FC Halifax Town: 'My aim is to reflect what the club is, and the club is the fans,' says Fullarton

In the second of a special two-part interview with FC Halifax Town manager Jamie Fullarton on the eve of the new season, he tells Tom Scargill about his vision for his Halifax side.
FC Halifax Town manager Jamie Fullarton at the Shay Stadium.FC Halifax Town manager Jamie Fullarton at the Shay Stadium.
FC Halifax Town manager Jamie Fullarton at the Shay Stadium.

Town boss Jamie Fullarton says he wants his side to be a reflection of him and the supporters.

The Halifax boss has overseen a revamp of the squad this summer, with only a handful of players remaining from last season.

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And the former Notts County boss is aiming to produce a team that Halifax supporters can buy into.

When asked what the Town fans can expect from The Shaymen this season, Fullarton replies: “Expectation, that word in itself, limits you because when you have an expectation of the team in terms of results and performance, it gives it a glass ceiling, and that creates a comfort zone at times.

“If you ask any of the players, one thing they would accuse the environment I provide being is comfortable, or a comfort zone.

“We’re limitless in what we’re looking to try and achieve.

“The fans will have to make their own mind up on it, but the demand from me is attitude and application.

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“In my short time here, what I’ve picked up on is that if you have that attitude and application, and the fans see that, then they support you and accept your shortfalls and your misgivings.

“Then when you combine that application with a performance to get a result, they respond in a positive way and support more.

“Ultimately it comes down to us being able to go on that pitch and, the only thing you ever look for as a coach is the team being able to reflect you.”

Will the team reflect him as a manager?

“Yeah. Not me as a player, but me as a coach-slash-manager,” he says. “My aim is to reflect what the club is, and the club is the fans. They’re custodians of the club.

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“The aim of any manager is you look to reflect what the club is, which then strengthens that bond, and I’m looking for the team to reflect what I am, which reflects what the fans are, which the club is behind-the-scenes.

“Irrelevant of what part you play, everyone does play a part in that.

“You see it with different clubs at different levels where that manager suits those fans and players, like an Eddie Howe at Bournemouth, where the fans see that he reflects what they are, even when they were in the third or fourth tier.

“There’s that synergy, which the fans feel and can relate to and be part of.

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“That’s the aim. It is trial and error at times, and you look for that to evolve over a period of time, but hopefully that’s what we can do.

“Every club and every manager has a spell where results aren’t what the performances deserve, or vice versa, and it’s important we build that feeling, that relationship, that when we have a sticky spell, that we’re in it together to come out of it.”

The standard in the National League has risen again over the summer, with big-spending Salford coming up from the division below, and relegated Chesterfield and Barnet among the fancied clubs for promotion.

When asked what would be a successful season for Town, Fullarton adds: “An improvement, in every aspect.

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“We’re making great strides behind the scenes that people don’t see.

“Ultimately, we’re judged on what happens on a matchday. But we’re looking for improvement, whether it’s in terms of behind-the-scenes at the club, how we conduct ourselves, how we operate on a matchday in general, but more importantly, what showcases that is performance and results on a Saturday, which we’re looking to do better than we did last year.”