"What a privilege it is to represent Halifax Town at Wembley" - FA Trophy final is culmination of challenging first season in charge for Town boss Millington

Even getting to the FA Trophy final, combined with Town's terrific end-of-season form, has helped to lift the gloom that had descended on The Shay and elevated the opinion of the Halifax boss among supporters.

Millington has been vilified at times during a hugely challenging first season as manager, following three successful campaigns as assistant to Pete Wild.

For long spells, it looked as if he was doomed to fail as luck and circumstance conspired against him.

"I think there's a reason and a purpose behind everything and I guess that kind of mindset kept me focused and working hard at times this season," he says.

"I always knew there was a bigger purpose to what we were doing and we could potentially achieve the unthinkable at times, to finish 11th and get to the FA Trophy final.

"It does feel like some level of reward for myself, the staff, the players, those behind-the-scenes and the club for the patience and hard work when times were really tough."

Reflecting on his first year at the helm, Millington says: "It's been phenomenal, unbelievable in a really positive way, it's been challenging, it's been terrifying at times, it's been confusing.

"For all our beliefs in the values we want to implement in our work and the way we want to work and our knowledge as a staff, when it's tested the way it has been this season it's a real privilege in many respects because it's the only way to truly test what we believe to be right.

"Fortunately, we were blessed with enough time to see the process through and ultimately, I think the process has shown that it can work.

"There's loads of things we've got to do better, we've still got to finish the season with a win, there's loads of aspects of our play we've got to improve, there's a lot of things we can improve around the behind-the-scenes processes.

"But I think the fact we've come out of an incredibly difficult time has given us more confidence that what we do works if we implement it properly."

Millington believes he is a better manager now than at the season's inception.

"Miles better equipped yeah. The experiences have been phenomenal because they've helped me narrow focus my attention on what really matters.

"I concern myself less and pay less attention to what ultimately aren't going to help us progress, get better and develop the squad."

Millington is approaching four years at the club, longer than anywhere else he has worked in football.

"It's my home," he says, "and I hope I'm here at least another four years.

"I think it's a great club with fantastic potential.

"I look at some of the smaller clubs higher up the pyramid and think there's no reason why that can't be us.

"We've got to keep striving and be ambitious.

"Sometimes people think it's crazy to even talk like that but that's where we should be aspiring to.

"Yes things have to improve across the board but hopefully we can continue to edge forward in every respect.

"My department is making sure the squad evolves and gets better and I think we've started to put a foundation in place which we have to build on now and evolve it in the right way with a long-term view.

"It's a great club to be at and it's an exciting time to be a Shayman."

Rather than being an end point to this season, Millington sees Sunday's final as a springboard to bigger and better things.

"The run-in we've had the last couple of months and the FA Trophy final are positive things in isolation, but we can't just have them in isolation," he says.

"They've got to form part of a bigger plan and a bigger ambition so they become a fantastic foundation to build off so they become the start and not an end point."

What would a win on Sunday mean to him?

"It'd just be really encouraging," Millington says.

"There's what it would mean to see the players, the fans, the other departments within the club get some reward for all of their efforts and good will.

"It'd be such a privilege to witness that and feel like I'd played some part in that.

"And from the coaching and management point of view, it'd just be very encouraging that what we've managed to implement this season would have gained some reward and given us a platform and foundation to build on so we can hopefully go on and be stronger and better next season."

Don't expect to see Millington doing cartwheels on the Wembley touchline though.

"I'm crap with that," he says. "Whenever you see a Halifax goal, it's rare I even celebrate to be honest because I'm immediately thinking of the next thing, 'what's the next thing I need to pay attention to?'.

"I imagine, if we're lucky enough to win the game on Sunday, my next thought will immediately be 'right, what do we need to attend to now to make the most of this situation from a football perspective?'"

Millington will have a group of friends and family there to watch him leading out his side at Wembley.

"My missus and kids will be there, my sister and her family are coming and I've got family from down south, London and Surrey, who've messaged to say they've bought tickets and will be there," he says.

"I think in total there'll be about 20 family members there and then there's some friends who've picked up tickets.

"It's a great privilege to have the opportunity for people to come and pay a bit of attention to what you do."

There's work to be done before any glorious vindication, but make no mistake about what it would mean for Millington and his backroom staff.

"We've not really talked about it yet and I don't think it's really sunk in, the experience we'll have there," he says.

"The thing I'm acutely aware of at the moment is what a privilege it is to represent Halifax Town at Wembley in a national cup final, and what a great privilege it'd be to be part of the team that brought the trophy back to the town."