Shaymen take an impressive point at league leaders Barnet with 1-1 draw

Once again, The Shaymen showed what a good team they can be on the road, going toe-to-toe with the best team in the National League at the moment and coming away with lots of positives.

Billy Waters put Halifax ahead but Mark Shelton cancelled it out in the first-half.

If only all Town's matches could be played away - maybe if The Shay pitch has its way again, they might be - as this is the latest in a series of excellent results on the road for Town and shows that they are capable of mixing it with the best the division has to offer.

Town's first quarter of the game was as good as it could have been, with an excellent off-the-ball display crowned by Waters' opener.

A lovely incisive pass by Florent Hoti played Jamie Cooke in down the left of the box and his low cross was converted at the back post by Waters.

Barnet's top scorer Nicke Kabamba was being muscled out of the game by the impressive Adam Adetoro, while the hosts' midfield was being smothered by a hard-working, dynamic Shaymen side out of possession.

Town were out of possession quite a lot, as expected, but like at Aldershot, their work rate was voracious, pressing with aggression, attacking loose balls and refusing to be cowed by Barnet's outstanding home record.

There was an energy and zip about The Shaymen that, for whatever reason, isn't replicated often enough at home.

Andrew Oluwabori was making dangerous inroads down the Halifax right, and nearly set-up a second Town goal with a drilled cross-shot that just evaded Cooke at the far post.

Moments later, Shelton drew Barnet level with a scuffed shot from 15 yards out that wrong-footed Sam Johnson.

Only a superb goal-line clearance from Will Smith then prevented Rhys Browne from giving Barnet the lead, with Shelton's goal pepping the hosts up a bit and having the opposite effect on Halifax.

Neither team was shy about mixing up their approach, trying to play on the ground when it was one but going more direct when it wasn't.

Town were certainly a match for the league leaders, although Barnet created more chances as the opening half went on, with Ryan Glover, Shelton and Browne all having decent efforts from inside the visitors' box.

The Shaymen might have regained the lead through Cooke, but Nick Hayes kept out his shot at an angle one-on-one.

Barnet were more calm and composed after the break, having more sustained possession as a result.

It was almost exclusively Halifax doing the defending, but they were well structured and well organised, making it difficult for Barnet to turn territory into chances.

The problem was Town were offering no threat of their own on the counter, meaning there was no let up from defensive duties.

There were far fewer chances in a cagier second 45, with substitute Callum Stead having a shot from inside the box blocked and Adetoro heading a corner off target on the stretch.

The visitors got something of a second wind with 15 minutes to go, registering a coouple of shots and a couple of corners, building some momentum and forcing Barnet into some defending.

But neither team had a shot on target in the second-half, unable to sumon up the ingenuity needed to find a winner.

Barnet: Hayes, Tavares, Collinge, Oluwo, Kenlock, Hartigan, Glovern(Kanu 72), Shelton, Brunt, Browne (Stead 46), Kabamba. Subs not used: Bellagambi, Coker, Cropper, Grimwood, Clifford.

Scorer: Shelton (25)

Shots on target: 4

Shots off target: 5

Corners: 10

Halifax: Johnson, Senior, Smith, Adetoro, Cappello (Galvin 46), Jenkins (High 46), Evans, Cooke, Hoti (Emmerson 89), Oluwabori (Wright 60), Waters (Pugh 68). Subs not used: Ford, Cummings.

Scorer: Waters (12)

Shots on target: 2

Shots off target: 3

Corners: 3

Attendance: 1,854 (103 away)

Referee: Stephen Parkinson

Town man of the match: Adam Senior, WIll Smith and Adam Adetoro were all excellent at the back, but I'll give it to Smith. His goal line clearance capped off a superb display.