FC Halifax Town v Maidenhead: Preview

Town’s next three games are all against teams in the top seven of the National League, with away games against top two Leyton Orient and Dagenham and Redbridge lying ahead next week.

Boss Billy Heath will be without one of his right-backs Michael Duckworth until Christmas due to surgery on his injured hamstring, while fellow right-back Cliff Moyo is doubtful to Saturday’s clash with his own hamstring problem.

Left-footer Josh Wilde plugged the gap in last Saturday’s 2-1 win over Fylde, and may have to do so again as Heath’s injury problems show no sign of easing,

Winger Matty Kosylo is available after suspension. Centre-back Martin Riley has had his stitches removed on both knees but won’t be available, while utility man Nathan Hotte is rated as fifty-fifty.

Maidenhead are one place above Halifax in the table, but The Shaymen will move into the play-off places if they win.

No team in the division has conceded fewer goals than Halifax, but no team has scored fewer either.

Manager Alan Devonshire was appointed at Maidenhead in May 2015 for his second stint at the helm and won the National League South last season.

Star player, striker David Tarpey, scored 44 goals to fire the club to promotion last season but joined Football League side Barnet on transfer deadline day having scored seven goals already for Devonshire’s side this season.

Life after Tarpey started well for Maidenhead though as they beat Sutton 2-0, the club’s first clean sheet of the campaign.

The part-timers started their first ever season in the fifth tier with a 1-1 draw at Maidstone before losing at home to Wrexham.

They then recorded back-to-back wins over Hartlepool and Fylde before drawing with Ebbsfleet and Barrow.

Their impressive win at Sutton followed a home defeat to Leyton Orient.

Halifax’s last game with Maidenhead saw them lost 2-0 at The Shay in the FA Trophy back in February 2004.

Saturday’s National League fixtures:

Aldershot v Dover

Chester v Ebbsfleet

Tranmere v Barrow

Boreham W v Leyton Orient

AFC Fylde v Bromley

Halifax v Maidenhead

Torquay v Wrexham

Sutton Utd v Gateshead

Solihull v Macclesfield

Maidstone v Woking

Hartlepool v Dag & Red

Guiseley v Eastleigh