Shaymen's play-off hopes remain in the balance after they're held to goalless draw by Ebbsfleet

The Shaymen were the better side and gave it everything, but couldn't muster the required quality in-front of goal when it mattered.

Their sojourn to Accrington has wielded no goals, one point and edged them a tiny bit closer to a top-seven finish, but not as close as they'd have liked.

It's still in their hands, and they're tantalisingly close, but it could have been within touching distance with two extra points here.

Town started like a team in a hurry to seal a play-off place, with Jack Evans - one of four changes along with Jack Jenkins, Adan George and Luke Summerfield - crashing a low shot just wide in the opening couple of minutes soon followed by George curling one well over the bar from the left of the box.

But Ebbsfleet hit back through Shaq Coulthirst, whose recall from a loan spell at Braintree was only announced an hour before kick-off, with the striker firing just wide from the corner of the six yard box after an earlier shot wide on the turn.

The game became a bit more disjointed after that frenetic start but Halifax then reasserted their superiority with a couple of flowing moves.

First, a brilliant pass by Jenkins released Wright, who was a dangerous outlet, but his cross was prodded wide from six-yards out by Jamie Cooke.

Wright shanked a shot well over after a lovely move down the Town left before the winger was unable to divert Evans' low cross goalwards on the stretch.

This wasn't the Town side cowed and cajoled by Barnet on Saturday; The Shaymen were fluid and playing with purpose.

George, Evans and Jenkins had added energy, athleticism and pace to the side, with Kane Thomson-Sommers flourishing in the middle of the battle, jostling and jockeying for the ball, forward-thinking and intelligent when he got it.

It helped they weren't facing a team with Barnet's composure and physicality, but it had been better from Town; some of their approach play was excellent, unfortunately, their finishing wasn't.

They squandered another superb chance five minutes after the break when Cooke latched onto a through ball but his shot was tipped over by Mark Cousins, unless you were referee Garreth Rhodes, who gave a goal kick.

Other than that, Ebbsfleet were containing Town pretty well and could have taken the lead had Tommy Fogarty's header from a corner not been straight at Sam Johnson.

Halifax cranked up the pressure after that though, with Luke Summerfield's shot saved and Thomson-Sommers' flick also kept out.

Evans typified the effort with some menacing bursts down the left, while Andrew Oluwabori added a sprinkling of flair after his introduction, but like his team, lacked an end-product.

Town pushed and pressed, but Ebbsfleet held on.

Halifax: Johnson, Golden, Senior, Stott, Evans, Summerfield, Thomson-Sommers, Wright, Jenkins (Harker 73), Cooke (Hoti 83), George (Oluwabori 64). Subs not used: Hunter, Cosgrave.

Shost on target: 3

Shots off target: 11

Corners: 4

Ebbsfleet: Cousins, Skura, Kenlock, Fogarty, Chapman, Domi (Clifford 82), Edser, Wright, Bilongo (Cundle 67), Bingham, Coulthirst (Poleon 79). Subs not used: Tanner, Sterling-James.

Shost on target: 1

Shots off target: 8

Corners: 3

Referee: Garreth Rhodes

Attendance: 1,351

Town man of the match: Kane Thomson-Sommers. Back to his best with a fantastic performance, fully committed, gave it absolutely everything. Jack Evans and Luke Summerfield also worthy of a mention.