Saturday's FA Cup tie with Southport will see six former FC Halifax Town players come up against their former club.

Manager Neil Danns was briefly at Town under Pete Wild, and his side could include up to five former Shaymen - Chris Renshaw, Sam Minihan, Ted Lavelle, Jordan Slew and Jordan Keane.

Renshaw and Lavelle didn't make the breakthrough into the first-team, while Slew had a good first season before his form evaporated.

Keane and Minihan were never able to replicate the standards they'd set at previous club Stockport, with Keane's time at Town was severely disrupted by injury, restricting him to 53 appearances across two seasons.

placeholder image — Jordan Keane during his time at Halifax

When asked if he feels he has a point to prove in Saturday's game, Keane said: "I always play with a point to prove, even if it's proving a point to myself, which this season is.

"Probably from my time at Halifax, where I had a nightmare with injuries, it's not necessarily proving people wrong but proving myself right, and that I can stay fit and play to a level.

"I do everything I can to stay fit but sometimes things are out of your control, like they were at Halifax.

"But I feel like I left on good terms. Obviously the first season wasn't the best and I'll hold my hands up to that, I'm big enough, old enough and ugly enough to take that on the chin.

"But the second year, I'd like to think once I got to know a few of the fans and people around it, I played more consecutively but was again derailed by injury towards the end, which put a dampner on things..

"It's not often I've actually played against a former club and I'm really looking forward to it.

"I'm looking forward to seeing a few old faces and it should be a good game."

Southport are bottom of the National League North, having won just once in the division so far this season, and have won more games in the FA Cup this season than in the league.

"I think we're in a building phase at the minute," Keane said.

"We had a new squad in the summer, new management team.

"We're definitely going in the right direction, it just needs a bit of patience.

"Slowly, week-by-week, we're getting better. There's going to be hiccups along the way but we are quite a young team, with a sprinkle of experience.

"It's probably similar to Halifax where it will gel at some stage - they've won five in a row now, so it will click for us at some stage.

"We've got some good young players, it's just adjusting to the league, to the level and being in men's football.

"But it's slowly coming together."

Southport knocked out promotion-chasing Radcliffe, also of the National League North, earlier in the competition, but lost against Spennymoor in the league last time out.

"Off the back of a loss, you want another game, so every game's an opportunity for someone to impress or get a win," said Keane.

"We did well against Radcliffe in the two games, we've beaten Morpeth, so we've done well in the competition.

"We want to start getting points in the league but every game gives us an opportunity, and we can go and try to get into the next round.

"We'll treat it the same as any other game, but the pressure's a bit different where it's a one-off game.

"Anything can happen in the FA Cup."

Keane is a former team-mate and good friend of Halifax assistant manager Sam Walker.

"I played with him at Stockport for a good few years, we had a good partnerhsip in midfield," Keane said.

"Off-the-pitch, he's still one of my good pals.

"He's just a good, honest, reliable bloke who loves his football.

"If you were to ask me back then 'would he go into coaching and management?' 100 per cent.

"He does a lot of homework and research, he's very thorough. he's trustworthy, so he has all the characteristics to be a good coach and manager."

But that friendship will be put aside for 90 minutes on Saturday.

"If we concentrate on what we're doing and play to our strengths, but being adaptable is the main thing for us at the minute," Keane added.

"Whether that's more total football or mixing up and going more direct, and having a game-plan for both.

"That's where we're looking to gel at the minute and get both of them.

"It changes throughout a game, never mind from game-to-game, but it's adpating to what comes.

"Halifax are in good form, have got a god young side, a good manager and obviously I know Walks.

"I'm pleased they're doing well.

"Their squad seems to get younger and younger. It was a young group when I left and they went and did really well.

"It shows you've just got to give young players a bit of time to adjust, which is the main thing I took away from Halifax and is helping me in my work with the under 21s at Stockport."