Relegation, redemption and Al Pacino: The inside story of FC Halifax Town's 2016 FA Trophy triumph at Wembley

Our Town reporter Tom Scargill spoke to manager Jim Harvey, assistant manager Tommy Miller and players Matty Brown, Kevin Roberts, Sam Walker, Jordan Burrow and goalscoring hero Scott McManus about that momentous day in Halifax Town history.

Typical Halifax.

Things are usually about as straightforward as a chicane at The Shay.

Even arguably the greatest day in the club's history was tinged with sadness after the club's relegation three weeks previously.

But that disappointment added another layer of intrigue to a surreal season's remarkable climax. Even by Halifax's standards.

For the full picture of Town's triumph that sunny Sunday afternoon in May 2016, you have to zoom all the way out to a cold Tuesday night in October the previous year.

Grimsby Town 7-0 FC Halifax Town.

The Shaymen's biggest defeat for 19 years, a humiliation, men against boys, two teams heading in completely opposite directions.

"It was embarrassing," recalls Town striker Jordan Burrow, "probably the most embarrassing day I've had in football."

The Shaymen had won just two of their first 18 league games, ultimately leaving too much to do in the fight for survival.

"The start Halifax had that season was a disaster," says assistant manager Tommy Miller.

After the short-lived Darren Kelly era, his number two Jim Harvey took the reins and was unbeaten in his first 13 matches, winning eight.

"The football had picked up, the results were coming in," Harvey recalls.

"We had a few injuries that didn't help us on the run-in and losing Shaun Tuton was a big loss, I think if we'd have kept him we would have survived quite easily."

"The season was a mess to be honest, from start to finish, it was a tough season for everyone involved," says Town midfielder Sam Walker.

"It was just one thing after another."

Typical Halifax.

"We were dead and buried at one point," says Town defender Matty Brown, "and to go on the run we did and miss out on the final day against Macclesfield at home, it was a bitter pill to swallow."

Three of Harvey's wins on that run came in the FA Trophy - 5-0 v Tamworth, 1-0 v Barrow and 1-0 v Chester.

After a titanic tussle in a quarter-final replay at Neil Aspin's Gateshead, The Shaymen got past Nantwich in March to reach Wembley.

"We should have gone out against Gateshead," says Brown, "and then obviously we made it hard for ourselves against Nantwich. Typical Halifax!"

You said it Browny.

The shine of reaching Wembley was scrubbed off when The Shaymen failed to beat the drop on the last day. Typical Halifax.

"It was a weird three weeks because we were down after being relegated but excited about playing at Wembley," recalls Brown.

"I finished the season with an injury I ended up needing an operation on, so that three-week gap was basically a race against time to patch me up to be available.

"After the game I found out I had a ligament that wasn't even attached so I played the whole game with no ligament in my foot.

"I remember going to get countless injections at a private hospital with the physio at the time.

"I didn't think I'd be playing."

"Everyone thought we had no pressure on us," says defender Kevin Roberts, "but we had a lot of pressure on ourselves because we'd just been relegated in a season where we were supposed to be going for the play-offs, so it was an embarrassment for us and we wanted to try and put it right to an extent."

"You're sat on that for a few days," says Miller, "but then you had to turn your attention to the final, get the lads back on it and refocus."

"I'd got injured on Easter Monday away at Barrow," says Walker, "I'd opened up my medial ligament, so it was a bit of a race against time to get myself fit.

"It was probably ten days before when I felt I was right but I really had to work hard.

"If I'd had more games behind me I probably would have staked a claim for starting but it was a case of how long would I be able to last."

"That three weeks was a weird time," says Burrow, "we were still part-time, in three times a week.

"It was a case of trying to rectify it (the relegation), try to bring a bit of joy and happiness to us and to the fans.

"You're match fit at the end of the season, and then you have a three-week gap, which was really strange.

"I think we played Derby County's under 21s in a behind-closed-doors game at their training ground."

"I played half of that game," recalls Brown. "I was in pain but I remember thinking 'I can get through this'."

"One of the big problems was Kingsley James was getting married the day before so you're thinking 'oh god, what do I do with this one!'," says Harvey.

