Shaymen face their annual battle to turn promise and potential into promotion

So near, yet so far.

There seemed to be a genuine belief among Town's players and staff that last season was their year.

After everything that was thrown at them - a catalogue of injuries, playing home games away and a fixture pile-up after so many postponements - they'd fought their way into the play-offs.

But defeat at Solihull brought it all crashing to a stop. Dreams dashed, ten months of toil for nothing, season over.

As The Shaymen prepare for another campaign in the fifth tier, it begs the question of whether the promised land of the Football League can ever be reached and, if so, what's standing in their way?

Well, the last two seasons have seen Wrexham, Notts County and Chesterfield get there first, and by some considerable distance.

Bromley have managed to hoist themselves up the escape hatch too, which offers hope that a club can build momentum over a longer period through sound planning, stability and ambition.

On the face of it, Barnet would seem to be the next club on that particular conveyorbelt.

But what about Town?

The club's financial constraints are certainly an obstacle, requiring thiftiness, savviness and a lot of hard work to keep fighting against the odds.

Despite the limitations and restrictions, Chris Millington, Pete Wild and Neil Aspin have all proved that The Shaymen can compete at the top end of the table by achieving top seven finishes.

But the club's lack of resources have usually stood in their way eventually, thanks to a squad running on empty due to a season of injuries or playing catch up after postponements.

The never-ending battle with injuries is largely down to the club's meagre playing budget, meaning they have to take a chance on players recovering from serious setbacks because they're more affordable.

Postponements pile-up because of financial constraints too, as neither Town, Halifax Panthers or Calderdale Council seem to have the funds for a permanent solution.

Halifax were charging towards the play-offs in Wild's third season when Zak Dearnley, Jamie Thomas and Aaron Martin were recruited, but none added enough quality to make a difference when it mattered.

Had there been more wriggle room to sign more established names, it could have been a different story.

Millington's side was beaten by the better team at Solihull in April, a defeat which felt less to do with circumstances and more with fallabilities on the night.

In both seasons though, a higher-placed finish would have given Halifax a kinder route through the play-offs, so perhaps it's earlier in the campaign where lessons can be learned.

Lessons like not repeating underwhelming results at home to struggling teams, something which they did improve on last season from the one before, but they still gifted precious points to the likes of Fylde, Oxford City, Dorking Wanderers and Ebbsfleet.

Lessons like not wasting chances, which could have turned goalless draws against Barnet, Gateshead, Ebbsfleet, Dagenham and Redbridge, Aldershot and Altrincham into wins.

Lessons like not conceding late goals, an affliction that struck against Chesterfield, York City, Aldershot and Fylde, undoing 90 minutes of hard graft every time and losing them six points.

All of that should not overshadow the positives from the 2023-24 campaign, which saw some memorable victories and enjoyable performances culminating in a commendable seventh-placed finish achieved by a tight-knit, tireless and talented squad.

But if Town are to reach the nirvana of League Two, they'll need more than team spirit.

They'll need ruthlessness in-front of goal, they'll need fewer imperfections at the back and they'll need greater consistency of performances.

Better luck with injuries would be good, too.

This does look to be the most open National League for a few years, with plenty of good sides but no obvious stand-out team.

While others will be starting from scratch or in the early stages of transition, The Shaymen are at least towards the top of the table when it comes to having foundations in place, with a fairly settled squad and a very settled backroom team.

Sam Johnson is by the far the oldest player at 31; the next oldest is Max Wright at 26.

So it is to be hoped that the fearlessness and energy of youth outweighs any inexperience or naivety.

It's also to be hoped Adam Senior, Kane Thompson-Sommers, Florent Hoti, Jack Evans, Andrew Oluwabori and Ryan Galvin can develop further in their second full seasons at The Shay, and that Jack Jenkins and Adan George show what they're capable of in their first full campaigns.

Losing Jamie Stott and Tylor Golden was expected but still unwanted, while new voices and leaders in the changing room will have to replace good characters like Luke Summerfield, Jordan Keane and Jack Hunter.

New signings Tom Pugh, Will Smith, Adam Alimi-Adetoro, Zak Emmerson and Harvey Sutcliffe all look promising.

But the trick, as usual, will be to turn promise and potential into promotion.