Shaymen humbled at home by Woking season goes from bad to worse

It's now 10 goals conceded in three games by Town, whose season is in severe danger of drifting into an abyss.

There is a myriad of issues to be addressed on the pitch, which were badly exposed by an impressive Woking team.

Halifax have a soft centre at the back and are shipping goals at an alarming rate, too many of which are avoidable.

At the other end, there continues to be a dearth of quality and creativity, with the accusation that there are not enough goals in the team yet to be disproved.

The corner that was turned with seven points from three games is now a thing of the past.

Halifax looked drained of confidence and belief, and it is hard to see where their next point is coming from, never mind the next win.

James Daly, a Kian Spence own goal and two from Reece Grego-Cox saw Woking cruise to victory.

Woking should have taken the lead before they did, with Grego-Cox guilty of a glaring miss two yards out, albeit on the stretch, from Jim Kellerman's superb cross.

The visitors deserved it when they did go ahead, with Padraig Amond beating the offside trap to meet a free-kick before Grego-Cox helped the ball on to Daly, who was left with an easy finish for his fifth of the season.

Good from Woking, but awful from Town, for whom no-one reacted quickly enough to the danger, or any of Woking's three touches inside their box.

Town chairman David Bosomworth took the opportunity to publicly back his manager in his programme notes, repudiating short-termism and preaching patience.

But patience was starting to wear thin even before Woking's second goal, with the odd Town fan reacting angrily to any backwards passes.

Dangerman Daly was given too much time and space to run in on goal on the left of the box, his shot was saved by Sam Johnson but the ball came back off Spence and into the net.

It was all just too easy.

A Woking injury gave Chris Millington a chance for an impromptu team-talk after 20 minutes; he could probably have done with 20 minutes to address his team's issues.

There wasn't much to offer in mitigation from Town. Harvey Gilmour looked fairly bright on the ball, Jamie Cooke - who came into the side along with Osayamen Osawe in place of the injured Matty Waburton and Angelo Capello - tried to get involved, but The Shaymen were offering very little.

Woking were aggressive, switched on and combative. In comparison, the hosts were sluggish, lethargic and uninspired.

Halifax had wrestled control of the game away from Woking but struggled to muster a meaningful response, failing to stretch the Woking defence or apply strong pressure.

Osawe's first start lasted just half-an-hour due to injury. His replacement Milli Alli offered more, injecting some pace into the attack.

Town somehow escaped conceding a third when Festus Arthur hit his own post trying to clear a low cross before Grego-Cox squandered another great opportunity from close range.

Town were vulnerable at the back every time the ball went in their box, which simply wasn't happening enough at the other end, at least with any real malice.

There was a header by Cooke that glanced the bar on its way over just before half-time, but it took a long time in coming after Town made hard work of crafting the chance, lacking movement, urgency or penetration. Backwards in coming forwards.

The home side had lurched from treating the ball with no care, losing it after aimless passes upfield, to being too cautious, too safe, avoiding taking risks or doing something different.

There was a smattering of boos from the home fans to greet half-time. Otherwise, silence.

Arthur nearly scored at the right end too when his header was cleared off the line seven minutes after the interval, with Halifax looking a bit more controlled and purposeful.

But Amond headed against the post for Woking, for whom a third would finish Town off.

Spence tried to exert some influence in midfield, looking like the only Town player capable of instigating a telling pass, but otherwise Halifax were too short of quality.

Woking showed theirs to end it as a contest with a lovely third, practically walking it in as Grego-Cox finally got his goal with a tap in after Town were sliced open.

They were again three minutes later, with Johnson keeping out Rohan Ince's shot only for Grego-Cox to tap in.

Symbolically, the heavens opened on the last knockings of an utterly meaningless final ten minutes or so.

Halifax: Johnson, Minihan, Debrah, Arthur (Summerfield 56), Senior, Keane, Spence, Gilmour, Osawe (Alli 31), Cooke, Dierseruvwe. Subs not used: Smart, Clarke, Golden.

Shots on target: 2

Shots off target: 10

Corners: 2

Woking: Ross, Moss, Cuthbert (McNerney 60), Wilkinson, Casey, Lofthouse, Ince, Kellerman (Anderson 30), Daly, Grego-Cox Vokins (79), Amond. Subs not used: Wady, Korboa.

Scorers: Daly (9) Spence (og 17), Grego-Cox (75. 78)

Shots on target: 5

Shots off target: 5

Corners: 2

Attendance: 1,845

Referee: Scott Simpson

Town man of the match: Kian Spence, despite the own goal, was Town's best player on the day, seemingly the only one with imagination and vision, which the rest of the team badly lacked.