Relive the ups and downs of 2024 in our FC Halifax Town review of the year

Even when things are going well and momentum has been forged, it always comes with a caveat of wariness about what's around the corner.

And 2024 was a good exampe.

After recovering from a sluggish start, they got up to full speed to make the play-offs before crashing out at the first hurdle.

And this season, impressive results have been tempered by vexing and perplexing ones.

It was more crappy new year than happy new year as The Shaymen stumbled into 2024.

Town only scored in one of their first four games and didn't win any of their first six, not helped by the drawn-out saga over top-scorer Milli Alli's future, which was only resolved at the end of what had been a difficult January.

Halifax should have beaten ten-man Altrincham at The Shay on New Year's Day but didn't deserve anything in the 3-0 defeat at Southend five days later.

A stirring second-half comeback made up for an awful first-half in the 2-2 draw at Fylde but that was followed by a dispiriting defeat at Wealdstone.

There were glimpses of hope in back-to-back home defeats against Aldershot and Solihull - more of them later - but not many clues about the turnaround in form to come.

That was as surprising as it was sudden, with the upturn starting at Dorking as Max Wright scored twice in a 3-1 win.

Finally, 2024 was up and walking, if not quite running.

Aaron Cosgrave netted a last gasp winner as Town edged past Maidenhead 2-1 at The Shay and then a perfect week was capped by beating Woking by the same score.

From no wins in six, it was then four wins on the bounce as Andrew Oluwabori scored a beauty to beat Dagenham and Redbridge.

The run was halted at Bromley in a forgettable game, but The Shaymen showed they were made of strong stuff by bouncing straight back, narrowly beating Boreham Wood, comfortably beating Oxford City and then wonderfully beating champions-elect Chesterfield.

Now the year really was up and running.

That performance was probably as good as its got under Chris Millington, with The Shaymen belying an increasingly problematic pitch - more of that soon - by playing the league leaders off the park with some scintillating stuff.

Town took just one point from their next two games though as March turned into April, losing at Hartlepool before a late Rob Harker goal rescued a draw against York in what turned out to be their last home game of the season.

Max Wright scored twice on his birthday to help Halifax see off Kidderminster before the campaign took a surreal turn - even by Town's standards.

The Shay pitch had become so bad it was now deemed unplayable, so Town decamped to Accrington Stanley's Wham Stadium. But it was no Club Tropicana.

An impressive Barnet side won 2-0 on Saturday, April 13 before a hugely frustrating goalless draw with strugglers Ebbsfleet three days later.

Such had been the fixture pile-up due to postponements that Town were only halfway through their week.

On the Thursday, at Chesterfield, The Shaymen drew 2-2 with Oldham Athletic to ensure that a win at Eastleigh two days after that would guarantee them a play-off spot.

That was secured in style, with Halifax showing no signs of weariness in a terrific 3-0 win.

However, that was exactly the scoreline they found themselves trailing by just 38 minutes into their play-off eliminator at Solihull the following Wednesday: a season's hard work undone in less than a half of football, with Tylor Golden's own goal capping off the nightmare.

They so nearly completed a remarkable comeback, with Jack Evans and Florent Hoti scoring, but Rob Harker headed against the bar at 3-2 before Solihull got a late fourth.

Cue another summer of outs - including Jamie Stott, Harker, Summerfield, Golden and eventually, Kane Thompson-Sommers - and ins, amongst others, Will Smith, Zak Emmerson, Tom Pugh and Adam Alimi-Adetoro.

Title favourites Barnet were beaten on the opening day of the new season, with goals from Jamie Cooke and debutant Adetoro, but Town then failed to win their next four.

There were decent draws with Gateshead and Dagenham, but disappointing defeats to Aldershot and Solihull, again.

A much-needed win at bottom side Ebbsfleet helped soften the blow of Thompson-Sommers' departure, as did the return of Billy Waters on loan from Wrexham, who made his debut along with Scott High in the goalless draw at Hartlepool on September 7.

Adam Senior scored to earn a point at home to Oldham, after his error had led to The Latics' goal, before Waters' first goal back at the club helped The Shaymen to a richly deserved home win against Eastleigh.

The day after that, Chris Millington was taken ill, requiring assistant manager Andy Cooper to take temporary charge of the side while the Halifax boss underwent surgery and then recuperation.

Cooper's stint started with a typically hard-earned win at Maidenhead - is there any other kind? - before a nondescript 1-0 loss at Braintree.

Halifax twice battled back from a goal down to draw at home to Wealdstone and then fought back from a 2-0 half-time deficit to beat Tamworth 3-2 as Millington returned to the touchline.

By then, Town's National League Cup campaign had started with a home defeat to Newcastle under 21s, and would continue with an equally minimal amount of interest with losses to Middlesbrough and Leeds' youth teams too before the end of the year.

Then it was time for the obligatory first hurdle FA Cup exit, this year at Boundary Park, as Halifax suffered a first-half nightmare of Solihull proportions where everything that could go wrong, did.

Oluwabori's first minute goal earned a narrow win at Boston, which preceded a really good performance at Rochdale and an even better display at home to York, but Town somehow lost both games.

Their response was commendable though, edging past Woking at home and Yeovil away both by 1-0, and then securing a very acceptable 1-1 draw at leaders Forest Green Rovers.

Which made the dreadful performance in the 2-0 home defeat against Southend all the more perplexing, followed by two penalty shoot-out defeats in five days, first to Leeds under 21s in the National League Cup and then to Basford United, two divisions lower than Town, in the FA Trophy. And still no cup win since lifting the FA Trophy last year.

There were no more home comforts in a dour goalless draw with Sutton, but lots of away ones in a surprisingly goal-laden 4-3 victory at Aldershot.

Town then proved they can go toe-to-toe with the best in the division with a 1-1 draw at Barnet and rounded the year off with some annoyingly perfect symmetry as they failed to break down ten-man Altrincham on Boxing Day.

Halifax end the year ensconced in the race for the play-offs, but cautiously optimistic is probably about right when judging what lies ahead in 2025.