"I know this is going to be my biggest challenge yet" - New Town boss Lakeland aiming to build on predecessor Millington's foundations

New Town boss Adam Lakeland says he will aim to blend defensive stability with attacking intent with his team.

Lakeland can boast an impressive track record with previous clubs lower down the divisions, having guided Farsley Celtic, Northwich Victoria, Curzon Ashton and King's Lynn either to promotion or play-off finishes.

And he says another top seven spot with Halifax is his target this season.

Outlining how he aims to achieve that, Lakeland explained how he wants his team to play.

"First and foremost, hard work, honesty, legs, a team that can play with energy, a team that can try and be on the front foot as much as possible, but a team that's got a bit of grit about them," he told the Courier.

"We'd all love to see the game played on the ground, through the lines, combinations and football like PSG, but the reality is it's difficult to do, all the time, in these leagues.

"So you've got to be adaptable. We want to play football that excites the supporters, a team that plays with an energy and a tempo and a purpose.

"But I also need to maintain that defensive structure and strength that Chris (Millington) has instilled into them in the last two or three seasons.

"I always try and pride myself on my teams being organised, detailed and hard to beat.

"It's trying to get the balance between having those qualities but also being able to hurt the other team going the other way.

"That's the challenge, getting that balance right, but that's what we'll aim to do."

Lakeland has't ruled out bringing one or more of his squad from King's Lynn with him to The Shay.

"Potentially, because we had some good players there who I think can certainly make the step up into the National League," he said.

"We're definitely looking at some of them.

"There's some we've identified from other clubs in the National League North too that we feel could make the step up, but obviously you're competing with clubs who have deeper pockets than us.

"I think what players have to buy into here is the success this club has had recently, winning the FA Trophy twice in the last ten years.

"It's got a phenomenal record in moving players onto the Football League, the training facilities we have and hopefully the work we'll do with them day-to-day on the training ground to help them get better.

"We don't want players here who are driven by money. One, because we haven't got much, and two, because I want players who are hungry and ambitious and aren't just here for the money.

"I respect that it's difficult in the world at the moment, the price of everything is going up and ultimately, people need to earn what they need to earn, but if the driver is purely money, then that'd probably not the type of people we want to be here.

"So we're going to have to work hard in our recruitment, but that's something I've always had to do and something we're trying to do again now."

Lakeland would also like to add some more experience to the Town squad, which was the youngest in the National League last season.

"The team did incredibly well last season, so there's some good players there," he said.

"I've never been afraid of putting young players in. If they're good enough, I'll play them, whether they're 34 or 19, it doesn't really bother me.

"But looking at the make-up of the current group of players, I think we do need to add a little bit more experience into that group.

"That doesn't necessarily mean it's got to be players in their thirties. A lot of people automatically assume when you're talking about experience, we need a 32-year-old.

"There are some really good players out there that have played 200, 300 games that are in their mid-twenties and are going to be coming into their best years.

"It's about finding the right characters.

"We need characters, we want personality. We want good lads who are going to come in and work hard, and give us everything every day, and build on the current team spirit, environment and culture that Chris and Andy Cooper and the rest of the staff have already instilled."

Lakeland looks set to be working with one of the lowest budgets in another highly competitive National League season, like previous Halifax managers.

Asked if he was happy with the budget he's been given, he said: "I think if you ask that question to any manager, they'll always say no.

"As managers, you always want more, but I know how, as a football club, we have to cut our cloth and the model we have to work under.

"I've never been one to use budgets as an excuse.

"When I worked at Farsley and Curzon, we always had bottom four, five, six budgets but I managed to get to the play-offs and win a league with Farsley and built a team at Curzon that's just had the two best years in their history.

"I think when you get really frustrated as a manager is when your budget gets cut, especially when it's sprung upon you, but if you know from the word go what you're working with, you've just got to work with it and I've no doubt that if we're going in the right direction and we're in a position where we can compete, that the chairman would support that if he was able to."

On chairman David Bosomworth, Lakeland said: "He's a genuine guy and seems like a man I'll enjoy working with and for.

"I'm massively grateful to him for the opportunity because it's a big club that's been incredibly successful in the grand scheme of things in recent years, and I've no doubt there'll have been a hell of a lot of interest in the position.

