Long journeys, poor performances and penalties: FC Halifax Town's road to Wembley

Typically this season, their run to the FA Trophy final started with a postponement.

Festus Arthur's goal 20 minutes in was enough to edge Town past a spirited Guiseley side in a hard-fought victory, which set the tone for a battling, scrapping route through the rounds.

Guiseley made Halifax work hard for their progress, offering no shortage of effort or application, but bowing out due to a lack of quality around the box.

The Shaymen, not for the last time, had been far from their best but managed to scrape through.

What the short hop across West Yorkshire didn't set the tone for was the outposts Town would travel to next.

First up was Harrow Borough, a game which Town went into having not won since their victory at Guiseley.

If Halifax went into the third round bang in form, the fourth round was the opposite, coming on the back of four defeats in five, including a desperate home defeat to Scunthorpe and an uninspiring loss at Notts County.

Wembley is only 15 minutes from Harrow, but The Shaymen looked miles off a side capable of reaching the final.

There was little to hint at Halifax's higher league status against their plucky hosts, who didn't offer much other than two fine finishes from Rob Harker.

His second appeared to have edged Town though but for the second of two fine goals from Harrow's George Moore.

It wouldn't be the last of Town's FA Trophy drama deep into added time.

Nor would it be the last time Halifax tiptoed through the minefield of a penalty shoot-out, with Harker, Mani Dierseruvwe, Milli Alli, Tom Clarke, Jamie Stott and Jordan Keane all netting to send them through. Just.

The next round's 90 minutes against Maidenhead was also an indication of where Town were as a team. Struggling.

It was an ugly, unsophisticated mess for lengthy periods, with penalties looming long before full-time.

But despite again being well below par, The Shaymen gritted their collective teeth and showed admirable substance in the absence of any style, and found a way through.

Town's Trophy run continued to be a reflection of their season at Aldershot, which Halifax arrived for after a slight upturn in form, and it showed.

Milli Alli, not for the last time, scored a terrific goal amid a strong first-half from The Shaymen, who should have led by more.

But after surviving an Aldershot onslaught after the interval, Harvey Gilmour's late goal sealed their semi-final place, with no need for penalties.

Altrincham is really where Town's run should have ended.

Halifax failed to rise to the occasion at a packed Moss Lane, producing a stale, lethargic display, relying on the reactions of Sam Johnson to keep them in the competition.

The hosts should have added to Jordan Hulme's opener, but poor finishing let them down.

And they were punished in the most dramatic fashion when Alli's low shot from 25 yards arrowed into the bottom corner with almost the game's last kick.

Just as in their quarter-final at Gateshead in 2016, Halifax had salvaged a draw at the death before edging through on penalties.

Johnson, the sole survivor from seven years ago, was the hero, saving two before Tyrese Sinclair hit the bar.

It's been a rough ride, this road to Wembley, a circuitous route beset with diversions.

But Town have found their way back there.