Shaymen pick up useful point on the road with goalless draw at Hartlepool

Both teams will feel they had chances to win it, Halifax more in the first-half and certainly Hartlepool late on in the second.

But The Shaymen kept their second clean sheet in a row and made it four points from two games with another hard-working performance that offered encouraging moments of cohesion and composure.

Debutant Billy Waters was chasing too many high balls to begin with on his return to Halifax.

The game took a while to get going, with both teams cancelling each other out.

When Town did get it on the deck, they looked decent, with a nice move just before the hour-mark seeing Flo Hoti's pass finding Waters, and from his lay-off, Adan George's shot was saved low down by Adam Smith.

That was the first shot on target in the game, which said much about what had preceded it.

Fellow Shaymen debutant Scott High was neat and tidy in central midfield, with Hoti steadily getting on the ball more, and as a result, Halifax's display increased in control and composure.

A left-footed shot by Adan George nearly deflected in but for a fine reaction save by Smith.

That came moments after Hartlepool's best move yet, with Anthony Mancini's clever pass finding Joe Grey, whose cut-back was forced goalwards by Greg Sloggett but it was comfortably saved by Sam Johnson.

Mancini - Hartlepool's liveliest player - then had a curling shot saved by Johnson, but by the end of the first 45, Town were more in their groove than Hartlepool, with more encouraging play in their final third ending with High's shot deflecting back to Smith.

Andrew Oluwabori should have done better when Adam Senior's cross fell to him at the far post but he could only shank a shot well over the bar.

The hosts were struggling to get former Halifax striker Mani Dieseruvwe into the game, with Will Smith and Adam Alimi-Adetoro defending well against him.

At the other end, Waters was more involved, drifting into space around the two Hartlepool centre-halves and getting on the ball, linked up effectively with Hoti, hinting at greater things to come.

Senior, George and Hoti all had shots inside the box blocked inside the first five minutes of the second-half, with Halifax the more productive side.

Hartlepool were slack, lacking intensity or fluidity, although there was a nice one-two between Grey and Mancini before Grey fired over.

Hartlepool boss Darren Sarll had seen enough though to make four changes at once just after an hour, including his entire front three.

But they didn't get any more joy against a resolute Halifax defence, although the same could be said at the other end.

Neither attack was good enough in the opposition's penalty area, either unable to provide adequate service or get on the end of it.

Hartlepool's subs had injected a bit of energy into their side, with Roshaun Mathurin causing Town substitute Ryan Galvin problems.

Waters' debut lasted 80 minutes, by which time the game had entered first-goal-wins-it territory due to both teams becoming more hurried and frantic.

Substitute Adam Campbell nearly did win it with a shot inside the box but Adetoro blocked it.

Johnson then pulled off a huge save to keep out Gary Madine's header before Campbell put his follow up effort straight at the prone keeper.

Hartlepool: Smith, Freeman, Sass-Davies, Parkes, Ferguson, Featherstone (Hunter 62), Sloggett, Sheron (Campbell 78), Mancini (Mathurin 62), Grey (Charman 62), Dieseruvwe (Madine 62). Subs not used: Young, Onariase.

Shots on target: 6

Shost off target: 5

Corners: 6

Halifax: Johnson, Senior, Smith, Alimi-Adetoro, Cappello (Galvin 68), High, Evans, George (Wright 71), Hoti, Oluwabori (Bray 87), Waters (Emmerson 80). Subs not used: Ford, Arthur, Pugh.

Shots on target: 6

Shost off target: 6

Corners: 4

Attendance: 4,012 (319 away)

Referee: John Mulligan

Town man of the match: Sam Johnson, made some vital saves to keep Hartlepool at bay.