"These teams will beat you if you don't give everything of yourself" - Millington warns Town they can't afford to be off it against Tamworth

The Shaymen's good run of form was brought to a crashing halt in midweek when they lost 2-1 at home to strugglers Fylde.

Millington wants Town to get back on track straight away but has warned that, to do so, they can't afford to be even slightly off their game in tomorrow’s televised clash, which kicks off at 5.30pm.

"As with any defeat, we've got to take the learnings from it about where we could and should have been better," Millington told the Courier.

"We can't just sweep that under the carpet, we've got to make sure we learn from it, which we will do.

"Then we'll look to implement the things we're doing well and improve the things that meant we didn't win the game against Fylde, and try and get three points at Tamworth.

"It's a very, very difficult place to go, obviously Huddersfield and Tottenham have struggled there this season, which gives you a sense of what a difficult place it is to go and get a win.

"So we're going to have to be at our very best and that's the basics really of grit and determination and fighting for every moment in the game."

Millington has faith in his team's ability to bounce back after what was a frustrating defeat last time out.

"I'm pretty confident in the character of the group, I don't have any reservations on that or any doubts on the character and the willingness of them," he said.

"What they've got to show against Tamworth is that bit more know-how and a bit more maturity to be able to drive the performance from the very first whistle.

"We've been on a good run, we've had some really good performances, we've had some fantastic wins but that can breed a little bit of complacency, the slightest hint of not being quite at it.

"And these teams who are fighting for their lives like Fylde and Ebbsfleet - Tamworth aren't necessarily in that same boat but they're certainly a team of fighters who'll give everything they've got - these teams will beat you if you don't give everything of yourself to the three points.

"So I think it's a timely lesson for us that we've got to approach games like Fylde and Ebbsfleet and maybe Tamworth to a degree, just exactly the same as we would approach playing Forest Green, Barnet or Oldham Athletic, the so-called bigger hitters in the league.

"That's what I want to see, is that we've learned and there's an element of maturity developed through that defeat and we can put some of the wrongs right."

Saturday's game is Halifax's fifth of ten matches in 32 days in what is a packed February schedule.

"I like it, to be honest, I like it when we get into a run of games where we're Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday," Millington said.

"The only challenges we face in that are, one, managing the squad, especially playing on The Shay because it's the most draining pitch in the league, it takes it out of the legs when you've got young players who are still becoming conditioned physically to the rigours of National League football.

"That takes some serious thought and planning, to try and maintain the quality of the performances whilst also making changes isn't always easy, so that's something we have to be mindful of and is a real challenge for us to get exactly right.

"And then we also have to make sure we get through our processes properly because we know how valuable reviewing games is for us as a staff.

"Once the heart rate's calmed down and the adrenaline's gone, you watch the game back in a more dispassionate way and start to see things you wouldn't pick up within the game that might need some attention.

"That becomes more difficult when you're immediately prepping for the next game, so we have to make sure that we manage the squad as best as we can, whilst still going out to win three points, and we have to make sure that we work that little bit harder to see our processes through to completion on every game so we don't miss any opportunities to learn, develop and be better."