"Getting closer to the day I was starting to think he wouldn't be playing but I didn't know what to say to do right by him, that was a real problem.

"He wants to go and enjoy his wedding but obviously he can't too much because either if he starts or is on the bench, he's going to have a part to play.

"Do I tell him beforehand that he's not playing, and then he'll be so disappointed? It was a horrible situation."

"It was a big call to leave Kingsley out," says Miller.

"We tossed and turned, does he play, does he not play, and we went with Hibbsy who was outstanding in the final."

"We went down a couple of days before," says Burrow, "we trained at MK Dons' stadium on the way down on the Friday, a short, sharp session.

"Then we trained at Barnet's training ground on the Saturday, went through a it of shape, set-pieces, short and sharp again."

"It was the chance of a lifetime," says Miller.

"We trained well, we made sure we did our homework on Grimsby.

"We stayed in a lovely hotel just outside London. The preparation was spot-on."

"I remember we had a character there (at the hotel)," says Brown, "he was bizarre, like something out of Fawlty Towers!

"He was loving telling us he'd had Madonna staying there, he loved name-dropping and showed us the proof all these people had stayed there."

"The way Jim and Tommy spoke to us about it, it was kind of a free-hit," says Walker.

"They got everything right in terms of the preparation.

"I remember on the day of the final, Tommy had gone through everything you'd expect and he put on a motivational video segment from a film.

"It was the speech by Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday," says Burrow.

"It was just to try and get everyone together, a last push, give everyone a boost," says Miller.

"It's just about 'have no regrets, leave it all out there on the pitch' and the lads certainly did that."

"We gave him some stick after but it worked didn't it!," says Brown.

"We had to make it hard for Grimsby," says Miller, "Bogle was the main threat for them up-front, a handful.

"Jon Nolan in midfield made them tick.

"We needed to make sure we were solid and try to catch them on the break with a bit of pace down the sides."

"We worked on being a back five," says Roberts, "we had mobility out wide.

"Scott McManus and James Bolton were the full-backs but Bolts was a bit more solid whereas Macca had the licence to go forward when Peni (Richard Peniket) came inside from the left."

"Because the pitch was so big," says Burrows, "Jim and Tommy spoke about us having to be good on the ball and we couldn't afford to be chasing the ball for 90 minutes because you're going to have no legs left."

"You try to say to them 'don't do anything different to what you'd normally do, don't change your game, stick to what you're good at," says Miller.

"You try and say 'it's just another game' but we all know it's not. It's a massive occasion.

"I think what people don't realise is the size of it, it's just massive, and you're overawed a little bit."

"I can look back in my mind now and I know where I'm sat on the bus," says Walker. "I had a window seat and as we start to pull in towards the ground, you see the arch.

"There were a few supporters congregating at the bottom of the steps, they were waving.

"You go underneath the ground to the players' entrance, to walk through to the changing rooms.

"I was soaking every little bit of that up.

"We went out and had a look from the sideline.

"The ground's starting to fill up, you're just thinking 'it's massive', but then that all goes away once you go out for the warm-up, you're just playing on a grass rectangle."

"I always get a bit nervous for every game, but I wasn't nervous at all," says Brown.

"Wembley had a little warm-up area, a little astroturf pitch, and me and Kev Roberts were just playing two-touch before the game.

"Something I'd never do before a normal game."

"The support was excellent," says Harvey.

"I talked to supporters, I knew what it meant to them.

"For Halifax to be there for the first time was terrific, it was memories you'll never for get for a lot of people."

"When you hear about how many tickets had been sold, you know how much it means to them," says Roberts.

"You've just been relegated and you've got 10,000 fans turning up at Wembley."

"It didn't surprise me how many fans came," says Brown.

"I knew long before the game how much it meant to them.

"You could just see the buzz in people's eyes."

"I just remember thinking 'if we get a couple of thousand home fans how are we going to fill half a stadium!'," says Town defender Scott McManus.

"But you walked out and you saw just a sea of blue shirts, it was incredible."

"When you watch it back, all you can hear is Jim's voice shouting 'Hamza!'," says Brown.

"We started really well, I remember Kev Roberts playing like Beckenbauer!.

"He kept starting attacks and going forward in that sweeper role."

