"We will start to climb the table" says Town boss Millington ahead of Gateshead game

The Shaymen have won just once in their first seven matches and are third-from-bottom in the fifth tier.

Halifax are back in action tomorrow (Tuesday) night at home to Gateshead after Saturday's clash with Dorking was postponed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

"We were looking forward to playing Dorking, the lads had a great training week and really built up to that game, and saw it as an opportunity to return to The Shay and hopefully follow on from two positive results away from home," Millington said.

"In a way, it does impact that because it maybe takes a little bit of heat out of the process, the run we were on, but we'll go into that with the same intensity and the same intent that we would have gone into the Dorking game with."

Millington admits Halifax are where they deserve to be in the table at the moment but is confident their lowly position will soon change.

"We're disappointed with the points return we've got," he said.

"We can certainly earmark two or three performances that have been below wat our expectations are, and (there have been) two or three that have been in and around our expectations but haven't resulted in any points.

"So we've got to be honest and humble enough to accept that we are where we're meant to be at this stage.

"But reviewing the work the staff are doing, reviewing the work the players are doing in training, reviewing the processes that underpin what we do and how we go about our work, I feel that 90 per cent of what we're trying to do is on the right track.

"There are some things that we've got to do better, and we will do that, we will start to climb the table and we will start to build on some of the performances we've already put in.

"It is nice to just have that couple of days to be able to reflect and thoroughly go through what's working and maybe what's not working or what needs to be fine-tuned to make it better.

"We're in a place where we can start to do that, and I'd hope that will reflect in results in the coming weeks."

Millington feels Town do have some momentum to build on having taken four points from their last two games.

"Scunthorpe, it was a good away performance and a deserved win," he said.

"There were parts of the Maidenhead game that were very pleasing, and when we reviewed it, it was a bit easier on the eye than it had been in real time.

"There were some positives we could take out of that, the technical and the tactical, but also there was a great deal of resilience shown in weathering the storms Maidenhead brought in patches.

"So we think there's a momentum there and there are different aspects of our game which have gone well in the last two games that we want to take forward into the upcoming matches."

Millington added: "Getting points on the board now is important, even though it's still early days and there's an awful lot of football to be played over the season.

"We're desperate to build a strong home record and try and compete with the type of home record we had last season.

"So we'll be looking to do that on Tuesday.

"As I always say, every game we go into we'll be looking to win it.

"There's a bit more on it when we're at home but, for sure, we'll be looking to go into the game trying to win it."

When asked if there was extra pressure on Town to win on Tuesday night given their poor start to the season, Millington said: "I think there's pressure on every game, we put an incredible amount of pressure on ourselves to go out and perform.

"As long as we do that, and we perform to the best of our ability and, crucially, for longer periods in games, because I think that's been our shortcoming so far, is that in most of the games we've actually performed to a good standard for periods.

"But we've got to extend those periods out to longer and they've got to be for the full match rather than spells in matches.

"And when the opposition do have little spells of possession, we make sure we're controlled and effective in our defensive structure.

"I think the pressure remains the same, that we've got to go out there with every intention of trying to win the game but fully aware that, at certain stages, the opposition might have spells of possession and we've got to contain them and deal with that much better."

Millington says his players and the Town fans can help each other in times like this.

"I think it goes hand-in-hand, sometimes the crowd need that big chance or something to really get them bought into the game, and sometimes it's the crowd that draw the team on," said the Town boss.

"At Scunthorpe, the away fans were absolutely phenomenal from the fist whistle, it was incredible, really, really encouraging and I know the lads got an awful lot out of that.

"So it does spur the players on and it will draw more out of the players, but likewise, we've got to recognise that sometimes the onus is going to be on us to spark some life into the crowd and we'll always be trying to do that.

"We won't always succeed and sometimes the crowd will help lift us and create those opportunities.

"But we feed off each other, the players and the staff feed off the atmosphere the crowd create and equally, the crowd will feed off the atmosphere generated by the players giving their all."

Millington says the need for any additions to his squad will be addressed further down the line, once everyone in his squad are fully fit.

"It's always under review, but I think the time to fully review it is when we've got good minutes out of some of the lads who are due back from injury, and who are building up their match sharpness," he said.

"I maintain that we've got a squad of very talented National League footballers, so there's no immediate rush to go out and plug any gaps.

"But it's something that'll be under constant review and, if all goes to plan, we won't need to bring anyone in for at least another month or two."

One player yet to feature for Town is backup keeper Tom Scott, who Millington says is set to head out on loan this season.

"At some point we'll hope to get him out (on loan) to get him some games because, clearly, he had a season last season where he didn't play much football and we don't want him to go through another season of just training," said the Town boss.

"So part of his development pathway this season will be to go out and get competitive games, so that if and when he's needed, he's more match ready."

Millington also says the club will be arranging further behind-closed-doors games to help some in his squad to build up match fitness.

"We had one arranged off the back of the Maidenhead game but because of the injuries we suffered on the Friday, we decided not to go ahead with it," he said.

"We're looking to put in another couple of fixtures in a week or two's time and then another one in the early part of October."