FC Halifax Town 0-1 Ebbsfleet

The Shaymen looked low on confidence and low on inspiration as they slipped to a hugely disappointing defeat against a limited Ebbsfleet side in-front of the BT Sport cameras.

Their viewers must have wondered what had happened to the team that won 2-0 at Dover on the channel earlier this season.

The manner of Town's defeat leaves Pete Wild with plenty of questions as his team's play-off hopes were dealt another blow.

They simply have to shake themselves out of this slumber if they are to make it.

Whatever uncertainties lie ahead over the completion of the season, it is to be hoped the break that sooner or later lies ahead due to the coronavirus outbreal will do Halifax good.

Ebbsfleet boss Kevin Watson had voiced his opposition on Twitter to the National League playing on while everyone else wasn't.

But for football fans across the country wanting their fix, this was the only game in town, the only match in Britain to be televised this weekend due to the coronavirus outbreak.

What a platform for Halifax to show what they could do. For two hours at least, all eyes were on The Shay.

But Pete Wild's men failed to rise to the occasion in another hugely underwhelming performance.

The rewards for three points were plentiful; Halifax would rise to fourth, while Ebbsfleet would move to within a point of safety.

Jack Redshaw started brightly, playing with skill and imagination, twisting and turning before his low shot was saved.

Straight up the other end, Josh Umerah hit the outside of the post for Ebbsfleet.

That was a warning for Town, who fell behind a few minutes later when Jermaine McGlashan nicked the ball off Jerome Binnom-Williams as he tried to see the ball out of play, and his cross was rifled in low by Ugwu.

Entirely avoidable, yet seemingly in-keeping with the malaise hanging over the team at the moment.

A week on from Woking, history was repeating itself as Town conceded unnecessarily, and made hard work of repairing the damage.

The Town fans were pretty unforgiving of their side's efforts, wanting to see individual adventure and progressive team play, not aimless long balls.

Redshaw looked like the man to provide that individual flair and finesse, his free-kick whistling just over the bar midway through the first-half, while he got on the ball in good areas and wasn't shy in driving at the Ebbsfleet defence.

A terrific pass by Jeff King, precise rather than hopeful, then set Redshaw away, but his shot was deflected behind, with Town's appeals for handball ignored.

That was the start of a good spell from Halifax, who were sending in shots from all angles, all of which were blocked, and gradually building some momentum.

Ebbsfleet had the worst defensive record in the league, and looked shaky at the back when under pressure.

The Halifax side of a few weeks or months ago would have been to hot for them to handle, but this is a Town team struggling to regain that fluidity and verve.

Rodney and Redshaw were lively, but they couldn't do it all on their own. Town's midfield was lacking creativity or support for the front-two.

Town had dominated play, with Ebbsfleet offering nothing. But the same problems remained for the hosts: not creating enough chances, lacking composure, needing a lift.

Josh Payne's free-kick flashed just wide a few minutes after the restart as Town failed to rouse themselves, before Jamie Grimes prodded over at a corner.

It was very flat from The Shaymen; Charlie Cooper bulldozed through two challenges to set them on the front foot, but his final pass was poor. That was Halifax in microcosm, getting only so far before their lack of quality told.

By the hour mark, the grumbles were turning into groans from the home fans as their side toiled to no avail, prompting anguished cries of derision.

They wanted to see some passion, urgency and spirit, of which there had been nowhere near enough.

Ugwu squandered a golden chance to put the away side potentially out of reach, firing into the side netting after bursting away from Nathan Clarke at the corner of the six yard box.

Town chances were intermittent at best, with Jerome Binnom-Williams, in for the injured Matty Brown, seeing a shot deflected over, and substitute Tobi Sho-Silva firing straight at the keeper from an angle.

Halifax even struggled to muster a grandstand finish, with Rodney declining the chance for a shot at goal, and instead attempting a cross-field pass that went straight out of play. Which just about summed it up.

Halifax: Johnson, Maher, Clarke, Binnom-Williams, J King (Macdonald 79), Nolan (Sho-Silva 70), Staunton, Cooper, Williams, Redshaw, Rodney. Subs not used: Earing, Appleyard, Hanson.

Shots on target: 4

Shots off target: 16

Corners: 8

Ebbsfleet: Holmes, Wilson (Lawless 86), Grimes, Ekpiteta, King, Timlin, Goddard, McGlashan, Payne, Ugwu, Umerah (Adeloye 15). Subs not used: Gregory, Palmer, Achuba.

Scorer: Ugwu (16)

Shots on target: 1

Shots off target: 4

Corners: 6

Attendance: 2,154 (52 away)

Referee: Ben Speedie

Town man of the match: Jack Redshaw