"So to be selected after quite a rigorous process, I'm proud and grateful and I'm really looking forward to it."

Halifax have previously played against Lakeland's Farsley Celtic in pre-season friendlies, while Lakeland was at The Shay to watch Town beat Chorley in the 2017 National League North play-off final.

"There were nearly 8,000 people there and that's probably the first time I really grasped the potential of this club and how big a club it is, and how passionate the people of Halifax are," he said.

"I've always kept an eye on how they've been doing, and knowing Milly and Pete Wild a bit, knowing numerous players who've played here, I've always looked at them form afar and thought if ever there was an opportunity to come here, then I should probably explore it.

"Four or six weeks ago, never in a million years did I think I'd be sat here now, but football has a weird way of working.

"I just want to come here, work hard and try to keep putting out a team the supporters can be proud of, one they can come and see work hard, be honest and give everything for the badge.

"Milly's done an unbelievable job over the last three seasons, massively overachieved with the constraints we've got, but he's proved it can be done.

"As did Pete prior to that.

"I know I've got a big job on but the challenge of any manager going into a new club is you've got to try and find a way of taking it on a bit, and that's what I'll give everything to try and do."

Lakeland and his predecessor Chris Millington's paths didn't cross at Curzon Ashton, with Lakeland leaving after the club were promoted into the National League North, just before Millington arrived.

"We don't know each other well or speak frequently but the times we have, he's always been someone I have a lot of respect for," said Lakeland.

"You hear positive things about people and the encounters and discussions I've had with him about players and teams over the last few years, he's a really good man and he did a phenomenal job here.

"He's been incredibly helpful over the last couple of weeks, he's always been at the other end of the phone if I've needed to ask anything and he's given me quite a bit of his time to ask a few questions.

"I hope he goes on and does well, and gets an opportunity somewhere else because he's certainly earned it, and i've no doubt if I need to pick the phone up in future and ask him anything, he'll be quick to answer."

Lakeland's playing career progressed no further than playing as a central midfielder in the youth team for Accrington Stanley.

At the same time, he had already started coaching, working for boyhood club Blackburn Rovers' football in the community programme after he left school, aged 16.

"I loved playing and wanted to play for Blackburn, the team I supported, wanted to be a professional footballer," he said.

"But as soon as I started coaching, I just fell in love with it.

"I just liked working with players and I thought 'I could probably coach at a better level than I'll be able to play at', so I just got stuck into it, started doing my badges early, passed by A Licence when I was 26.

"I managed Blackburn Rovers Ladies for five years, which was a brilliant learning experience, managing a team at the top level of women's football, playing against Arsenal, Chelsea, Leeds, Everton and finding a way to be competitive with a bottom one, bottom two budget.

"It was difficult to play at a decent level of even semi-pro football because you've got to have commitment, and because of my responsibilities with the ladies team, we had to travel a lot on Saturdays because we played on Sundays in London a lot.

"So it was impossible for me to commit to a decent standard of playing, so I went all in on my coaching."

Lakeland added: "I'm not a big name, I'm aware of that, I'm not an ex-pro that's played hundreds and hundreds of games, and I'm not a very outspoken person who bangs my own drum.

"I've always wanted to try and get to the Football League because I think I'm good enough to be there, but I've always been prepared to put the hard yards in and earn the right to be there.

"I don't expect to be given anything in this game, or in life. I think you've got to work hard for whatever you get.

"Every time I've stepped up in divisions, I've always found a way to acclimatise and put together a team that finishes in the upper echelons of whichever division I'm in.

"I know this is going to be my biggest challenge yet because the division is tough and we've got a lot of constraints in comparison to many of the clubs we'll be competing against.

"But I've had those challenges before in other divisions where there's been other clubs with more resources, but that's where you hope your skills as a coach and a manager come in, and we can do it again."

When asked what his message to the Halifax fans would be, Lakeland said: "Get behind us, maybe be patient with us in the early stages because I think they'll be intelligent enough to recognise there is change and it's going to be potentially a bit of a transition period for us, with new players having to come in, new manager, new assistant manager, new pitch.

"So just give us that little bit of patience, get behind us, particularly at the Shay, and we've got a better chance of being successful if we're all in it together.

"One thing I can absolutely assure them is there'll be nobody who works harder than me to try and bring more success to this club."