FC Halifax Town v Ebbsfleet United preview

Venue: The Shay

Date: Saturday, March 23

Kick-off: 3pm

Referee: Elliot Bell

Odds: Halifax win evens, draw 13/5, Ebbsfleet win 21/10

In the league this season

Halifax: 6th - PL39 W17 D11 L11 F50 A44 GD6 Pts62

Ebbsfleet: 15th - PL39 W13 D8 L18 F55 A66 GD-11 Pts47

Last five games

Halifax: Dag & Red (a) W 1-0, Bromley (a) L 2-0, Boreham Wood (h) W 2-1, Oxford City (a) W 2-0, Chesterfield (h) W 4-2

Ebbsfleet: Woking (h) W 1-0, Dorking (a) W 4-1, Rochdale (h) W 2-1, Aldershot (a) L 4-1, Gateshead (h) W 4-2

Scorers

Halifax: Alli (7), Harker (6), Hoti (5), Summerfield (4), Wright (4), Senior (4), Oluwabori (4), Cosgrave (4), Cooke (2), Thomson-Sommers, Evans, Cummings, Keane, Cappello, Golden, Hunter, Stott, George

Ebbsfleet: Poleon (15), Bingham (7), Samuel (6), O'Neill (6), McQueen (4), Cundle (3), Cisse (2), Domi (2), Odokonyero (2), Bilongo, Chapman, Clifford, Cousins, Edser, Sterling-James, Tanner, Wright

Manager: Danny Searle has only lost once in his eight matches in charge of Ebbsfleet. Searle was in temporary charge of the club following the sacking of Dennis Kutrieb and led them to draws against Oldham and Chesterfield before getting the job permanently, guiding them from second from bottom in the National League to mid-table. He has previously managed Aldershot in the fifth tier and has worked in the League of Ireland and at Premier League academy level.

Last season: 1st in National League South

One to watch: Former Mansfield, Hartlepool and Hamilton forward Rakish Bingham is a man in form, having netted seven goals in his last seven appearances. He reached double figures in his other three seasons with the club, scoring 17 times as they got promoted last term.

Head-to-head: Played 20, Halifax wins 8, draws 2, Ebbsfleet wins 10

Last time they met: Adam Senior and Aaron Cosgrave scored as Town won 2-0 at Ebbsfleet in October.

Match facts: Halifax are on their best run of form this season having won seven of their last eight matches

Ebbsfleet are top of the National League form guide over the last six games but are only ahead of Halifax on goal difference, with the two teams the only two sides to have collected 15 points from their last half-a-dozen matches.

Only bottom club Oxford have won fewer away games in the National League this season than Ebbsfleet (4)

Only Bromley and Southend have conceded fewer goals in the fifth tier this season than Halifax (44)

Ebbsfleet have only kept two clean sheets in their 19 away matches this season.

Halifax have only failed to score in one of their last eight home outings. and have only failed to score once in their last ten matches.

Saturday's National League fixtures:

Bromley v York

Barnet v Dorking W

Southend v Woking

Aldershot v Solihull M

Altrincham v Gateshead

Rochdale v Maidenhead

Chesterfield v Boreham W

Eastleigh v Hartlepool

Halifax v Ebbsfleet

Fylde v Oxford C

Wealdstone v Kidderminster

Dag & Red v Oldham