Notts County v FC Halifax Town LIVE

Welcome to our live coverage of FC Halifax Town’s National League game at Notts County. We’ll bring you all the updates from the match, as well as an on-the-whistle match report and post-match reaction from Town boss Chris Millington.

Torquay v Maidstone

Notts Co v Halifax

Barnet v Chesterfield

Southend v Eastleigh

Aldershot v Oldham

York v Maidenhead

Altrincham v Boreham W

Dorking W v Solihull M

Wealdstone v Gateshead

Scunthorpe v Bromley

Dag & Red v Yeovil

Well, I don’t think Town could really have picked a much worse place to try and get back to winning ways than Meadow Lane, home of top scorer in the division Macaulay Lagnstaff, home of the team second in the table and home of an unbeaten home league record stretching back to February last year. Good luck Shaymen!

Chris Milington hinted there would be a change in shape from Wednesday night so I would anticipate a return to 3 at the back personally, which I did feel worked well when it was utilised earlier in the season. CM strayed away from it in the end, I think, in the belief of wanting to play a more expansive, attacking game but it’s clear for all to see that Town just aren’t capable of that, especially at a place like this. Like it or not, it seems like pragmatism could be the order of the day. Some fans might feel it’s been that way for too much of the season but Town can’t afford to let this game slip away from them before it’s really got going. Not conceding a stupid goal like they did on Wednesday night would be a start

Macaulay Langstaff is the top scorer in the National League this season with 22 goals, but he has failed to score in his last five appearances at Meadow Lane.

Jamie Stott among the Town squad today - that’s an earlier than expected return for the centre-back. A welcome one though, I wonder if he’ll come straight into the side. Wouldn’t have thought he’d be rushed back if not personally.

https://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/sport/football/shaymen-mad-ronnie-4-wins-courier-competition-to-find-towns-biggest-fan-4002642

Notts County: P27 W18 D8 L1 F69 A25 GD44 Pts62

Halifax: P25 W9 D5 L12 F24 A33 GD-9 Pts32

Two goals from Macaulay Langstaff and one apiece for Cedwyn Scott and Kairo Mitchell helped County to a 4-1 win at The Shay in August.

Only Yeovil have scored fewer National League goals this season than Halifax (24)

Johnson, Senior, Debrah, Stott, Senior, Golden, Keane, Hunter, Gilmour, Cooke, Dierseruvwe Subs: Arthur, Harker, Alli, Slew, White

Four changes - Dieseruvwe for Harker, Stott for Arthur, Hunter for Slew and Adam Senior replaces Capello and makes his Town debut. Osawe drops out altogether. Looks like a return to 3-4-2-1 to me

Slocombe, Cameron, Baldwin, Rawlinson, Nemane, Palmer, O’Brien, Chicksen, Rodrigues, Austin, Langstaff. Subs: Scott, Jones, Bostock, Vincent, Bajrami.

Couple of different variations of how Town could line-up defensively - Adam Senior could be RWB or one of the back three. Similarly, Jack Senior could be LWB or part of the back three, with Tylor Golden able to play on either flank. However they do it, it’s certainly a defensive line-up by Town. Only really Cooke and Dierseruvwe as proper out and out attacking players on the park.

Well something had to change from Wednesday night. Whether they are the right changes remains to be seen. It;s clearly going to be another Solihull - setting up to disrupt, destroy and play on the break. My concern would be whether Mani Dierseruvwe gets enough support from Jamie Cooke. Will it be a flat midfield 3 of Gilmour, Keane and Hunter? If so, how much of a threat are Town really going to carry going forward? Town can’t just defend for 90 minutes. Judging by Scunthorpe’s goal on Wednesday, they can’t really defend at all at the moment