round where they played out two titanic battles with Runcorn.

Having drawn 1-1 at The Shay, extra-time goals at Runcorn’s temporary home at Witton Albion’s Wincham Park in the replay by Colin Lambert and Dave Lancaster set up a home tie with Third Division Mansfield Town.

There, a welcome 2,396 saw the sides play out a goalless draw, and while the extra income generated from the replay at Field Mill would come in handy, Town could consider themselves unlucky to lose after taking an early lead through Lancaster, only to be ultimately undone by Paul Holland’s last minute winner.

In mid-November, controversy had reared its head when the Yorkshire Rider bus company submitted plans for a supermarket on The Shay and their adjacent bus depot land.

Simultaneously, Town chairman Jim Brown threatened to quit if the council failed to approve plans for Shay improvements after Football League regulations meant the winners of the Conference would only be promoted if their ground met new stringent criteria.

This then fuelled a debate regarding the future of The Shay, and when in January the council backed Halifax RLFC’s own plans for a super stadium at Thrum Hall, the Town board sat down with their rugby counterparts to try to drive the plans through.

All the while, Town put their title hopes back on track in the New Year and having signed centre-back Mick Trotter from Buxton, they came from behind to complete a double over Gateshead on a frost-bound Shay pitch, then recorded successive 4-0 home wins over Dover Athletic - physio Mick Rathbone scored a memorable volleyed goal - and Woking.

Town then won on the road at Stafford Rangers, and a home draw with Dagenham & Redbridge saw them sitting in fourth place. So this good run of form made their exit from the FA Trophy at the hands of Unibond First Division North side Bamber Bridge all the more baffling.

Having seen the original game called off because of a waterlogged pitch, John Bird’s side didn’t fancy the freezing conditions three days later and fell to

Kenny Mayers’ goal.

Activity, however, now switched to the corridors of power, where, despite having earlier voted in favour of a super stadium at Thrum Hall, Calderdale councillors were voting against the Yorkshire Rider’s proposed shopping development at The Shay.

With Jim Brown seeing a move to Thrum Hall as the only way Town could regain Football League status and having backed such a move, he now threatened to resign should it not come off.

When councillors voted by a majority of 28 to 17 against selling The Shay in front of a packed public gallery at Halifax Town Hall on 24 February, Brown

promptly tendered his resignation to the Town board three days later, claiming that the club was ‘light years away from having a ground that will earn them League status and I do think they could fade into obscurity - the board face an uphill battle for survival.’

Indeed, John Stockwell, who succeeded Brown in the hotseat on 6 March, would endure a tough couple of months from the outset.

No sooner had he been installed as chairman, than Town were preparing for their make-or-break home game with leaders Macclesfield Town. Sammy McIlroy’s side arrived fully eighteen points clear of the Shaymen, but with Town having two games in hand, they weren’t ruling out a late challenge, dependent upon Macclesfield slipping up, of course.

But when Darren Lyons popped up to head the game’s only goal after 42 minutes, Town gave up the ghost.

Nevertheless, the side climbed to third in the Conference, but this was against a backdrop of real uncertainty. John Stockwell suddenly had important issues to deal with after the club announced on 15 March total debts of £175,000, with £100,000 of that owed to the Inland Revenue.

Big money earners such as Lancaster and Kiwomya were offloaded, then there was the releasing of the likeable Mick Rathbone, a move that John Bird described as ‘the hardest decision I have ever had to make’.

Stockwell then announced that unless a backer could be found, the club would fold at the end of the season. A ‘Fighting Fund’ was set up, part of which saw top footballers – Eric Cantona was one – being pictured and signing a Halifax Town shirt, which was later auctioned off.

On 2 May, three days after Town’s defeat by Kidderminster in the final home game, around 250 supporters rolled up at Arden Road Social Club to help try and secure the club’s future.

With the Inland Revenue clamouring for an initial £30,000, incredibly half that sum was raised on the night, matching a similar amount already in the bank, and the target was met. Bird was now relying players with lower league pedigree such as Simon Johnson and Elliot Beddard, but with the future secured –

for now – hordes of supporters made the trip to Runcorn for the final match to witness a Dave Hanson hat-trick secure a 3-0 win in baking heat.

Town finished the season in eighth but headed into the summer with the future still in doubt.

Meantime, on the basis that ‘every penny counts’ the home game with Kidderminster was attractively packaged in VHS video form and went on general sale, with money going to the club.

Just under what genre retailers WH Smith brandished it is unclear, but generally it was viewed as a video nasty.