FC Halifax Town: New Town boss will be a "breath of fresh air" at The Shay

Wild was appointed as successor to Jamie Fullarton yesterday (Wednesday), having previously had two temporary stints in charge at Oldham Athletic in League Two.

"He's going to be a breath of fresh air for them," said Smedley.

"He's a talented young manager who has earned a lot of respect.

"Very much under the radar he came through the academy at Oldham under Tony Philliskirk, and when he left, Pete took over.

"So he's been working there for 10 years. Then he got the chance to take over when Frankie Bunn got binned as manager.

"And he got results straight away, most famously against Fulham in the FA Cup. The Oldham fans loved it, especially with him being a local lad, born and brought up just round the corner from Boundary Park, and being an Oldham fan.

"He stepped aside when Paul Scholes got appointed, but then the results immediately dipped.

"Scholes didn't last long and they got Pete back in, and they started winning again.

"He's a players' person, very down-to-earth and on-the-level with the players, probably because of his age.

"He just seemed to get the best out of them, and seemed to instill some confidence.

"I'm sure he'll do well.

"He'll see this as a great opportunity. It's a brilliant chance for him to shine."

On what kind of manager Wild is, Smedley said: "He's been a coach for a long time. He'll be tactically aware.

"There's famous footage of him during the Fulham game going absolutely bananas on the touchline, doing star jumps and diving about and everything.

"He just seemed to get results. I think it was a confidence thing with him being a nice, genuine guy. But he does know his tactics and he's highly qualified."

Wild left Oldham at the end of last season due to personal reasons.

"He might have had a few differences with the owner, I don't know," said Smedley.

On whether Town fans can expect attacking football under the new manager, Smedley said: "The team seemed well organised and determined. They didn't score loads of goals but he got results, home and away. It was far from boring football.

"He seems to be an inspirational guy all-round."