"I think we'll be up there" - Defender Jevon Mills on joining Town, his form and what the season holds for The Shaymen

Most of Adam Lakeland's initial additions were already through the door when the centre-back's signature - the club's 10th new arrival since Lakeland's appointment - was announced on the opening day of the season.

Since a dislocated shoulder in the 1-0 win at Boston on August 19 kept him out for nearly a month, 22-year-old Mills has been a committed, composed and consistent presence at the back in what will be his first full season in senior English football at the same club.

"I've been loving it. Obviously I had my little blip at the start when I dislocated my shoulder but I've been really enjoying it so far," Mills said.

"I feel like I've done well.

"Obviously we went on our little winning run and we've now lost three in a row, but that's what happens in football.

"I feel I've settled in well."

Mills was at Hull from the age of 12 to 21, making his debut aged 18 in a 1-0 win at Cardiff in November 2021.

Whilst there, he had loan spells at Falkirk, Gateshead, Solihull and Bohemians and has also played for Ireland under 19s.

"My loans helped me when it came to moving down the leagues, I knew what the leagues were like," he said.

"After I left Hull, when I didn't have a club and I was going on trial, I didn't know what the future would be.

"I wasn't uncomfortable at the tought of joining a new club, it was just the waiting to sign a deal.

"I did trials and I did some pre-season here and there.

"I went to Hartlepool but they didn't offer me anything, I had an offer from a club in Northern Ireland but I wanted to stay in England and play close to home.

"So Halifax was a massive bonus location-wise."

Mills is one of 14 signings made by Halifax since Lakeland's appointment, whether permanent or loan, with the vast majority coming during the summer as The Shaymen's annual cycle of arrivals and departures kicked in.

But the defender says a strong team spirit has quickly been fostered.

"At the start, when you don't really know a player, what they're good at, or their attributes, it's tough" he said.

"But right now, we all know each other, we're more of a team, we're more gelled.

"The chemistry is there because we play together every day.

"You can see from the games, we're together and we're a team.

"We've come from behind this season to come back and win games, like Morecambe, and we were 2-0 down against Eastleigh and drew 2-2, which shows the togetherness."

Halifax sit 10th in the National League table, four points off the play-off places, ahead of Saturday's visit to strugglers Sutton United,

"We obviously got our run together of six wins in a row and we've had a little blip now, but that's bound to happen" Mills said.

"I think our season's been good so far, we obviously need to get back to what we were doing before, winning games back-to-back.

"But that will come over time, you can't win every game unfortunately.

"I think we showed against York - I know they were on top and had a lot more of the ball - that we can dig in and get points against the so-called bigger teams.

"And also against Rochdale, we did well. We've managed to nick four points off two teams who will be up there.

"And I think we'll be up there as well."

One of the reasons for Mills' optimism is his belief that there is a lot more to come from the Town squad.

"There's loads of potential in the group," he said.

"We're only young, there's only Johnno (Sam Johnson) who's over 30.

"We're confident in the way we play, the way we keep the ball.

"But I think some of the performances also show how level-headed and committed we are.

"I know I keep bringing up York but they dominated us, yet we showed real grit and determination in our defending, which is something that every team needs."

However, Mills accepts that one area The Shaymen need to improve is keeping clean sheets, with Town recording just three out of 22 games this season.

"Obviously I'm a centre-half, and I go into every game thinking 'if we keep a clean sheet today, we've at least got a point'," Mills said..

"It is something that me and Shaun (Hobson) speak about and it's something we definitely need to improve on and do more."

Mills and Hobson have established a solid partnership at the back, which could be the bedrock for any Halifax promorion push.

"Obviously I didn't know him before I came here but I quickly felt comfortable next to him," Mills said.

"He's a good leader. He tells you when you've done things right but he also tells you when you need to improve and you've done stuff wrong!

"I've played 14 or 15 games next to him now I think, and I couldn't ask for anyone better."