FC Halifax Town: Bank Holiday double-header holds no fears for boss Wild

The Shaymen are above both teams in the table, having gained 10 points from their first five matches, while Fylde, who visit The Shay on Saturday, and Barrow, who host Town on Monday, have only won two of their first five games each.

Wild feels Halifax have every reason to go into the double-header in confident mood.

“It is what it is, we’ve just got to get on with it, get our heads down,” he said of the upcoming weekend.

“They’re two big games for us, but we shouldn’t fear them.

“Fylde haven’t had the greatest of starts but they’ve got quality all over the pitch, but so have we, so why can’t we match them and why can’t we get a positive result?

“Then if we can back it up on Monday at Barrow, which is a tough place to go - I watched their game against Yeovil on the bus on the way home (from Aldershot), nobody’s going to go there and get an easy ride.

“We’ve got to be ready for two physical and technical tasks. I think they’re going to be two completely different games, but we’ve just got to concentrate on ourselves and if we do that, we’ve always got a chance.”

Wild isn’t getting carried away by Town’s impressive start to the campaign, which has seen them beat Ebbsfleet, Hartlepool and Dagenham and Redbridge, draw with Aldershot and lose at Wrexham.

“We all know two points a game will get you very high in the league,” he said. “We’ve had a good start and that’s all it is at the moment.

“I’m really pleased with the start but we’ve got to remain grounded, don’t get carried away with where we are because you could end up with the old wet kipper in the face if we do.

“I’m just keeping my head down. There’s a lot of football to be played yet, so let’s just enjoy the start and hopefully we can carry on and keep going.”

Wild was glad to have a game-free week for the first time since taking charge after a hectic start to his tenure, which saw Halifax play six games in 19 days including the friendly at Oldham on July 30.

“It’s been a case of reacting to situations, we haven’t really had chance to get across our performance plan,” he said.

“What’s been really pleasing is that the bits we have given the lads, they’ve taken into the games, which is really helpful that they’re taking that on board quickly.

“When we have a free week like this week, we can really start to get the nuts and bolts of what we want from them.

“We’re really looking forward to it and hopefully that’ll show come Saturday against Fylde.”

Midfielder Niall Maher has been ruled out for ine weeks after a scan on his hamstring injury.

Winger Danny Williams is expected to be fit next week after a hamstring problem, and fellow wide-man Josh Macdonald is back in full training after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Striker Dayle Southwell is now doing straight-line running and it is hoped he will return to full training within the next two or three weeks.

When asked if he was happy with the depth of his squad, Wild said: “I’m really happy with the numbers.

“Depending on how Niall is will depend on whether we need to maybe get a bit of backup in, and I’ve got something in mind, but let’s just see what happens.”

Wild didn’t rule out adding another forward to his squad though.

“Every team’s a striker short, everybody always wants a 20-goal a season striker,” he said when asked if his squad could do with another front-man.

“But one thing I will do is trust players, and if we feel like we’re getting what we want out of them then I’ll keep the chairman’s cash in his pocket.

“Obviously we’ve got Dayle Southwell to come back in the next three weeks as well.

“I said from day one you can go out and spend your budget willy-nilly, and then you think ‘I’ve not made the right decision there’

“But I can just relax and calculate my decisions. The Football League window shuts in two weeks as well and there’ll be strikers that miss out on getting out in that window, so let’s just all be patient, it’s not as though there’s a crisis.

“Let’s pick the right player that suits how we play.”

Follow all the action from Town’s Bank Holiday double-header against Fylde and Barrow on the Courier website across the weekend.