"I've got huge confidence in this group," says Millington despite Shaymen's poor start to the season

The Shaymen are without a win and a goal from their first four matches, and sit bottom of the National League table.

They face a Bank Holiday double-header against Notts County at home this Saturday before visiting Scunthorpe on Monday.

Town's failure to score this season is perhaps the most worrying of their troubles, but Millington insists they have the quality to put that right.

"I've got huge confidence in this group of players, and I don't say that lightly," said the Town boss.

"We've got excellent ability throughout the squad. I've said it before and I'll say it again, we've got some fantastic characters who not only are great when things are going well but are fantastic in the face of adversity, and we are facing a little bit of adversity at the moment.

"We've got to face that with a level of humility and accept that the results haven't been the results we want, and accept that that leaves us in a position in the league that clearly we don't want to be in.

"So we do face the situation with a level of humility.

"But I've got to be honest and say that the quality in the group, the quality of the forward players we've got will result in goals, and once it does click, we will be a significant threat in-front of goal and in the final third."

Millington says his side has to be more clinical in the final third.

"We saw with the Southend and Torquay performances that we created a good number of chances, we had a significant number of attacking set-pieces - far more than we've had over any two-game period last season - and we didn't capitalise on those and finish them off," he said.

"There's an awful lot of good work going on, getting us up to and into the opposition box but now that's got to transfer into finishing off those attacks.

"When we're away from home, clearly we wouldn't be expected to have as many chances or set-pieces, so we need to be even more clinical in those situations.

"But it all comes down to being more clinical in and around the opposition box."

Millington added: "Some players have underperformed, we've shown a lack of cohesion in the two away games.

"Whether that's a lack of understanding or just that chemistry that's not quite clicked yet with some of the new signings and some of the established players.

"But in the home games, I think in both cases, nobody would have been surprised if they'd have resulted in a victory.

"So we can't just look at the results and be disappointed they've not gone our way, we've got to be more thorough than that, we've got to look at performances.

"If we take the games in isolation, we could quite easily be sat here with more points based on the performances we've given, certainly in the home games."

When asked whether he could possibly have envisaged such a poor start to the season four games in, the Town boss replied: "As cliched as it is, we'd never have looked four games into the future anyway, we look at every game in its own right and approach every game in a thorough way.

"Obviously because of the first four results, we redouble our efforts, look at our processes, look at our preparation and what we're trying to do.

"For the most part I'd say that, if we went through this process again, we'd approach everything in the same way. There are some tweaks we'd make of course because we'd be fools if we didn't learn something.

"In terms of processes and how we prepare, we'd do things very similarly."

Millington doesn't feel the issue lies in training or preparation.

"The training levels haven't dropped. I think the perception outside is that if we have a poor performance on a Saturday, that's what it's looked like all week but that's certainly not the case," he said.

"The application, the effort, the endeavour that the players apply to training is always at a good level.

"I've said it before, we've got a good group of people here and amongst the staff and the players there's some very solid characters.

"Their approach to work is impeccable, they go about things in the right way but in two of the four cases this season that hasn't transmitted into a matchday performance.

"We think we know some of the reasons behind that and we think we've made changes and will continue to make changes to try and improve those matchday performances.

"But from the perspective of training, the organisation, the preparation, the work that's put in once the training sessions start, I can't question."

Millington believes the squad is in the right frame of mind to start turning results around.

"I'd describe it as disappointed with results, but very buoyant and I sense there's a real belief," he said.

"It's hard for players not to look around and recognise the quality they've got around them and the things I'm saying about players and characters, they'll also be recognising because the quality of the players and the quality of the training is at a different level, and we recognise that once it does click and we get that first goal, we expect the performances to move up a level.

"The players are aware of that and anyone around the training ground will notice that there's a positive air but also a demanding air that's brought by some of the players we've brought in this season who want us to be the very best we can be.

"So it's an atmosphere that I believe is focused on maximising the potential that we've got within the squad."

The Town boss says he understands the frustrations of the Halifax supporters after the first four games.

"It's an awful situation for the fans and worse for them than for us because we see the work that goes in," he said.

"From our point of view, we see the level of work and I'd argue not only from the players' perspective but also the staff, there's more work being done this season than would have been done last season.

"By that I mean there's more things being undertaken to try and prepare ourselves for games, prepare ourselves, train properly and so the bits that need doing to make us more effective.

"So from our point of view we can see the effort, we can see the quality of the group, we can see the character of the group in terms of their preparation and their work ethic.

"With that comes a level of confidence that results will turn.

"But the fans don't see all that work, all those reactions and all those efforts being put in by people behind-the-scenes, they're just seeing what's being turned out on a matchday and two out of the four performances haven't looked very good.

"So the frustration is very understandable from a fans point of view."

When asked if it was inevitable there would be changes against Notts County after the dreadful display at Wealdstone, Millington said: "This comes down to the fact that we have got such a good squad this year and we have got a real depth of quality within the group that, if players aren't quite at the races, sometimes they might need a couple of games to get themselves into the groove and get themselves match sharp.

"But they've also got to be aware that they might not be afforded that privilege and sometimes they will come in and have an opportunity, but if they don't take it, then there's other players who are desperate and ready to step in and take their place."

Festus Arthur and Angelo Capello are yet to feature for Town this season, while Jamie Cooke has played around 75 minutes so far, but Millington says they will play their part.

"Definitely yeah. It's a very long season and they will most definitely get a chance," he said.

"They're all working hard, training well, building up that sharpness and so, absolutely, they are here to contribute and they will do over the course of the season.

"But also, as we've seen in recent years with Kian Spence in his first season, Jay Benn in his first season, Javid Swaby-Neavin last season, sometimes they have to wait and be patient, but safe in the knowledge they will be given their opportunity and they are here to contribute to the overall success of the team."

Amid calls for changes to the side from some Town fans, Millington says there is never anyone who is automatically selected.

"There are always players and characters who are elevated above some of their team-mates because of the presence they bring in the position they play," he said.

"So there are some who, in every squad up and down the country, stand more of a chance than some of their team-mates.

"But nobody's 100 per cent safe, everybody's got to be working hard in training and contributing on a matchday to make sure they keep their shirt."

On whether one change could be in Town's formation, Millington said: "The style of play and recruitment was all based around us having two to three possible formations.

"We're very good in a 4-3-3 at home on the bigger pitch, we've got the added advantage of being able to easily move between a 4-3-3 and a 3-5-2.

"As you've seen in some of the home games, we've gone to a 4-4-2 and played that incredibly effectively in spells.

"So we're able to go between three systems without actually making substitutions, which is fantastic and shows the quality of the players we've got this season."

Notts County have won two and drawn two of their first four matches this season, the latest of which was a 2-2 draw at home to Chesterfield.

"Notts County are heavily possession based," Millington said, "they're a little bit more switched on to when to play forward than maybe they would have been in the last two seasons, so they're willing to go forward a little bit earlier if they need to.

"They've got some players in a really rich vein of form so we know what we're coming up against, they're a very good opponent but a team who we expect to be able to compete with and we believe we'll be in and around a similar league position come the end of the season."

On the Bank Holiday double-header with a trip to Scunthorpe to come on Monday, Millington said: "At risk of sounding cliched, we take every game as it comes and we're looking at Notts County.

"We want to go into that game and give a performance that deserves a victory, so that's our primary focus.

"It'd be naïve and unprofessional for us as a staff not to weigh up a performance on Saturday might affect our ability to turn out the same performance on the Monday, so we've got to think about which players may be put under the most stress, which ones might need a little bit of support within the games and who might not be able to back it up Saturday-Monday with the same intensity we want to create in both games."