FC Halifax Town: Denton looking forward to Shay return

The 29-year-old spent two seasons with Halifax, scoring 29 goals in 85 games, before rejoining former Town boss Billy Heath at Alfreton in the summer, where he scored six goals in his first eight matches.

He signed for Chesterfield last month, where is yet to score in his five appearances, but was named man of the match in two of the three home games he’s played in.

“I started the season well at Alfreton, and I was just getting on with my football really,” he said.

“Then Billy mentioned that there’d been some interest, which was a bit of a surprise, but I was happy to get it done.

“I had to take work into account and things like that, but it’s a good opportunity to go full-time, possibly for the last time.

“I spoke with my family and thought it was the best thing to do.”

Chesterfield were a League One club as recently as the 2016-17 season, but successive relegations and a poor start to the season have left them one place above the National League drop zone.

“They’re a very big club,” said Denton. “When I made my home debut, I walked out in-front of four-and-a-half-thousand, which was a bit of a surprise.

“I knew I was joining a big club, but we just need to get on a bit of a run because we’re struggling a bit at the moment.

“I’ve said to a few people that it reminds me of Leyton Orient and Hartlepool last year, teams that have come down from the Conference seem to struggle in that first year.

“But we’ve got players who can easily go on a run of winning five or six games in a row and get us back up the table.”

When asked what Town fans can expect from Chesterfield, Denton said: “We’ll be organised, we’ll be strong defensively.

“We’ve got players coming back from injury and suspension.

“I think it’ll be a good game. Neither team’s in good form so anything could happen.

“I’m looking forward to it a lot. I didn’t think I’d get to play against Halifax again.

“Quite a lot of my family and friends are Halifax fans, so they’re looking forward to it, and obviously it’s on TV as well.”

And what about the possibility of Denton coming back to haunt his old club with a winner?

“That’s what happens in football sometimes,” he said, “but I’d take having a good performance and winning the game.”

Denton insists Chesterfield’s confidence hasn’t really been affected by their winless run, and thinks they are more than capable of climbing the table.

“If we win five games in a row, you’re back in the mix,” he added.

“There’s still a long way to go. We’ve just got to get one win and then see where it goes from there.

“Obviously we haven’t won for 12 games, but we’ve got to hang in there. It’s a long season. Nothing’s decided in October.

“We’re just looking for a win and then I think our season will start then and I think we’ll go from strength to strength.”