"We've got to turn those draws into wins" - Millington on Town, form and Chesterfield

Town visit promotion-chasing Chesterfield on Saturday having won two and drawn three of their last five games.

Halifax were denied a home win against Yeovil last Saturday thanks to the visitors' late equaliser, but Millington is focusing on the positives of his team's mini revival.

"The recent run of games and the fact we're one defeat in nine is the glass-half-full perspective," he said.

"We've got to look at it in that sense because we are doing a lot of things very well in games.

"One of the players mentioned in the debrief after the Yeovil game that we are so close to being a really good side.

"We're defending very well as a group, we're creating lots of really, really clear-cut chances and if we take two or three of those chances against Yeovil, against Gateshead and against Dorking, clearly we're then in a very different position in the league.

"We've got to be positive about the performances and the things we're doing well."

When asked if it was also his belief that Town were close to being a really good side, Millington said: "Yeah, I think so, I think the performances have suggested that, at the likes of Gateshead and Dorking we were very strong and we should have won.

"I think the home performance against Yeovil was far from being a classic and I'd never claim we were dominant, but what I would say confidently is that we created the better of the chances and we had some very clear-cut chances to win the game, so it's another one we feel we should have won.

"But all in all, for the fans and the wider public to start to believe that, we've got to turn those draws into wins.

"So it's no good me just talking about the positives, if we want to get everybody backing us then we've got to turn those draws into wins and we're fully aware of that."

Chesterfield have won four of their last five games and look certainties to finish in the play-offs again this season, but Millington insists Town's visit there is not a daunting prospect.

"No, it's not, it's quite exciting," he said.

"If we think back, Andy Cooper (assistant manager) highlighted to me what an outstanding run of form they were on when we last played them and what a great performance it was for us to upset that run of form and win the home game.

"So we know we've got enough quality to go toe-to-toe with them and that's what we'll be planning on doing.

"They've obviously had a recent upturn in form so they're in better form than they were in recent weeks but I'd argue we are as well, we're in the middle of an unbeaten run so we're looking to maintain that and go there and try to get three points."

When asked how Town will go about trying to win on Saturday, Millington said: "At risk of repeating myself, we've got to start taking our chances.

"We know we can keep clean sheets and limit oppositions to very few goals, we know we can create opportunities because we're doing it more and more regularly and we will do against Chesterfield.

"What we've got to do is take a higher percentage of those chances.

"We're all responsible, we've all got to take responsibility for what we do out of possession and like I've mentioned in recent weeks, the forwards are doing such a lot of work to help us maintain our good defensive run of form, and everyone else has got to support the forwards in taking chances when we get them.

"Whether that be corners or free-kicks, whether that be midfielders as at Aldershot, Harvey Gilmour scoring from outside the box, we can all contribute, and as a coaching staff we're always looking at ways we can help the players get practice at the type of chances we're creating and we'll be looking to do that this week in preparation for Chesterfield."

Chesterfield knocked Halifax out of the play-offs last season, and have maintained their status as an established promotion contender, while The Shaymen have fallen way off the pace.

"It's simple really, we had a real high turnover of players last summer and they had an established squad to which they've added, what you'd argue in some cases, Football League quality to it," Millington said when asked why that was.

"We've had to go through a rebuild. It's not an excuse because going through the rebuild I felt we could put ourselves in a really strong position.

"But I think part of the reason behind us not maintaining the league position we had last year is the fact it's been such a volatile season with personnel.

"We've had to bring in an awful lot of new bodes, there's a large number of young players within that who've done fantastically well for us in a number of games, but we've got to remember that these lads are getting experience of their first full season of National League football.

"They've been fantastic and deserve every credit but that's something Chesterfield haven't had, they've had National League and Football League players performing for them this season, and I'd argue that's probably been the difference."

Millington is expected to stick with his 3-4-3 system for Saturday's game, which has helped Town keep four clean sheets in their last five matches.

"We're never closed off from changing shape, I think it depends on the personnel we've got available, what's working for us and what needs improving," he said.

"So we're always open and we've played other systems this year at different times for different reasons.

"At the moment, we think the 3-4-3 has made us solid, it's also creating lots of chances for us.

"It's getting us three good forwards on the pitch at any one time, we've got MIlli Alli getting chances, Matty Warburton getting chances, and Jamie Cooke in recent weeks, Mani Dieseruvwe's getting into some dangerous areas and Fidel, when he played in the nine role, had a number of chances.

"So forwards are getting into the areas, we've just got to make sure we finish off the chances.

"But we're absolutely open to changing shape as and when it would benefit us."

Halifax are nine points above the relegation zone, but have played two games more than 21st placed Gateshead.

"We look at how we can win against Chesterfield and that wouldn't change whether we were first, tenth or 20th, we'd approach it in the same way," Millington said.

"We go into that with every intention of trying to win the game.

"Clearly, the three points would move us further away from the relegation zone and into an area of the table we feel we can finish in.

"We're aware of the perils of not picking up points but we go into every game looking to win."

When asked what area of the table he feels Town can finish in, Millington said: "We're striving for the top-half, that would be the objective, but ultimately the aim is going to Chesterfield to try and win the game and build on the recent positive performances."