FC Halifax Town v Wrexham preview

Venue: The Shay

Date: Friday, April 7

Kick-off: 3pm

Referee: Ben Atkinson has shown 16 yellow cards and one red card in four National League game this season, which is his first at this level.

In the league this season

Halifax: PL39 W12 D10 L17 F37 A45 GD-8 Pts46

Wrexham: PL40 W31 D7 L2 F105 A36 GD69 Pts100

Last five games

Halifax: Aldershot (FAT a) W 2-0, Yeovil (h) D 1-1, Chesterfield (a) L 2-0, Aldershot (h) W 2-0, Altrincham (FAT a) D 1-1 (Halifax won 3-2 on penalties)

Wrexham: Dag & Red (a) W 4-0, Southend (h) W 1-0, Bromley (a) W 2-1, York (h) W 3-0, Oldham (h) W 5-1

Scorers

Halifax: Mani Dierseruvwe (10), Milli Alli (7), Rob Harker (6), Jamie Cooke (6), Harvey Gilmour (3), Jordan Slew (2), Kian Spence (2), Jesse Debrah (2), Matty Warburton (2), Tylor Golden (2), Jamie Stott (2), Angelo Capello, Festus Arthur, Yamen Osawe

Wrexham: Paul Mullin (43), Ollie Palmer (18), Aaron Hayden (11), Elliot Lee (11), Sam Dalby (8), Tom O'Connor (7), Ben Tozer (4), James Jones (4), Jacob Mendy (3), Jake Bickerstaff (3), Luke Young (2), Jordan Tunnicliffe (2), Eoghan O'Connell (2), Anthony Forde (2), Reece Hall-Johnson

Manager: Former Bradford and Sunderland boss Phil Parkinson is in his second season in charge, having guided the club into the play-offs last term, when they lost to eventual winners Grimsby Town, with Shaymen striker Mani Dierseruvwe scoring one of the Mariners' goals.

Last season: 2nd in National League

One to watch: Paul Mullin topped the National League goalscoring charts last season with 26 and has had another prolific campaign, netting 34 league goals, topped only by Notts County's Macaulay Langstaff. Mullin has scored 15 goals in his last 13 appearances and has 43 in all competitions.

Head-to-head: Played 133, Halifax wins 45, draws 34, Wrexham wins 54

Last time they met: Mani Dieseruvwe's penalty gave Halifax a 1-0 half-time lead but Wrexham came back to take all three points thanks to goals from Ben Tozer, Jordan Davies and Aaron Hayden in October.

Match facts: Only Yeovil have scored fewer goals in the National League this season than Halifax (37)

Halifax have only won once in the last six meetings between the teams.

Wrexham top-scorer Paul Mullin has only scored three fewer league goals than the whole of the Halifax squad have managed in the league this season

The Shaymen have only won four of their 20 matches so far in 2023, excluding penalties.

Wrexham have only lost once in their last 35 matches, excluding penalties.

Wrexham have won 10 of their last 12 games, drawing the other two and are the only club in the National League to have won their last five league matches.

Only Notts County have won more away games or scored more away goals in the National League this season than Wrexham, while only Boreham Wood have conceded fewer away goals.

Halifax have only lost once in their last eight games.

Wrexham are the top scorers in the National League with 103 goals and have won more games than any other side in the division this season.

Wrexham have scored in each of their last 27 matches and have scored three or more goals in a game on 24 occasions this season.

Friday's National League fixtures:

Torquay v Eastleigh

Gateshead v Scunthorpe

Notts Co v Wealdstone

Barnet v Bromley

Southend v Maidstone

Aldershot v Yeovil

Oldham v Altrincham

Chesterfield v York

Halifax v Wrexham

Dorking W v Woking

Solihull M v Maidenhead

Boreham W v Dag & Red