FC Halifax Town: "Look at the quality that wasn't even on the bench on Saturday" - Shaymen boss Wild on the balancing act of managing his squad

Such is the competition for places at The Shay that there could be a five-a-side team of senior players not involved on a matchday and still be enough left for a subs bench.
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Matty Stenson, Jay Benn, Tom Scott, Harvey Gilmour, Javid Swaby-Neavin, Jamie Cooke and Sam McLintock were all senior players either not in the matchday squad for the 2-0 win at Weymouth last Saturday or out on loan.

There were two more not involved through injury in Aaron Martin and Kieran Green, bringing the total only a couple short of a second 11.

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For Town boss Pete Wild, it means selection headaches all over the pitch and on the bench.

Pete Wild. Photo: Marcus BranstonPete Wild. Photo: Marcus Branston
Pete Wild. Photo: Marcus Branston

"I think it's a balancing act of rewarding players that are doing well," he said.

"When you look across the season, what I've always tried to do is, when players have done well they've kept their shirt.

"So it's a balancing act between that and what I feel we need to win football matches.

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"Look at the quality that wasn't even on the bench on Saturday, I have to look at them and go 'I don't think you've done anything wrong, I just need to make sure I've got good cover on my bench for every eventuality'.

"There's been a lot of players come in and have a chat, I've tried to be honest with them and I'm trying to find that balance between rewarding players who are doing well and what the team needs to win games.

"Long may that continue and I hopefully continue getting it right.

"We seem to have got the balance right across the season, and now in this last third it's important I try to get it right in terms of that balance."

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Wild added Martin, Jamie Thomas and Zak Dearnley to his squad in January, and says he is happy with what he has, at least for the time being.

"I'm not thinking about adding to them, we've got 25 players so I don't think I need to add into it," he said.

"I've got competition in all places, but as we come nearer the window shutting, which I think is April 14, we'll have one last look at it and see if there's any business we need to do.

"We've sent some of the younger lads on loan because as we get to the run-in we might need them, so they need to go and play some footy just in case we need them for the run-in."

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For those in his squad whose contracts expire this summer, Wild says attempts to extend their deals have proved unsuccessful.

"A lot of players' answers, 95 per cent of the players we've tried to get tied down, have been to us 'let's see where we are in the summer'," said the Town boss.

"So it's not for the want of trying, not for the want of the deals we're putting in-front of them because I think they're very competitive.

"But I can understand a lot of them want to see where we are in the summer because a lot of them have attracted a lot of interest, and I'm sure a lot of them want to gauge their options.

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"So that's moving as fast as it will allow us to. We've tried and tried but we don't seem to be getting any answers at the moment."

Read more from the Town boss later this week online and in Thursday's Halifax Courier.