"I thought we were quite comfortable," says Roberts.

"I don't remember it being a real tough slog, I thought we defended well."

"I watched the final back recently on YouTube, I kind of skipped the first-half because not much happened!" says Burrow.

"I had a bit of a half-chance which I put into the side-netting.

"We moved the ball really well, we had good spells of possession.

"It came to life in the second-half really."

You said it Jordan.

The thousands of Halifax fans at Wembley that day - at least those not still in the toilets or at the refreshment kiosks - were given a moment to treasure forever just a couple of minutes after the interval.

"Scott was a really clever player," says Harvey, "a talented footballer, he could come forward and play and had a lot of ability.

"I didn't expect him to score with his right-foot but he was a terrific player."

"Peni got put in down the side and pulled it back," recalls Burrow. "I was in the middle of the box waiting for it to come across to me.

"It got cleared out near the front post and fell to Macca - I'd never seen him kick it with his right foot, never mind score a goal from 25 yards with it!"

"What is he doing hitting that!," says Miller.

"When it goes in and he starts running away - unbelievable. What a strike to score the winner at Wembley.

"And of all people Scotty McManus, who the Halifax fans loved.

"He gave his all for Halifax and for him to get the goal was a fitting reward for him."

"I couldn't believe he put it in with his right foot," says Roberts.

"I just remember chasing him up the line after he'd scored.

"It was like a golf shot, looping over their keeper."

"Richard Tait, the Grimsby right-back, I'd played with him at Nottingham Forest," says McManus. "I knew he wasn't the type of player just to kick it a mile, I just gambled on him taking a risk, which he did.

"I just thought 'I've just got to hit this haven't I' so I hit it and luckily it found the back of the net.

"I was either just going to smash it or lift it and I just tried to place it over him into the top corner, and it went over him and down the middle.

"I reckon in many other scenarios I don't even shoot there, but with it being Wembley I just thought 'it's now, just go and do it'.

"I just waited for it to hit the back of the net, just hoping for the best.

"My son's big into his football and I knew he was there, he was only about four at the time, and I just wanted to get over towards him to see what he was doing!"

"I was the only person, besides Sam Johnson, not to celebrate," says Brown.

"I just wanted to get us organised quickly.

"I remember watching them all celebrating, buzzing, but thinking 'we need to get sorted now'.

"It was a great goal though."

"There was a celebration on the touchline with me and Jimmy and the whole staff getting up," says Miller. "It was a special moment."

Around 25 minutes later, McManus' joy turned to agony when he was forced off through injury.

Another chicane in the road. Typical Halifax.

"My studs just got caught in the grass," recalls McManus, who ended up missing most of the following season.

"People have asked me if I'd swap scoring the goal for not getting injured. Not a chance."

"We got the goal at the right time," says Miller, "and then we had to throw our bodies on the line, we had to defend well because we knew they'd come at us."

After McManus' withdrawal, substitute Walker was switched to left wing-back as Town battened down the hatches.

"I remember the goal-line clearance," says Walker. "I dropped back towards the line as the ball came in, the ball's bouncing towards the goal-line and I was just thinking 'just get the best connection you can and kick it as far as you can!'.

"We were backs against the wall a couple of times."

"I think after about 65 minutes I was cramping up in both my calves," says Burrow. "I was playing right-wing towards the end.

"I remember putting Connor Hughes through towards the end and thinking 'go and seal it for us Connor and make it 2-0' but their defender got back and made a good block."

"We had to change things around but everyone contributed that day, the whole squad, the lads who came off the bench," says Miller.

"It felt like an eternity, you're looking at your watch every so often and thinking 'is that all that's gone from the last time I looked at it!'

"As soon as that whistle is blown it's relief and just pride and excitement and delight that you've won the trophy.

"It was fantastic for the lads to do it in adversity, not being expected to win. The effort, the quality and the courage they showed on the day will never be forgotten, they were brilliant on the day.

"There were a few rumours it would be Jim's last game so the lads wanted to give him the lot, give it their all one last time."

"Tactically he got it absolutely spot on," says Burrow.

"Towards the end of the season we played 5-4-1 a lot, and I played up-front a lot on my own, but he made us really solid and hard to beat, which is something we weren't earlier in the season."

