Shaymen left frustrated after goalless home draw with Dagenham and Redbridge

It's now three out of their last four home outings that Town have failed to score in, and their second consecutive goalless draw.

Goals win games they say, but Halifax aren't scoring enough of them. This has to be considered a missed opportunity against a team struggling for form.

After the positives from Saturday's draw at Barnet, there were fewer of them here. Halifax didn't deserve to lose but didn't really do enough to win either.

There was a change in system but no drastic difference in outcome for Halifax, with the first-half containing too many similarities to previous ones this season; not enough to get excited about.

Town's switch to 4-2-3-1 looked like a team wearing in a new pair of shoes, a bit uncomfortable, unfamiliar and taking some getting used to.

Town were again better without the ball than with it, generally too safe and risk averse in possession, guilty of over thinking it and over playing it.

The hosts' first shot on target wasn't until the 40th minute, through Angelo Cappello, the best of Town's furthest four forward, who brought a decent save from Elliot Justham after a good ball over the top by Jack Hunter to Jamie Cooke.

The stand-in Halifax striker hadn't had enough good service like that, and was soon yelling at Jo Cummings to play the ball to his feet after a high ball was played up to him.

The first-half was bookended by good Sam Johnson saves from Conor Lawless and Ryan Hill, the first tipping a low shot behind and the second with his feet from a shot from the right of the box before Lawless skied the rebound.

Scoring goals has been a problem for both sides this season - with Halifax failing to find the net in two of their last three home games and Dagenham surpassing six hours without a goal by half-time - and it showed.

Both teams got into promising positions at times but lacked the conviction or confidence to make them count, either running into trouble, choosing the wrong option or failing to execute the right one.

The Shaymen were missing a creative presence in midfield, someone to pick out a run with a clever pass, as well as striker who could sniff out half a chance in a tight game.

Without those, they were reliant on keeping it tight at the back and hoping to create a moment of magic at the other end.

Town seemed to have left their wand at home.

Cappello continued to be Town's best threat but couldn't do it all by himself. A nice move created a decent chance for him on the left of the box but he skewed his shot into the side-netting.

Only an outstanding stop by Johnson kept Town level though when he reacted brilliantly to save a shot at a Dagenham corner just before the hour.

Florent Hoti added a much-needed sprinkling of quality when he came on, linking midfield and attack effectively.

There were a cracking cross from either flank by Tylor Golden and Ryan Galvin, but no Town man there to finish them off.

Halifax now looked the likelier to score; there was a lovely dinked cross by Cappello to Alli, but Justham saved his header.

Halifax were dominating the game towards its latter stages but making hard work of converting that into chances.

They then lost their composure, their momentum and with it, any chance of that most elusive of things at The Shay, a goal.

Halifax: Johnson, Golden, Cummings, Stott, Oluwabori (Wright 66), Hunter, Evans, Galvin, Alli, Cappello, Cooke (Hoti 59). Subs not used: Keane, Summerfield, Thomson-Sommers.

Shots on target: 3

Shots off target: 6

Corners: 8

Dag & Red: Justham, Hare, Phipps, Tavares, Ling, Hessenthaler, Lawless, Hill, Appiah-Forson (Kendall 66), Ibie (Sears 66), Mussa (Rees 85). Subs not used: Vincent, Francis-Clarke.

Shots on target: 3

Shots off target: 5

Corners: 4

Attendance: 1,232

Referee: Richard Aspinall

Town man of the match: Angelo Cappello. Wasn't perfect but gave it everything he had and helped produce Halifax's best moments of the game