FC Halifax Town review of the year: Never a dull moment during a tumultuous 12 months

Having begun 2022 joint-top of the National League, Town recorded a magnificent fourth-placed finish before bowing out of the play-offs with a whimper.

A summer of upheaval then triggered a kamikaze start to the season as the club sunk to the bottom of the table, before a remarkable resurrection has seen them end the year in cautiously optimistic mood.

Pete Wild's Shaymen were at the peak of their powers at the year's inception, demonstrating the verve and fearlessness that had carried them to the summit of the division as they picked up seven points from nine against Grimsby, twice, and Eastleigh.

After progression on penalties in the FA Trophy at Alfreton, there were back-to-back defeats against Maidenhead and Boreham Wood.

Town were back to their best in winning at Dagenham prior to a double-header against Notts County - first was defeat in the FA Trophy, but second was a heroic, backs-to-the-wall draw at Meadow Lane with ten men.There then followed five straight league wins, despite Town's performances rather than because of them, but you couldn't argue with the results, or the clean sheets, with none conceded in four of them.

From a model of consistency, Halifax veered off course with a maddening sequence which threatened to derail their play-off push; consecutive defeats at Wrexham and King's Lynn were followed by two wins and a draw against Wealdstone, Solihull and Woking.

A Bank Holiday double against Altrincham and Chesterfield brought a very acceptable four points, but by now The Shaymen had lost their earlier effervescence and were having to work a lot harder for results.

Following a forgettable loss at Southend, another Bank Holiday double saw two wins from two against Yeovil and Eastleigh, but by their high standards, performance levels had dropped.

A hugely disappointing draw at home to Aldershot did irreparable damage to Town's hopes of fourth place.

Champions Stockport beat Halifax on the final day, but that wouldn't be the last time the opposition celebrated at Town's expense.

The Shaymen had run out of steam by the time of their play-off eliminator with Chesterfield, who delivered the knock-out blow with the help of ex-Town man Jeff King.

That fired the starting pistol on a summer of upheaval, beginning with Pete Wild, who left for Barrow and took top-scorer Billy Waters and talented full-back Ty Warren with him.

Also graduating to the Football League were Niall Maher, Tom Bradbury, Kieran Green and Jay Benn.

Wild's number two Chris Millington stepped up to try and piece together a new squad, shorn of such vital component parts.

In true Halifax, never-a-dull-moment, style, Millington was quickly plunged into a national story, one that few managers of any vintage have faced, never mind one two months into the job.

Jamie Allen's jaw-dropping entry onto reality show Love Island was a distraction Town didn't need or want, and overshadowed all else as the new campaign loomed.

Millington's rebuild was warmly welcomed, with experienced pros like Sam Minihan, Jordan Keane and Mani Dierseruvwe added to with the coup of Halifax-born Tom Clarke, a first-team regular at League One Fleetwood the season before.

Arguably more important was the retention of talents like Kian Spence, Matty Warburton and Jesse Debrah, as Town closed the exit door before any more key men were lured away.

What optimism and excitement had been created soon vanished though.

Halifax lost four of their first five games, drawing the other, and showed only brief glimpses that any of last season's spirit of adventure remained amid some dodgy, stodgy displays.

A much-needed win at crisis club Scunthorpe prevented Halifax being similarly labelled, and was followed by a draw at Maidenhead and a win over Gateshead.

That improvement was obliterated by three straight losses. Either side of a dreary defeat at Eastleigh, Town were hammered 5-1 at Aldershot and 4-0 at home by Woking, leaving them bottom of the table nine months after being joint-top.

As a fall from grace it was merciless and miserable. They don't do things by halves at The Shay.

With many fans baying for Millington to go, chairman David Bosomworth rejected such calls and kept faith in his manager.

Such patience was rewarded as Halifax's rehabilitation began with a spirited 1-0 win over York, after which The Shaymen kept on improving, bit by bit.

There were setbacks, such as the FA Cup defeat at Ebbsfleet and a battling loss at Wrexham, but the improvement was steady.

Individual performances improved, sloppy goals stopped being conceded, and a winning formula was finally found, thanks in no small part to incomers like Tylor Golden, Angelo Capello and Jamie Cooke, who brought energy, dynamism and youthful exuberance.

Town's spine strengthened as Debrah, Spence and Dierseruvwe found form, and the team was unrecognisable from those dreadful early weeks.

Dagenham, Oldham, Solihull, Boreham Wood, Chesterfield and Dorking were all beaten as resilience emerged, togetherness grew and confidence soared.

Two months after sitting bottom, Town were two points off the play-offs. Never a dull moment.

After an enforced two-week break due to persistent pitch problems at The Shay – expect more of that in 2023 if nothing else – cup football in the new year was ensured with a narrow 1-0 win at Guiseley in the FA Trophy.

Town could, and should, have ended the year in the top seven but let a lead slip at Altrincham on Boxing Day to finish 2022 with defeat.

Just when momentum was established after three consecutive wins, and four wins from five games, the Boxing Day bump ensures any optimism heading into 2023 will be tempered with caution.

High point of the year

Probably Town's 2-0 win over Chesterfield at The Shay on April 18 - their eighth win in 12 games - which extended the gap to fourth place to five points. It was a deserved win for Halifax, who looked to be in with a great chance of sealing a top three finish, having seen off one of their promotion rivals with a performance of imagination and variation. Unfortunately, The Spireites would return to get revenge on Town later that season.

Low point of the year

Obviously the play-off defeat to Chesterfield runs it close, but Town literally couldn't get any lower after their 4-0 home defeat to Woking at the start of October, which left them bottom of the National League table. The manner of the defeat, never mind the scoreline itself, was sobering, with The Shaymen drained of confidence and belief, making the subsequent turnaround all the more remarkable.