FC Halifax Town v Scunthorpe United preview

Venue: The Shay

Date: Wednesday, January 25

Kick-off: 7.30pm

Referee: Lewis Smith took charge of the return game between the teams at Glanford Park earlier this season as well as Town's 1-0 home win over Boreham Wood in November. He has shown 66 yellow cards in 18 games in all competitions this season, but no red cards.

Odds: Halifax 4/6, draw 3/1, Scunthorpe win 7/2

In the league this season

Halifax: P25 W9 D5 L11 F24 A32 GD-8 Pts32

Scunthorpe: P27 W4 D7 L16 F32 A55 GD-23 Pts19

Last five games

Halifax: Dorking (h) W 3-1, Guiseley (FAT a) W 1-0, Altrincham (a) L 2-1, Altrincham (h) D 2-2, Torquay (a) L 1-0

Wealdstone: Wrexham (FAT a) L 3-1, Chesterfield (h) L 2-1, Chesterfield (a) L 4-1, Maidenhead (h) W 3-0, Woking (h) L 2-0

Scorers

Halifax: Mani Dierseruvwe (8), Jamie Cooke (5), Rob Harker (4), Jordan Slew (2), Kian Spence (2), Harvey Gilmour, Angelo Capello, Jesse Debrah, Tylor Golden, Festus Arthur, Matty Warburton, Milli Alli, Yamen Osawe

Scunthorpe: Joe Nuttall (9), Caolan Lavery (9), Robert Apter (4), Jacob Butterfield (3), Andrew Boyce (2), Jai Rowe (2), George Taft, Cameron Wilson, Alfie Beestin, Colin Daniel

Manager: Former Norwich, Scunthorpe and Hartlepool defender Michael Nelson was appointed as interim boss at the end of November and is in charge of a club in crisis. A winding-up petition was served to the Iron last week for an alleged unpaid tax bill, while fans protested on the pitch during the National League match against Woking last time out.

Last season: 24th in League Two

One to watch: Cameron Wilson signed his first professional deal with the club in May 2021. The attacking midfielder can operate centrally or on the right wing and has made 15 appearances in the National League this season, scoring once.

Head-to-head: Played 65, Halifax wins 16, draws 19, Scunthorpe wins 30

Last time they met: Goals from Kian Spence and Jordan Slew saw Town win 2-0 at Glanford Park in August.

Match facts: Only Yeovil have scored fewer National League goals this season than Halifax (24)

Halifax are unbeaten in their last seven home matches, winning six.

Halifax have scored in nine of their last ten home games.

Of Halifax's 15 home league goals this season, 13 of them have come in the second-half.

Former Halifax players Elliott Whitehouse and Marcus Carver are in the Scunthorpe squad.

Scunthorpe’s 2-0 defeat at home to Woking last time out was their 16th loss in 27 league games this season

Scunthorpe have won just ten times in their last 92 league games, stretching back to late February 2021

The Iron didn't win a single win away from home in the calendar year of 2022, with their last away win coming on Boxing Day 2021, a 3-1 victory at Oldham.

Scunthorpe have won only one of their last 13 games, losing 10

Striker Caolan Lavery, who left the club at the weekend, has scored seven of Scunthorpe's last eight goals

No team has won fewer games in the National League this season than Scunthorpe (4), while only Yeovil can match The Iron's record of not winning away from home in the fifth tier this campaign.