"He could be tough on you at times but he knew what he wanted," says Walker.

"I had the utmost respect for him. and I had his respect as well and that's probably why, even after being out injured for six weeks, he put trust in me to come back in and help the team.

"It was dark times when Jim took over, we'd already seen a couple of managers go, but he stripped it back, wanted to keep the game as simple as possible."

"Certain players didn't see eye-to-eye with him," says Brown. "If people weren't up to it, Jim would let you know.

"Tommy was more the good cop, he'd be a bit more philosophical and was able to put things into laymen's terms for lads who couldn't understand Jim's craziness at times!

"We used to give Jim loads of stick and give it him back but he loved it.

"They had a good balance, it worked."

"Jim did a very, very good job because he took over a side who were rock-bottom in terms of confidence, performances were nowhere near it," says Roberts.

"I think we averaged close to play-off form in the games he had.

"It was a nice way for him to go out, winning at Wembley rather than with the relegation, after doing such a good job."

"It wasn't clear, there was a feeling that I wouldn't be there," says Harvey, "I got the vibes I wouldn't be there after the match."

Neither would several of the squad.

"The majority of the lads were on one-year deals," says Roberts, "so everybody kind of knew that most would disperse, who'd be kept, who'd be offered new terms, who'd sorted something out to go elsewhere.

"The thought-process was 'let's try to end on a high', one last hurrah."

One last push. One last win. One last party.

"There was a load of champagne getting sprayed" says Walker. "Everyone was singing and jumping around, getting pictures with the trophy.

"It was good fun, a moment to savour. I remember sitting there and taking stock of everything."

"Loads of ale," recalls Roberts.

"Carnage," says Miller.

"You could see what it meant to the fans," recalls Walker.

"The flags being waved, seeing the way Helli (Ian Helliwell, kit man) celebrate in-front of them, there was so much emotion there.

"The fans didn't have to come down in those numbers, and no-one would have blamed them because of what they'd had to witness in the season."

"The celebrations were terrific," says Harvey, "the club, fair play to them, went across into one of the hotels and ensured we could celebrate.

"We were due to go home at eight o'clock but that was extended for a few hours."

"It was a free bar at The Hilton, which was very good!," says Miller.

"The chairman was delighted obviously. He thanked all the players and thanked us as staff for delivering it."

"No-one can ever take that away from me," says Brown. "I've played at won at Wembley.

"It was brilliant, it'll always stick with me."

"The disappointment of not winning against Macclesfield was raw," says Harvey, "so it was just a real good tonic for everybody, the players, management and all the supporters."

"It's easy to say after being relegated 'let's do it for the fans' but you've actually got to go out and do it," says McManus.

"I think we salvaged a bit of the season."

"Everything about that day, from getting up, going down for breakfast, the atmosphere in the team meetings, the videos we watched, it all just felt right," says Walker.

"It was our day. I think it was just destined to be our day."

"We were just pleased we did it for the fans and for the club," says Miller, "because there was disappointment with the end of the season."

"Immense pride, playing at Wembley's every boy's dream," says Burrow.

"I managed to play the full game, which I take a lot of pride in as well.

"I played well as well!

"It was the best day I've had in football, it'll definitely take some topping."

"I never expected to see them get there again to be honest," says McManus.

"I'm really, really happy and fingers crossed, I really do hope they go out and do it.

"If they don't, then I'll be remembered even more! But I hope they win."

"After the game, win lose or draw, soak it all in and make the most of the experience," says Burrow, "because you never know if you're going to play at Wembley again."

"Don't get too nervous, prepare well, try not to let the occasion get to you," says Brown.

"Focus on your individual jobs, together as a team, you'll get the result.

"Play the game, not the occasion."

"Enjoy the day, have no regrets," says Miller.

"It could be your only opportunity to play at Wembley, make sure you give it everything.

"If you fall short, you fall short but as long as you give everything then you can be proud of your achievements.

"They always say Wembley's not a place for losers and it certainly isn't."

"I remember saying to someone," recalls McManus, 'yeah Grimsby beat us 7-0 but I wasn't playing in that game, we'll be alright!'

"It was only meant as a joke."