FC Halifax Town: Nolan settling in at The Shay after an unpredictable pre-season

Liam Nolan feels he is good enough to still be playing in the Football League and hopes to get another chance to prove it.
Liam Nolan in action for Halifax during their 1-0 pre-season win at Oldham. Photo: Ian CharlesLiam Nolan in action for Halifax during their 1-0 pre-season win at Oldham. Photo: Ian Charles
Liam Nolan in action for Halifax during their 1-0 pre-season win at Oldham. Photo: Ian Charles

The midfielder spent two years at Accrington Stanley before joining Halifax this summer, helping them to promotion from League Two in 2018.

But having played 35 times during the 2017-18 campaign, he made only four appearances for them last season before being released.

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“That’s what happens in football, it’s a ruthless game and you’ve got to do your best all the time,” he said.

But the midfielder believes he is a better player for his experience in the Football League.

“Yeah, definitely. I’m older now, I’ve got plenty of games under my belt now,” he said.

“When I was at Southport I was a young kid, 20, 21, with not many games.

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“This is a tough league and I feel like those games at Accrington will stand me in good stead.”

Nolan started his career at Crewe Alexandra before joining Southport.

“I played about 80-odd games in two seasons there which helped me get used to men’s football,” he said.

“I had two good seasons in this league there and went on to Accrington where we won League Two in my first season, which was great.

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“That was probably the best season of my career so far, winning the league and playing 25, 30 games, I loved it.

“The second season in League One I didn’t really get much game-time so I went on loan to Salford to get some games.”

Nolan is already on his second Halifax manager having come to the club under previous boss Jamie Fullarton.

“It wasn’t the ideal start, he was gone a few days later, so it’s been a bit of a mad pre-season for me,” he said.

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“But we’ve had a good start to the season, the new gaffer’s come in and been really good, so I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”

Nolan says he was a bit worried his move may have been in doubt after Fullarton’s departure but is enjoying working under Pete Wild.

“It was strange, I’ve never had that experience before, and a few of the lads were laughing about it,” he said.

“But it got sorted straight away, and the way the gaffer does things, I’m enjoying it, it’s been good.

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“It’s one of those things that can happen in football so you’ve just got to get on with it.

“It was all sorted quickly and the games have been coming thick and fast since the season started.”

The 24-year-old describes himself as a holding midfielder who likes to get on the ball and break up play.

“I think it’s been brilliant,” he said of Town’s start to the campaign. “We had a really good start with the wins.

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“We were a bit unlucky at Wrexham, I think we deserved a draw, and then at Aldershot, I don’t think we played anywhere near our best, but we still got a point, which shows that if you grind out points when you’re not playing well, it’s a sign of a good team.”

Nolan says the minimum expectation at The Shay should be a top-half finish, but after only five starts last season, is unequivocal about what he hopes to get out of the season personally.

“It would be a lot of game-time because last season I must have only played about six games at Salford, which was really frustrating,” he said.

“There’s nothing worse because you train all week to prepare for games and then when you’re not playing on the weekend, it’s like you’ve trained all week for nothing.

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“But you’ve got to keep your head down and keep training because injuries can happen at any time, and you can be in.

“If I can get over 30 games and the team’s pushing top-half towards the play-offs, then I think that’ll be a successful season.”