"He's a winner" - Town boss Millington on new Shaymen skipper Tom Clarke

Clarke, brother of former Shaymen captain Nathan, joined Halifax from Fleetwood last week on a two-year contract.

"He's got the experience, he's got the leadership qualities, he's made a really big decision to come and join the club, which he certainly didn't have to do, wasn't short of other opportunities elsewhere, what might be considered bigger clubs," said Millington.

"From our point of view, we can see the buy-in from him and the desire to do well for his hometown club, and that's just the icing on the cake really when you talk about somebody coming in to lead a group of players into a season where they want to do well."

On why Clarke had been chosen as skipper, Millington said: "Experience is a big one, so experience of big games, playing in-front of big crowds and being able to do that consistently over a long period of time.

"He's got a real steel about him and he's a winner, you see that immediately in training but certainly around the games, he's been exceptionally focused and really wants to win, which is another vital quality from a captain, driving and demanding the standards required for us to compete right at the top end of this division."

Millington added: "We'll have a leadership structure in place and there'll be an emphasis on them managing their own changing room, managing the ups and downs throughout the season, with support from the staff, and if necessary, interventions from the staff.

"But for the most part we've got an experienced group of players who should be able to keep the rest of the group on track and focused on our objectives."