FC Halifax Town: Tuton confident he will be back among the goals

The forward scored 12 goals in the first half of the 2015-16 season, earning him a move to Barnsley.

But his career has stalled since then, and he has only scored once in two years - while on loan to Barrow in a game at Aldershot in February last year.

He went on trial to Motherwell last summer, and to Neil Aspin’s Port Vale in December, but failed to secure a move.

Tuton insists his confidence hasn’t been knocked by going so long without a goal.

“My confidence isn’t low,” said Tuton, speaking before Billy Heath left the club earlier this week. “I just need to get some game time under my belt.

“I know I’m a good player, and given the chance to play I will score goals.

“Halifax already know that as that’s what got me my move, so I need to just do what I’m good at.”

Asked if he felt he had unfinished business at Halifax, Tuton said: “I wouldn’t say that. I think I did quite a lot for the club while I was here last time, but I’m happy to be back and hopefully we can kick on and I can prove what a lot of fans already know what I can do.

“It’s good to hopefully be getting some game time.

“I know a few people here from my last spell so I think it’s a good decision to come back and hopefully I can help Halifax get up the table.

“I’ve learned a lot from training every day as a professional, which does help your game.

“I have developed in a few ways. My movement was a big thing that I needed to work on as a player, my decision-making needed to be a bit sharper too.

“I think that has got better from me training every day.”

Asked if he felt he was given a fair chance at Barnsley, he said: “Not really. I can’t really say too much about that. When I first went there, Lee Johnson was the manager but he moved quite quickly after that.

“Then a new manager came in, and sometimes your face fits and sometimes it doesn’t and unfortunately I haven’t played much for them.”

Some Town supporters were unhappy with the manner of Tuton’s departure first time round, but the striker defended his decision.

“I didn’t want to leave the club like that on bad terms,” he said, “but I’ve come from playing in the lower leagues up to the Conference, and five months after that, getting a move to League One.

“So I think anybody in my situation, and any supporters, if they were footballers, would have taken that. It was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.

“It’s not like I’ve been in the league before, I’ve built my way up, so when an opportunity like that comes along I’m not going to turn it down.”