McGrath backs Shaymen to respond against Yeovil on Saturday after painful midweek defeat

Halifax surrendered a two-goal lead when they lost 3-2 to Barrow on Tuesday night, and host a Yeovil team on Saturday lunchtime who are fourth in the table and have won six of their last nine games in all competitions.

"They've always reacted in a really positive way, the lads, and I'll get them up Thursday, Friday for the game on Saturday," McGrath said of his team.

"You can't have the excuse of 'they're a young group' because it doesn't matter how old you are, 18 or 38, you've still got to go and win your duels, still got to win your headers.

"As they get older, they will learn how to see games out, they will learn how to do the right things at the right times.

"Sometimes we can't play how I want to play all the time, sometimes it's just got to be turned into the corner to Conor Carty, who was one of the bright sparks for us (on Tuesday), battled really well, should have probably got a bit more protection than he did.

"The group will get better, they'll get stronger, they'll get fitter, they'll learn from it."

On whether he felt Saturday's game was a test of character for his team, McGrath said: "Massively. I feel now the point at Southend is a bad point because we should have followed it up with a win (against Barrow), and then that takes you into Saturday on a high.

"We've given up our really good run at home as well, and without a fight, that's what really p****d me off, that we've given it up without a fight.

"This is our home patch, the fans pay their good money to watch us and for 65 minutes, we're on the front foot, playing well, and then you could sense, once the goal went in and because of how they were playing, we were just all over the place."