FC Halifax Town: There's plenty more to come from me, says midfielder King

King produced some promising early glimpses, but only started one of Town's first eight games, and didn't start his second match until October 27.

He then scored the winner against Morecambe in the FA Cup in November, but a knee injury in the next round against Wimbledon kept him out of action for more than a month.

But he got better as the second-half of the season went on, and finished the campaign with six consecutive starts, with the 23-year-old scoring twice in 35 games, 14 of which were as a substitute.

When asked if he feels he is a better player than a year ago, King said: "Yeah. This is a competitive league and it's the highest level I've played at.

"Every game I learn, more so that winning is everything.

"When you play a youth level, I played at youth level for five years, you come off the pitch and think 'I played well today' and that's all that matters.

"But who cares how you play in this league as long as you come away with the three points.

"It's all about that, and trying to be more consistent week-in, week-out, which I'm trying to get better at.

"I had a frustrating start to the season when I didn't get a look in for a couple of months.

"Then I had a good run up to Christmas, got a little injury, so it's been a bit inconsistent, done well here and there.

"But there's a lot to build on for next year, definitely."

King feels his tactical understanding has improved massively during the season.

"The boss works us hard on the tactical side of the game, more so than I've ever had.

"Things like where to be defensively, and when I play as a number 10, there's a lot of different movements that I'm not used to, but which have benefited my game.

"Tactically I feel a lot more knowledgeable now."

But King says the physical side of his game needs to improve.

"I need to be at it for 90 minutes and not go missing in games.

"That's when I start getting frustrated with myself.

"And in-front of goal. I've only scored a couple of goals this season, which is poor.

"I'm always looking to set-up rather than shoot, but that's the characteristics I've had since I was young."

King is keen to add more stamina to his game, adding: "It's not so much the 50-50's, but it's picking the ball up and being able to sprint 60 yards, and then track back and still be physically strong, instead of just roaming around.

"When you're tired you lose a lot of sharpness, so I've just got to try and be as sharp as I can for 90 minutes."

The former Norwich youngster feels the Town fans have seen the best of him "in parts".

"Just not over a long period of time," he added, "which has got me frustrated quite a lot. I feel like I've had a lot more to give."

Reflecting on the 2018-19 season as a whole, King said: "Against the top teams we've done well, got some good results, and against the teams around us, for whatever reason, we've struggled.

"Whether it's our mentality going into the game, I don't know.

"We've got some big leaders in the side, we're always up for games, but maybe we just haven't performed well on certain days and picked the wrong days to do that."

But King has no doubts that he made the right decision in opting to join The Shaymen last summer.

"For sure. I had a couple of other offers in the league, but the way the team plays, the facilities, my team-mates are great - it was a good decision."

The 23-year-old looks to have a bright future in the game, but is not looking too far ahead about a possible move up the football ladder.

"You can't think about that at all," he said. "You've just got to concentrate on yourself.

"If you over-think it then you're only going to disappoint yourself."

In Town boss Jamie Fullarton, King feels he is working with the right manager to improve his game, adding: "He's definitely a developer, that's what he said to me before I signed, and he's shown me throughout the year that he constantly wants to improve us.

"He can be hard at times, there's a lot of work that goes into it, it can be boring, but it's boring for a reason."