"There's an awful lot to be positive about," says Millington ahead of Town's clash at Rochdale

The Shaymen visit fifth-placed Rochdale on Saturday knowing a win will see them overtake their hosts in the table.

Halifax drew their third game in a row on Bank Holiday Monday, 0-0 with Gateshead, leaving them with nine points from their first six matches.

"We've played some difficult oppositions, we're in ninth position in the league, we've played some good stuff, we've got 75 per cent of our style really well established ie our out of possession and our possession up to the final third," the Town boss told the Courier.

"We've got to fix what we do in the final third, we've got to be better there, but we're not in a bad place and if we can fix that final bit then we've shown we can be a real force in the division.

"I think there's an awful lot to be positive about going into September."

When asked how his side can fix their issues in the final third, Millington said: "Just work on the training ground.

"Clearly personnel helps, personnel can make a difference but we've got to work harder at it, the staff have got to contribute to fixing that problem and the players have got to show a bit more quality in that moment of the game."

The Shaymen have only conceded five goals so far, keeping two clean sheets, but only six goals in their first six games suggests last season's struggles in-front of goal may not have gone away.

"Until we start putting more quality into the box, we can't really judge the forwards," Millington said when asked if he felt there were enough goals in the team.

"I think it's unfair to judge them if we're not actually delivering with much quality.

"On Monday, even the set-pieces, which have been something of a strength this season were poor.

"I believe we've got enough quality to contribute a good number of goals but that statement won't truly be tested until we're consistently delivering balls into the box with quality."

On Saturday's opponents Rochdale, who won 3-1 at York on Bank Holiday Monday, Millington said: "Not dissimilar to Gateshead, they're going to dish it about, they're going to try and dominate possession.

"But they're the teams we're good against and we seem to be better away from home than at home at the moment, so we'll go there with every intention of winning the game."

On why he felt his side appeared to be better away from home at the moment, the Town manager said: "I don't think there's a lot in it because I think we were very good against Bromley, I think first-half against Oxford we were very good, so there are some positive aspects to our performances at home.

"Part of it is we've got to be better with the ball because we have missed the likes of Summers. Flo Hoti is another ball-playing midfielder who will help us control possession, and at home that's a much more important facet of our game.

"Away from home we can afford to be less possession-based because the onus is on the home team to do that.

"With the return of Summers and with Flo on his way back, and Kane Thomson-Sommers to add into the mix, then you'd hope to see us start to control games a little bit more with the ball at home and pass into the final third with more quality."

Millington added: "We've no fear of going anywhere, we go into every game wanting to win it.

"We're not a team who think 'we'll win at home and come away with a draw away', we want to win every game and we'll go to Rochdale with the intention of beating them and I think we've got enough to do that."