Midfielder Spence sees signs for optimism but says Shaymen must keep building

The 21-year-old was one of The Shaymen's star players last season as the club finished fourth in the National League, displaying outstanding ability, technique and athleticism.

Keeping hold of Spence in the summer was a crucial bit of business for Halifax, although the campaign is yet to spark into life, with the club just one place above the drop zone heading into Saturday's home game with Dagenham and Redbridge.

"It's been a frustrating one as a whole, and personally, it was frustrating for me at the start, not being able to play and influence the team," Spence said.

"It was also frustrating having to take quite a few games to get going, to be fit enough and match sharp enough to help the team.

"Obviously results on the pitch haven't been what we've wanted, and neither have the performances.

"But I feel like that's started to turn in the last couple of games.

"As long as it isn't like it was a few weeks ago, where we got a few positive results and it went downhill again, as long as we can keep building on it and getting better and better, then I'm sure in a few months' time this blip we've had at the start will feel like a long time ago."

Spence feels it has taken longer for Town's new-look squad to gel than anyone anticipated.

"A lot of new players coming together has taken longer to gel that we would have expected," he said.

"The previous years we've had the same group of players from previous seasons to build on.

"Bringing in quite a lot of new faces, trying to adapt to each other and the style of play and how each other play, that takes time.

"We've not really gelled as well as we'd have liked as quickly as we'd have liked, and I think now we're starting to see that a bit more, getting a few more partnerships in certain areas of the pitch, which are important, and hopefully that turns into better performances and better results."

Spence says the club's poor start has resulted in some introspection from the Town squad, who he says are determined to turn things round.

"We try not to point fingers at each other and make it a blaming culture, because that's not a good environment and that's not how things change," he said.

"We obviously have a lot of conversations, we hate losing, we're human beings, we're footballers.

"It's the worst part of the game when you're losing, it ruins the night, it ruins the weekend. I struggle to sleep after it.

"So we're doing everything we can to change it, whether that's conversations, watching clips, watching videos, working hard on the training pitch, we're doing everything as players and staff to change that."

Despite Town's poor start, Spence remains optimistic that better times are round the corner.

"It's frustrating, especially because the time I've been at the club, we've always been fighting at the top end, and it's always been exciting, a good atmosphere, good positivity," he said.

"Whereas this is a different experience and we've just got to take that experience as it comes and learn from it.

"Imagine how amazing it would be if we go from the position we're in now to going up to the higher end of the table.

"I said that a lot last year, about how amazing it'd be going from what we'd done to beating the teams with a lot higher budgets, but imagine if we did that from everyone writing us off, being in the relegation zone for a lot of the start of the season.

"If we turn it around and go up to the higher end of the table and start challenging for things when it actually matters, that would make it so much sweeter wouldn't it, so that's what we have to work towards.

"If we have that positive thought on our heads then it's something to strive towards."

Spence added: "In the two previous seasons I've been here, it's been the opposite.

"We've had really good starts and at Christmas time we've been in amazing positions, especially last season, and we've tailed off towards the end of the season.

"That's when it counts, that's when it matters.

"You look at Grimsby, they started really well, had a real downward spiral then picked up again at the right time and ended up going up.

"Stockport had a bad start and at the right time, started flying.

"It's a long season, we can get carried away with the here and now.

"Obviously we need to get points on the board, results are important, but whether we get a win in April or September, they're a win on the board.

"But it is better to peak at the right time and if we can do that, you never know where we could be in however months' time it is."

The midfielder insists Town's start to the season hasn't resulted in any doubts setting in about what the team is capable of.

"No, none at all," he said. "It's about remembering how long the season is, remembering what we as individual players have achieved, us a a club have achieved over the last two seasons.

"That shouldn't be overlooked.

"I know it's a poor comparison but you look at Liverpool and how good they've been over recent seasons and now they've had a few bad games and everyone was panicking and writing them off.

"I know we've had a poor start and it's a completely different level of football, but it's not been going on for that long this poor run.

"Football can change ridiculously fast, results can change fast, performances can change fast.

"When this does change, if this does change, all the voices, the people who are hating on us, the people who are doubting us, writing us off, which is not ourselves, it'll be so much sweeter to be able to have that success."

Spence is undoubtedly one of Town's prized assets, and will be needed if the team is to climb the National League table.

The former Middlesbrough youngster is hoping his continued development as a player will be mirrored by Halifax's improvement as a team as the season goes on.

"I'm definitely still progressing as a player," he said.

"I've only had one full season playing the amount of games I'd want to play.

"Although I want to play at the higher level possible, the more games I can get under my belt at this young age, the better, and the more I'll improve.

"I've still got so much to learn.

"Obviously it's been a frustrating start for me with not just results but having to build my fitness up and not being able to come into the season high and flying.

"But I'm happy that's starting to build up now and I hope I can progress and be ten times the player I was last season in a couple of months."

Spence says the difference between the player he is now compared to the one who joined The Shaymen in October 2020 is like night and day.

"I don't think anyone'll doubt how much I've improved when they'll have seen me in the first couple of games I came on in, when I had number 30 on my back," he said.

"If they'd seen me coming on at the end of my first season compared to where I'm at now, I've not just matured with age but I've 100 per cent matured as a player, and that's through having the opportunity to play a lot of minutes on the pitch, being able to work with the lads and the staff day in, day out.

"All of that coming together has got me to where I am now, so I'm happy to be here and happy to improve."