FC Halifax Town dumped out of FA Cup by marvellous Marine

It was another miserable performance at The Shay, with the result having echoes of one of Town’s lowest ever moment’s when the same side beat them in the same competition in 1992.

Halifax were a Football League outfit on that day when Marine unceremoniously thrashed them 4-1. It only took one goal from the Northern Premier League Premier Division side in this Fourth Qualifying Round tie, however, to provide yet another shock - and more boos from the Town faithful.

Without a win at home since Saturday, August 5 - the first game of the National League season - Town could have done with an early goal to settle any pre-match nerves. It is the world’s most famous knockout cup competition afterall - and upsets can, and do, occur.

Manager Chris Millington had even insisted his side would be intending to “go out and be more front-footed” before the tie in a bid to transfer their impressive away form - successive wins at Woking and Ebbsfleet came before this - into games on home soil.

Instead, they were caught flat-footed as Marine, who are no strangers to causing a shock or two, or “maybe 15” in the words of their boss Neil Young, the ex-Town caretaker when Billy Heath left in January 2018, took an eighth minute lead through another former Town connection.

Finlay Sinclair-Smith, who proved difficult for the Town defence to contain, was given too much time and space on the edge of the area before he laid the ball perfectly into the path of Louis White, who signed for Town in January of this year, who calmly rolled the ball past a helpless Sam Johnson.

Those expecting Marine to dock and put men behind the ball to protect their lead would be mistaken as they looked to extend their advantage against a shell-shocked Town. Let’s not forget, Marine played Tottenham Hotspur in this competition in the third round in 2021.

Sol Solomon, another who caused constant problems throughout, raced in behind a static home defence and forced Johnson into a smart save via an outstretched leg.

The Town stopper, and captain, had to be at his best moments later to parry away a Solomon free kick. The offence which led to that resulted in Jack Hunter being presented with a yellow card.

And while that was the first booking, Halifax were second to everything else against a far hungrier and more motivated outfit, two divisions below them. Town were sloppy with their passes and laboured in the tackling department.

When they did forge an opportunity, Kane Thompson-Sommers, one of four changes to the side which started at Ebbsfleet, curled high and wide from the edge of the box.

An even better chance presented itself to Tylor Goldon, who was played in by Andrew Oluwabori, but he failed to keep his shot down when he was one-on-one with Felix Goddard, who had a relatively comfortable afternoon.

His opposite number, on the other hand, was far busier and was called into action yet again, this time in the 38th minute, when he expertly tipped Willem Tomlinson’s fierce drive around the post after great work by Manasse Mampala and Sinclair-Smith.

When the half-time whistle blew, the expected boos rang around the ground, but, perhaps, there was a sense of relief that it was only one goal their side had conceded.

Millington made a double change in an attempt to alter his side’s fortunes with the ineffective Golden and Oluwabori replaced by Millenic Alli and Florent Hoti.

It nearly worked within the first few minutes as a Luke Summerfield drive from long range was brilliantly saved by Goddard, before the Marine goalkeeper did enough to put Cosgrave off at the near post. Jamie Stott headed the resulting corner over.

But Town were not threatening enough. Simply, they were not good enough and they were heading, meekly, out of the FA Cup, yet again to lower league opposition, adding to the exploits of Ebbsfleet, Kidderminster and South Shields in the last three seasons.

The closest they came to forcing an equaliser arrived when Ryan Galvin pulled the ball back for Hoti but he didn’t connect properly and the ball flew wide.

And then, in the last of the four minutes of additional time, Goddard saved well from Hoti, as Town exited the cup with a whimper.

Halifax: Johnson, Golden (Hoti 46), Senior, Stott, Galvin, Summerfield (Evans 81), Hunter, Thompson-Sommers, Wright, Cosgrave, Oluwabori (Alli 46)

Subs: Scott, Keane, Wilson, Iwobi

Shots on target: 5

Shots off target: 3

Corners: 4

Marine: Goddard, Hayde, Woodthorpe, Lussey, Doyle, Wardle (C), Sinclair-Smith, White (Ferguson 81), Mampala (Carberry 52), Solomon, Tomlinson (Osei 68)

Subs not used: Cowderoy, Ferguson, Russ

Scorers: White

Shots on target: 4

Shots off target: 1

Corners: 3

Attendance: 1,646 (363 away)

Referee: Dean Watson