FC Halifax Town: "I think it's had a big impact" - assistant boss Millington talks tactics and Town's switch to 3-5-2

After Town's 5-1 hammering at Stockport County on Boxing Day, it was clear something had to change.

And what Pete Wild and Chris Millington came up with has now propelled The Shaymen up to third in the table.

"I think it's had a big impact," said Millington on the switch to 3-5-2, with which Halifax are yet to lose.

"We've become a lot more resilient defensively in recent weeks and the number of chances we're creating has gone up as a result of having two men higher up the pitch.

"We looked at the personnel we'd got and how we could best maximise the potential of the strikers, and how we could best make ourselves more sold after the difficult time we had at Stockport.

"I felt very confident that defensively, we'd be a lot more solid, and it'd give us more opportunity to maintain possession in the opposition half, and off the back of that, create more chances.

"I think the biggest challenge was we didn't have a great deal of time to work with the players on it because we had game after game.

"Quite a lot of the information we gave the players was just verbal. We did a little bit of work but the majority of it was just telling them how we wanted them to behave in the different moments of the game.

"And to their credit, they took that on board and played it out pretty much to the letter.

"There were some tweaks we had to make going forward to give ourselves more possession higher up the pitch with the wing-backs, because they started off playing a bit more like full-backs.

"So we had to get them into the way of thinking they could get higher up the pitch and give us more support in wide areas in the opposition half."

Halifax have won six of their eight games using the 3-5-2 system, compared to just one victory in their eight matches before then.

"We plan for the future but in terms of our goals and objectives we don't tend to look too far down the line. We looked at our next game and how that would help us against Chesterfield and then the return fixture with Stockport.

"We were pretty confident the shape would help give more support to the strikers because there'd be more bodies up and around that area of the pitch, and it'd give more support to the defenders because there'd be more around there.

"So what we were saying to the two centre-mids and the number 10 is the challenge is yours, you've got to cover the ground and get up to support the attack and also support the defence, especially in wide areas.

"We knew with the personnel we had in that area we could ask that of them, and they've stepped up and done that, which has made the difference, because it's allowed the attackers and the centre-halves to focus on their primary jobs."

Millington sees no reason to change anything looking ahead.

"For the time being, for sure. It suits the personnel we've got," he added.

"That's not to say we can't have some sort of flexibility. We've got players that could easily work as a four at the back, we've got central midfielders who can adapt and play a more offensive game.

"We have got the flexibility, but for the time being, I don't see that being something we'd want to change in the short-term because it's working for us.

"But with the FA Trophy game coming up and certain players being unavailable, that might be an opportunity to have a bit of flexibility with the shape."