"There was a real belief" - Town captain Sam Johnson looks back on his four previous play-off campaigns with The Shaymen

There's been different managers, different team-mates and different oppositions, but Johnson has seen them all.

And the Town captain looks set to return from injury in time for a fifth play-off bid with the club, starting at Oldham Athletic in the eliminator game next Wednesday, eight years after his first.

2016-17, Conference North play-off semi-final

First-leg: Salford 1-1 Halifax

Second-leg: Halifax 1-1 Salford (Halifax won 3-0 on penalties)

"That away leg, for some reason, was one of the most nervous I've ever been.

"We got a good result there - they had a good team and were starting to have a bit of money pumped into them.

"I always fancied us though because we had an experienced group.

"Billy had got promotion before with North Ferriby and we had a decent team with the likes of Matty Brown, Scott McManus, Kevin Roberts.

"The home leg, I can't remember anything about the game other than the last kick, I shanked a kick straight to their striker.

"It was the last kick of the game in extra time and my heart just stopped.

"So they were through one-on-one, and they squared it but luckily it went wide and the guy was offside anyway.

"But my heart was racing.

"As soon as the ball went wide, the ref blew the whistle and I was just thinking 'bloody hell, that could have been a lot different!'

"Then obviously we won on penalties and Browny had his top off, swinging it round!"

2016-17, Conference North play-off final

Halifax 2-1 Chorley (after extra time)

"That's probably the highest attendance I've played at there, it was rocking.

"I got injured in the warm-up, tweaked my shoulder.

"So I only did about a ten minute warm-up, had it strapped up, took some painkillers and played the game.

"I can remember Garns' (Scott Garner) winner, obviously that'll live with me for a long time.

"We had a real siege mentality at the time.

"Just before I joined, there was a bit of pressure on Billy (Heath).

"We'd go 1-0 down and the fans would sing 'Heath out'.

"But that seemed to galvanize us, make us better and we went on a really good run.

"We sang it when we all came back on the pitch after the game, and we sang it on the night out after the game as well!"

2019-20, National League play-off eliminator

Boreham Wood 2-1 Halifax

"It was a really strange time for everyone.

"It just got chucked on us really, no-one was really sure we were going to even play in the play-offs.

"Lads were trying to keep fit as best as they could and then we got a message saying the play-offs were on.

"We could only drive in with certain people and I was doing my goalkeeping sessions on my own.

"A really strange time, with all the testing and stuff.

"We started like a house on fire, Tobi (Sho-Silva) scored and we had a great first-half.

"I can remember their media team giving me loads of grief behind the goal and I was thinking 'this is just so odd'.

"They scored a deflected goal in the second-half. It wasn't meant to be.

"We probably didn't have the team to go up looking back."

2021-22, National League play-off eliminator

Halifax 1-2 Chesterfield

"That's one we'll kick ourselves on looking back I think.

"We had a really good team, a really good squad that had been built.

"If you look at the squad now, a lot of them have gone onto the Football League.

"We had a really solid season but we were probably kicking ourselves a couple of games before because we conceded a late goal against Aldershot when, if we'd won, we'd have been guaranteed a home semi-final.

"That would have meant it all played out a lot differently.

"Of all the teams in there, Chesterfield were the ones you didn't want because they had a really good team.

"It was a shame because on another day, we could have beaten them, and in any other season, we could have gone up that season and maybe even won the league.

"There was a massive belief within the squad. We all thought we were good enough to do it.

"It was gutting."

2023-24, National League play-off eliminator

Solihull Moors 4-2 Halifax

"All the things that went against us that season - playing away from home, the four games in a week leading up to it - made it a bit different.

"I've got in the play-offs all types of ways but we just rolled into that.

"We just kept ticking off the games and picking up points, and there was a real belief, with everything that went against us, that we'd continue that into Solihull.

"But it was probably one game too many and we didn't have enough of a rest.

"The game was pretty much over in the first 20 minutes or so but we showed what we'd shown all season, that resilience, the pride in us, and we were a crossbar away from getting back level and probably going on to win it.

"I look back with a lot of pride on that season.

"Again, it could have gone so differently but it wasn't meant to be."