FC Halifax Town: We have a chance of doing something special, says Shaymen boss Wild

Town manager Pete Wild says the club has a chance of doing something special this season after coming through the January transfer window with his squad intact.
Pete WildPete Wild
Pete Wild

The Town boss was insistent before the transfer window that no first-team players would be leaving The Shay, and praised chairman David Bosomworth for his backing in rebuffing all offers.

"First and foremost, now everybody can believe what I say," he said.

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"I think the chairman deserves immense credit for standing tall over some of the offers that came in for some of our players.

"It's been a long month, we've had to fight, fight with agents etc, trying to move our players on.

"Some agents, in my opinion, have been very underhanded and very poor, but we've got through it, and the number one person who deserves immense credit for that is the chairman, because he's allowed us to keep this group together and allowed us to keep this group with a chance of pushing on and doing something special."

Wild says keeping the squad together gives him and his squad a confidence boost that the club is serious about pushing for promotion.

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"Definitely, and it should give the fans confidence, and everybody the confidence that we've been allowed to bring three in, we've kept everybody together, and the competition for places now hots up," he said.

"We've got real quality all over the pitch, I've got something different all over the pitch and I think that bodes well for the run-in."

Wild says negotiations are ongoing over new contracts for those in his squad whose deals run out this summer.

"We are (in talks), but a lot of them are holding firm to see what happens, to see what they get," he said.

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"You can't have your cake and eat it in terms of (saying) 'you're not going anywhere now, but here you go, sign a new deal'.

"We have offered a lot of our squad improved deals, a lot of them have chosen to wait.

"We'll keep pushing away at that but when you're in the position you're in, that's not as easy as people would think."

When asked if he was looking at making any further signings following the additions of Aaron Martin, Jamie Thomas and Zak Dearnley, Wild said: "Not at the moment. We'll let these three lads bed in, we're going to see what that looks like.

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"There may be an option for a couple to go out on loan now to get some game-time.

"I think Tuesday night highlighted that a couple could do with going out and getting regular games.

"Then we'll push on and see where we are, probably come the start of March, just before the window shuts."

On former Manchester United and Oldham forward Dearnley, whose signing until the end of the season was announced on Monday, Wild said: "Zak's a finisher, obviously he got one chance on Tuesday night and scored.

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"Zak's a really good finisher, a really good lad, he's got explosive pace, he knows where the net is and he gives us another option to start or finish games where you know if Zak gets a chance, he'll score.

"He's someone I worked with before, I gave him his pro debut at Oldham when he was on loan from Man United.

"He comes with the pedigree of Man United, a bit like Tyrell Warren in the fact that he's had his upbringing and his education at Man United and now he's out trying to find his path and his career in the real world of football.

"Hopefully we can help him get back on track and where he needs to be, because if we can get him up to speed he's a top player."

Read more from Wild in Thursday's Courier and online later this week.