Shaymen's pre-season campaign begins with 2-1 defeat at Hyde

All three of Town's new additions started, including latest signing Adam Alimi-Adetoro, a giant defender who played as the left centre-back in a 4-2-3-1, alongside Will Smith.

Cosgrave had an early shot deflected over after a lovely through ball by one of Town's four starting triallists - an attacking midfielder - who had a low shot comfortably saved shortly afterwards.

Hyde's Connor Heath beat Town's offside trap after a quarter of an hour but was unlucky to see his shot hit the post.

Town's three new boys - the other being Tom Pugh - all did OK; Pugh showed an ability to pick a pass from central midfield, Smith sniffed out danger well inside the Town box and the left-footed Alimi-Adetoro looks like he won't lose too many aerial battles this season.

But the Northern Premier League side took the lead when Town's ex-player curse cropped up at the earliest opportunity for the new season through Jack Redshaw, who fired in from close range after a nice move inside the Halifax box had cut through the visitors' rather static defence.

It was merited for the hosts' greater intensity and productivity as the first-half progressed, with Halifax struggling to create much.

Cosgrave was lacking service and support at times, with the two wingers - Frankie Sinfield on the left and one of four triallists on the right - not really affecting the game either.

Halifax's attacking midfielder triallist had another shot on target, as did their triallist at left back, but The Shaymen weren't exactly flexing their higher-division muscles and trailed at the break.

Only a late Smith toe-poke prevented Heath latching onto a through ball early on in the second-half, with Town losing the ball too often in the middle third to threaten higher up the pitch.

Both teams were sloppier after the restart, but Hyde continued to at least make more attacking inroads.

They pressed Halifax well, which The Shaymen struggled to play around.

Sinfield saw a bit more of the ball as the second-half wore on, with Halifax becoming the dominant side, but failed to produce a telling cross, while Cosgrave remained peripheral.

But he took his chance well with ten minutes remaning, curling a first-time shot into the corner from eight yards after Pugh had nicked the ball off a Hyde player inside the hosts' box.

Hyde got the win they deserved though, just two minutes from the end, when the rebound was tapped in after a superb left-footed shot from the edge of the box crashed off the underside of the bar past Town's sub keeper.

Hyde: Hiddleston, Triallist, Hillary, Triallist, Amado, Hall, Bunn, Jones-Griffiths, Heath, Redshaw, Scanlon. Subs: Ditchfield, Triallist, White, Triallist, Whittingham, Triallist, Triallist, Qadri, Triallist, Mellor.

Scorers: Redshaw (33), Triallist (88)

Shots on target: 3

Shots off target: 3

Corners: 4

Halifax: Johnson, Smith, Alimi-Adetoro, Triallist, Triallist, Pugh, Lavelle, Triallist, Triallist, Sinfield, Cosgrave. Subs: Triallist, Chikukwa, Chinembiri, Kilburn, Hemingway

Scorer: Cosgrave (80)

Shots on target: 5

Shots off target: 4

Corners: 3

Town man of the match: Indicative of Halifax's performance that their centre-backs were their two best players. Not much to choose between them but I'll give it to Smith, who made several clearances and generally defended well.