FC Halifax Town: Josh is Wilde about Town's promotion chances

The left-back scored his first goal in 17 months during Town’s 3-0 win over Worcester last Saturday

Wilde’s previous goal came for North Ferriby in a 4-2 win at Solihull in March 2015 when he scored a 35-yard screamer - his only goal in just over two years at the club.

And the full-back has seen enough in the embryonic stages of the season to suggest a title-challenge is on the cards.

“I was thinking that pre-season with the squad we’ve got,” he said.

“I think we should definitely be up there. If we’re not first or second I’d be really disappointed.

“The only we won’t is if we take our foot off the pedal but I don’t think any of the lads are like that.

“Billy’s has brought players and kept players on who have got that mentality to work hard and don’t think that they’re bigger than anyone else.

“You need players to stick together, and there’s no doubt we’ll be up there if we keep doing what we’ve done already.

“You can’t take your foot off the gas once though because you get punished.”

Wilde believes the quality of Town’s squad could be the crucial factor in any promotion challenge, and feels it could compete in the division above.

“With the strength in depth here, you could make a substitution and you’re not losing out on any quality,” he said.

“We’ve got lads who aren’t making the team who are really good players and could easily get in other Conference North teams.

“I think that’s why we’ve got such a good chance of getting promotion this season.

“The squad we’ve got is unbelievable.

“And even if we did, I think we’d do really well with the squad we’ve got in the division above.

“Even the lads who were here last year have said the squad we have now is stronger than what they had last year.”

Wilde, who also works as a cover teacher at a secondary school in Sheffield, played 51 of North Ferriby’s 52 games last season in all competitions, and said the club’s success in winning the FA Trophy and gaining promotion to the National League was founded on hard work.

“If we all pull together, we can do anything. That was the attitude we had at Ferriby,” said the 24-year-old, who started out as a youngster at Sheffield Wednesday before playing for Buxton and Gainsborough.

“It perhaps wasn’t the best team ability-wise in the league, but we out-worked and out-fought other teams and we did the impossible.

“It doesn’t matter what level you’re at or how good a player you are, if you’re not working hard enough teams are going to pass round you.

“Working hard is our priority. If we get teams on the back-foot they’re going to make mistakes, and we’ve got the ability to punish them.

“If we win it further up the pitch then it’s less for us to do.

“It’s a good team to play in because I have faith that if I get forward I’m going to get the ball.

“In some teams you can run forward, not get the ball and it’s a wasted run, or you lose it and you’re out of position.

“But in this team you’re not worrying about the team losing the ball and you having to race back.

“It’s a lot easier for me because it allows me to get up the pitch.”