Hmami's late winner hands Town deserved friendly win over Chesterfield

Town were 2-0 up and on their way to victory before an astonishing fightback by the visitors, only for Halifax to go up the other end and get the win their display deserved.

Town's trialist right winger went close twice within a minute early on, having a back post shot tipped behind by Ryan Boot before a low shot was drilled just wide from outside the box.

Conor Carty was then close to meeting Dylan Crowe's cross from the right, with Town starting so much brighter than they did on Saturday.

The Shaymen looked far more organised and resolute, as well as quicker and sharper than Chesterfield.

Zak Gilsenan then showed why he's been on the books of Barcelona and Liverpool with a lovely bit of skill on halfway before playing in Connor Douglas to the left of the box, and when his shot was saved by Boot, Gilsenan put the rebound wide on the stretch.

Halifax were dominating the League Two side, who seemed powerless to stop them, and deservedly went ahead when Douglas scampered into the box on the left and fired low into the far corner.

The trialist right winger, who deserved a goal all by himself, curled a shot wide after a corner was half-cleared midway through the opening 45.

Town's proclivity for self-inflicted wounds from Saturday reoccurred half-an-hour in when they lost the ball in their own half, but their trailist keeper saved Gunner Elliott's effort.

But the hosts responded with another well-worked move as Douglas swept the ball out to Crowe, whose cross was met by Carty's effort wide.

Chesterfield's build-up play was slow and ponderous; Halifax's was fast and exciting. It's just a shame so few people were here to see it.

Will Hugill should have doubled Town's lead just before half-time but fired wide after good play from Gilsenan and Carty, although a Chesterfield trialist should have equalised moments before that, blazing over after a cutback from the byline.

The Shaymen picked up where they left off though, with a goalbound shot by Johnson blocked shortly after the restart, and from the corner, Mackenzie Maltby dragged a shot wide.

Carty must have been cursing his luck that he was taken off at half-time when his replacement, a trialist, was presented with a tap-in from two yards after Douglas' cross-shot ricoched off the keeper and hit the underside of the bar.

Chesterfield responded better to Town's second goal than their first, retaining possession more and wrestling back a bit of control over the contest, although they still struggled to offer much of a threat and never seriously looked capable of a comeback.

Halifax should have sealed it with ten minutes to go when Josh Hmami nicked the ball near halfway and the trialist striker latched onto it but his shot was saved one on one.

And that came back to hauny the hosts as, incredibly, two goals in a minute saw Chesterfield somehow pull level through substitues Ruel Sitirou and Josh Koroma.

But Hmami won it with a low left-footed shot a minute later in a remarkable climax to the game.

Halifax: Trialist (Johnson 65), Crowe (Warburton 65), Maltby, Hobson (Trialist 65), Trialist (Latty-Fairweather 46), Hugill (Trialist 58), C Johnson (Trusty 65), Trialist (Trialist 72), Gilsenan (Hmami 58), Douglas (Kawa 58), Carty (Trialist 46).

Scorers: Douglas (21), Trialist (49), Hmami (90)

Attempts on target: 8

Attempts off target: 8

Corners: 7

Chesterfield (starting XI): Boot, Trialist, Naylor, Dunkley, Whiteny, Butterfield, Trialist, Mandeville, Wozniczka, Trialist, Elliott.

Scorers: Sitirou (89), Koroma (89)

Attempts on target: 4

Attempts off target: 4

Corners: 2

Referee: Aaron Bannister

Attendance: 352 (80 away)