FC Halifax Town: "If we're not ready then the opportunity will quickly pass us by" warns Millington ahead of end-of-season run-in

As Halifax head into the home straight of the 2019-20 season, assistant manager Chris Millington wants to ensure The Shaymen just keep putting one foot in-front of the other.

There's been plenty of jostling for position at the top of the National League, with Barrow currently leading the way on 63 points.

But Town are right in among the chasing pack, sitting third with 55 points, and enjoying a five-point cushion to Dover, who are immediately outside the play-offs.

"The work rate and effort the lads have put in is reflected in their league position," says Millington.

"In terms of our quality and our ability, I think we've got stronger as the season's gone on, they've also shown great personal resilience with things that have gone on both on the pitch and off it. This group of players has had a lot of adversity already this season but they have dealt with it all incredibly well so far.

"The gaffer has worked hard and been fortunate to be able to bring in the odd player who would lend themselves to strengthening the group and supporting what is already here.

"But it's always a work in progress. If we continue to work hard, more results will go our way than not, but if we stop working hard and we get complacent, the wheels will quickly come off.

"There's always that danger with any group and it can be hard for them to remember that they've got to win the next tackle, or the next header, or the next corner.

"Because they're the things it comes down to at the end of the day. Without those things, we don't get results.

"It's important they stay focused on their jobs within their game.

"If we're not ready then the opportunity will quickly pass us by and it becomes a season of what-could-have-been."

Millington, speaking before Town's 1-0 defeat to Halesowen last Saturday, feels The Shaymen have become more resilient over the course of the season.

"I think we're more dogged and determined," he said.

"The game against Dover was pleasing in the sense that we got pegged back twice but kept going, and in the end our quality shone through and earned us the result.

"Similarly against Bromley, it's well documented the challenges we've had against 10 men, so although we didn't have a great second-half, it's great that we did see it out.

"There's more of a determined feel about the group and we feel we can go into any game and win it now, rather than sometimes in the early part of the season, although we knew if we hit form and scored the first goal we could go on and beat teams, if we conceded first or got pegged back, we weren't always convincing after that."

When asked what areas he would still like to improve on, Millington said: "We want to be a team that's got that ability to see games out, that's got the ability to be in a game in the last 10 or 15 minutes, and start to dominate a game.

"To do that we need to maintain certain levels of fitness, and remain as injury-free as possible so we maintain our strength-in-depth.

"We know games are rarely won in the first 15-20 minutes, but often can be won in the last 15 or 20, so we want to be the stronger team getting in the final part of the game, with options and players who can come in and positively affect how we're playing."

The additions of strikers Jack Redshaw and Devante Rodney have helped maintain Town's promotion challenge after it appeared the wheels had started to come off following a superb start.

"You look at results week-in, week-out - Chorley go down to 10 men but still earn a draw at Yeovil, Aldershot draw at Harrogate - so there's banana skins all over the place in this division," Millington said.

"But we think we've got a really good togetherness, the team have got a really good work ethic, we've got quality in the right areas, we've got a bit more strength-in-depth now than we've had before.

"We go into every game confident that we've got players on the bench who can positively affect the performance.

"So it gives us a lot of confidence that, a game at a time, we can continue to be on a good run. And should that run come to an end, we feel that we've got enough to change it and get back on another run quickly.

"The big difference is having that strength-in-depth and a squad that's got quality running right through it."

Millington, who also worked with Town boss Pete Wild at Oldham Athletic, is preaching professionalism and focus for the remainder of the campaign.

"It's important that we remain professional, that we take it a game at a time, we look at each upcoming opposition and respect their strengths," he said.

"We want to make sure that we go into games with a professional mindset and looking to be as effective as we possibly can, and not taking anything for granted.

"It's difficult because you see teams go on runs who are now struggling to find a win. We don't want to get carried away with ourselves and start looking beyond the next game.

"My hope is the fans get carried away with the performances, what we're doing on the pitch.

"The bigger picture is there are so many variables in the sense that we can't control what other teams do, or what players they bring in, or how they play.

"What we can control is how we approach every game, our attempts to try and win games, how we prepare for them. That's what we look at and try to stay focused on.

"We're very much performance based in our perspective, but we have the experience of flying-high in the league and then going to Bromley and getting beat 5-0, so that reminds us that you've got to just stay focused on yourselves."