FC Halifax Town: Wild wants Shaymen to be quick, aggressive and on the front foot against Maidenhead

It hasn’t been an ideal pre-season for the Halifax manager, who has had to contend with two friendlies being called off and not yet finalising his squad.

Asked whether his squad was where he wanted it in terms of preparation for the start of the season, Wild said: “On the eye we are, certainly, from on the eye, and the stats that we’re showing, were where we want to be.

“The proof will be in the pudding on Saturday.

“We obviously know what’s coming with Maidenhead, we know they’re going to be a team that’ll try to bully us in both boxes, they’re going to be aggressive in both boxes against us.

“We’ve been working hard to make sure that doesn’t happen to us, and we’re hoping that how we played down there against them last year at the end of the season - quick, aggressive, on the front-foot - we’re hoping to be that again on Saturday, and take the game to them.”

On the importance of starting the season with a win, which Town have done in the last two campaigns under Wild, the Town boss said: “It’s as important as every week, you’re desperate to get three points, desperate to get on the front-foot.

“I think it’s as important as any game to get three points, it gives you that bounce and those first points on the board.

“Hopefully we can do that.”

Halifax fans will be back in the Shay on Saturday, having missed almost all of last season other than the final match of the campaign against Chesterfield.

“We want to be all in it together, through the good and the bad times,” said Wild, “and we’re hoping that they’re going to be in positive voice and want to drive the team forward to another successful season.”

Follow all the action from the Halifax v Maidenhead game with the Courier’s Shaymen reporter Tom Scargill’s live blog at www.halifaxcourier.co.uk where there will also be an on-the-whistle match report and post-match reaction from Town boss Pete Wild.