Three wins in a row for Town as they beat rock bottom Ebbsfleet at The Shay

A superb finish by Luca Thomas and an even better one from Jamie Cooke saw The Shaymen make it three wins out of three in the league for the first time this season and move them up to sixth in the National League.

Halifax didn't dominate the game like some might have expected against an Ebbsfleet team with just one win all season, but marked their long-overdue league homecoming with a professional performance to maintain their impressive form.

In their first home league game for seven-and-a-half weeks, Town wasted litlle time in getting re-acclimatised, taking the lead 12 minutes in.

After Jack Evans picked him out just outside the box on the left, Thomas charged into the box and cracked a terrific low shot across goal and in off the post.

Shortly afterwards, the home debutant produced a pass brimming with vision and imagination to find the run of Ryan Galvin inside the box, but the cross was cleared.

Chris Millington, back on the touchline, was leading the applause as Town attacked with purpose and promise.

Scott High was influential again for Halifax, dropping into a quarterback role and dictating play.

He even cleared an Ebbsfleet effort off the line during a decent spell of pressure from the visitors just before the half-hour mark.

The Shaymen had failed to build on their lead and take a stranglehold on the contest, allowing an Aaron Cosgrave-less Ebbsfleet - without an away league win for nearly a year - to muscle their way back into it.

Zak Emmerson wasn't offering enough of a focal point up top. and wasn't helping his team retain possession, meaning the ball kept coming back at the hosts or they struggled to keep it out of their half themselves.

The visitors were showing a resilience that belied their wretched season, although they lacked the required quality to create anthing clear-cut, and more befitting of the league's lowest scorers.

It was all a bit messy, a bit untidy and a bit scruffy. Much like the pitch, which wasn't helping, and was cutting up like it had been attacked by a giant cheese grater.

Town had dropped off the pace by half-time, but still had decent efforts from Owen Bray and Emmerson, and then Bray again, before ending the half with a good chance for Emmerson after Thomas nicked the ball near the left corner and whipped in a cross, but his team-mate headed off target at the far post.

Halifax started the second-half with some renewed hunger and intensity, forcing more mistakes again from Ebbsfleet and seeing more of the ball in advanced areas.

The pitch seemed to be sapping both teams of their creative spark, with much of the game struggling to catch fire.

Galvin had a rare effort on target midway through a scrappy second 45, straight at Mark Cousins, with neither team able to control the contest for any meaningful length of time.

But not even the pitch could get in the way of Cooke scoring a magnificent second goal, bettering Thomas' finish by producing a glorious first time shot from 35 yards out that arced beautifully into the top corner.

That gave Halifax some breathing space and sucked the hope out of Ebbsfleet.

Halifax: Johnson, Senior, Smith, Adetoro, Galvin, High, Evans (Jenkins 82), Wright (Cappello 72), Bray (Pugh 66), Thomas (Oluwabori 90), Emmerson (Cooke 55). Subs not used: Ford, Cummings.

Scorers: Thomas (12), Cooke (69)

Shots on target: 6

Shots off target: 10

Corners: 5

Ebbsfleet: Cousins, O'Neill (Tanga 69), Olagunju, Lankshear, Dallison, Aoraha (Domi 60), Moncur, Stewart, Edser (Manktelow 79), Thomas, Samuel (Odokonyero 60). Subs not used: Firth, John, Carr.

Shots on target: 2

Shots off target: 3

Corners: 6

Referee: Stuart Morland

Attendance: 1,465

Town man of the match: Scott High and Luca Thomas bogth caught the eye, but I'll give it to Will Smith. Another didn't-put-a-foot-wrong display from the centre-back, who makes being in the right place at the right time look very easy.