"I've enjoyed every minute of it" - Town defender Warren on playing regularly, developing his game and the play-offs

It's fair to say he's grabbed the chance FC Halifax Town gave him with both hands.

The former Manchester United youngster had been at Boston United, including being part of the squad which reached the 2019-20 National League North play-off final, but found game time hard to come by last season.

Initially deputising for Jay Benn when his fellow defender got injured, Warren has since made the right-back spot his own in a season when he has blossomed into a confident, assured and committed first-team regular.

"Last season the Conference North finished early, about February, so I wasn't even playing, I was training at home, doing my own stuff, just waiting for an opportunity," he said.

"I believed in my ability that whatever team I got a chance to go into in the summer, I could take the opportunity, and luckily it was Halifax.

"It's been a great season for me, I've enjoyed every minute of it.

"To come in and not be sure if I was going to play, obviously you've just got to work hard and impress in training, get your chance in a game and take it, and I think I've done that.

"I love playing every game, but you've got to keep working hard in training to keep your place.

"You can't be complacent and slack off because there's good players who can take your place if you're not performing well."

Warren rightly feels he has got better as the season's gone on.

"Definitely yeah," he said. "I think it was a bit tough in the first few games, it's a new league for me, but I think I dealt with it well and kicked on."

When asked where he feels he has developed most, the 23-year-old said: "Fitness levels, because I can go for 90 minutes now. Dealing with players one v one, game management, I've just learned a lot this season.

"Obviously when you play a lot of games you learn because every game's different and every team plays a bit different so we have to adapt."

Warren attributes much of his development as a player to Town's coaching staff.

"They've played a big role," he said, "I speak to them all the time for advice, on and off the pitch, how we're doing as a team, how we're doing as a back four.

"Their advice is good, before games the analysis is spot on, so you go into games knowing what you've got to do, knowing who you're playing against, knowing what that team's trying to do to you.

"So you're not going into the games with any worries or doubts, everyone knows their job."

Warren has been a vital cog in the Town defence which boasts the best record in the National League this season.

"Whoever comes into the back four, it's not really changed the outcome of games," he said.

"Like with Birdy (Pierce Bird), he's been class since he came in.

"We're keeping clean sheets - obviously we conceded late in the last game - but the basis of that game was that we weren't really under pressure until the last ten minutes.

"Birdy's come in, Jav's (Javid Swaby-Neavin) come in and we're still looking solid at the back, we're doing well."

Neutral observers might be surprised to see Halifax's name in and amongst some of the league's big spenders competing for promotion, but not Warren.

"Other clubs might be surprised but we know how hard we work in training and how hard we work in games," he said.

"We deserve to be where we are this season."

Town will either finish third or fourth this season, with their fate now out of their hands following last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Aldershot, but Warren says the squad will still be confident of going all the way wherever they finish.

"It makes a bit of a difference because we'd play an extra game, but we're confident we can do the job," he said.

"It is what it is, whether we finish fourth or third, we've just got to deal with it, play whoever we have to play and win.

"I think we have a good chance in the play-offs. It could be difficult, you never know what will come in the games but we've got to be optimistic.

"We're in the play-offs to win, to go up"

When asked why he was confident of Town's chances in the play-offs, Warren said: "It's the quality and I think it's the mindset.

"We as players will run so hard, you've got players like Kian (Spence) and Greeny (Kieran Green) running so hard in midfield, that's the basis for our game, working hard.

"And then, when the ball's on the floor, beating teams with passing football."

Warren added: "I was in the play-offs with Boston, but that was with no fans because of Covid, but this is a different level, six big teams ready to compete home and away, for a chance to go to the final, and go to League Two."