FC Halifax Town: ‘Let’s give it one last push’ says Wild ahead of trip to Eastleigh

Town manager Pete Wild is calling for one last push from his side at Eastleigh on Saturday in what will be Halifax’s sixth game in 19 days.
FC Halifax Town v Solihull Moors, The Shay, Saturday, March 13, 2021. Photo: Marcus Branston. Chris Millington and Pete WildFC Halifax Town v Solihull Moors, The Shay, Saturday, March 13, 2021. Photo: Marcus Branston. Chris Millington and Pete Wild
FC Halifax Town v Solihull Moors, The Shay, Saturday, March 13, 2021. Photo: Marcus Branston. Chris Millington and Pete Wild

The Shaymen have picked up 16 points from the last 18 available, including two hard-fought 1-0 wins at home to Solihull and Aldershot in the past few days, lifting them to sixth in the National League, with 43 points.

And they now face a long trip to ninth-placed Eastleigh before having a full week to prepare for the visit of leaders Sutton to The Shay next Saturday.

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“Let’s get to 50 points, that’s our first target, and when we’ve got to that we’ll see take it from there,” said Wild.

“But nobody’s getting ahead of themselves - Eastleigh on Saturday, that’s it.

“We’re just on a good run, that’s all it is.”

Wild says his side can go to Eastleigh with no pressure on them.

“Just be compact, be hard to beat, all the pressure’s on Eastleigh because they’ve got to beat us so we go there and express ourselves,” he said.

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“When teams are under pressure to beat us, we’re generally at our best and hopefully we are again on Saturday.”

When asked if fatigue is inevitable given Town’s hectic run of games and their gruelling nature, Wild said: “Massively, it’s been a tough old road, a tough old month and I said to the players if we can fight and graft through this week then we’ve got a full week to prepare for Sutton.

“That’s our challenge, is to fight and graft and make sure that come the weekend, we’ve got something out of the game at Eastleigh and we prepare right for Sutton.

“One last push then we’ve got two games in three weeks after that, so that’s a real chance for us to rest some tired bodies.

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“One last push at the weekend and then we’ve got some time to come off the gas a little bit and make sure we’re ready for Sutton.

“Striker Tahvon Campbell is a doubt due to a calf injury he picked up on Tuesday night, while forward Jake Hyde is rated at 50-50 for inclusion at Eastleigh, but should he miss the game, the striker is expected to be fit for next weekend’s game against Sutton.

Wild expects both Jack Senior and Danny Williams to be fit.

“Senior will definitely be fit,” he said, “Williams is 50-50.

“He’s got a jarred back, he had a challenge late on against Solihull where he’s gone in for it and jarred his back in the challenge, so he’s just achy.”

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Midfielder Luke Summerfield is on schedule for a return to action.

“Luke’s probably about three weeks away, providing his consultation with the specialist goes well next week,” Wild said.

“We’ll know more after that.”

On Reuben Noble-Lazarus, who is still to make his Town debut, Wild said: “Reubs is getting there. He just needs to get football fit and consistently football fit over a number of weeks and then hopefully he’ll be in contention for the squad.

“Striker Matty Stenson is progressing well in his recovery from injury.

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“Matt’s still ahead of schedule, it’s a long road for Matt but one thing I like about Matt is that he’s pushing and pushing,” Wild said.

“He’s got his target and he wants to be ahead of that target all the time.”

Keeper Harrison Davison-Hale is expected to be out for another three weeks as he recovers from a broken finger, so Wild is looking into extending Chris Renshaw’s loan from Witton Albion as cover for Sam Johnson.