"You can't ask for a better way to go out" - Jack Senior on leaving Halifax, his three years at The Shay and Wembley

Senior ended his three-year spell with his hometown team by leading them to victory as captain in last month's FA Trophy final victory at Wembley.

That was his final act in a Town shirt before sealing a move back to the Football League with Rovers.

"It's mixed emotions, it all happened very quickly," he said.

"The emotions were very much mixed, I was excited about the prospect of it happening, it's a great opportunity for me and I always said it had to be the right one if something did come about.

"I wasn't just going to go here, there or anywhere, it had to fit my ambitions and everything about it had to be right and I feel this is the right one for me.

"I hope everyone can understand that. It wasn't just 'right, I've made my mind up', there was still the thought of what I'm leaving behind, just on a day-to-day basis - the staff, the players, everyone behind-the-scenes, the stadium.

"Everyone associated with Halifax has been very good to me, so it was very tough in that sense.

"I just hope they can understand why I've made the decision, it's a good opportunity for me to play higher and hopefully push my career in the right direction.

"It happened very quickly, I was on holiday as it was happening and then as I got back, it kicked on from there.

"I had a sit down with my mum and dad and weighed it all up, we put all the pros and cons and we realised that the only con was what I was leaving behind.

"There's a lot of pros in the move, it's something I'm really excited about and I just think it's a great chance for me to get back into the EFL and kick on from there."

Senior says the move wasn't in the offing during Town's Wembley triumph, and that he remained totally focused on leading the club to victory.

"No, nothing was going on at that time, I was fully focused on Wembley, the job I had to do and the job everyone had to do," said the 26-year-old.

"There was nothing to be pushed aside at that time.

"I knew I was finishing the season out-of-contract but there was still one more big push after the Eastleigh game, three big weeks of making sure we were right for the biggest occasion of my life.

"There was nothing going on on the outside but even if there was, I'd have pushed it to one side because of the occasion.

"I was just so happy it went the way it did and I can look back on that with very fond memories, and I got to share it with everyone within the club and that's very close to me, and the fans got to share it with me as well, who've been very good to me.

what a way to go though!

"It was a surreal feeling, you can't ask for a better way to go out than one of my final acts as a Halifax Town player is giving the club a trophy.

"It wasn't just me though, it was the whole staff and the players, it was a collective effort.

"It was seen as my final act but it was a collective. It's not about me, I'm just more than happy I could share it with people who were there during the tough times of the season, we had plenty of ups and downs, but I'm just very happy we could finish the season on a high like that.

"The biggest high I've had in my career."

Senior thanked Halifax boss Chris Millington for his role in his development since joining The Shaymen in 2020.

"I know what I had at Halifax, me and Chris have got a really good working relationship, he's up there with one of the best I've worked with," Senior said.

"He started off by giving me a chance when no-one else would, brought me back into full-time football.

"What he did for me over the three years I'll be forever grateful for, I've told him myself.

"We're not colleagues anymore but we're still very good friends going forward.

"I had a very happy life at Halifax, it was something I had to think about, but the opportunity to join a club like that was something I was excited to go for and couldn't turn down."

Senior feels he leaves Halifax a very different player and person than when he arrived.

"Immensely, a lot in terms of a player and a person," he said when asked how much he had changed.

"Again, I put that down to Chris.

"I came in off the back of being unemployed during Covid for a few months, and I was thinking 'I don't know where I'm going with this'.

"Thankfully they gave me the chance.

"I came in as more of a backup to Danny Williams and looking back on the first season, I played probably as many games as I wanted because there was a worry whether I'd be able to handle first-team full-time football again after being out of it for a while.

"I took it in my stride, Pete was also great with me, they were both great with me.

"I remember saying, going into my second season, that it was time to kick on and make the shirt my own and I feel like that's something I did.

"My second season is where I really kicked on and, with the fans coming back, they got to really see what I was about.

"They were spending a lot of money in the first season, spending seven to ten pounds every game watching behind a laptop or a TV.

"The second season was where I really kicked on, we had a great squad and we were very close to promotion.

"It was a shame it didn't happen but I think that stood me in good stead for the third year and I was full of confidence going into the third year.

"I think I kicked on again, showed a different side to my game, unlocked a new asset in terms of changing position.

"I felt like I took that in my stride and I really enjoyed, I was a bit apprehensive about playing there but I thought I stood up to it really well and it helped having quality defenders alongside me like Jesse, Stotty, Tom Clarke, Festus, Adam Senior and Angelo on the other side of me.

"As a person, I've really enjoyed the gaffer giving me that extra responsibility of being captain during the season, that's really stood me in good stead going forward because I've had to be seen as one of the voices, one of the leaders and that adds an extra five, ten per cent to your performances.

"As a captain, you've got to lead by example. There's a lot of young lads in the squad all finding their way and you've got to be there for them, set the standards on the pitch and be a role model off the pitch, offer words of advice, and hopefully I can be seen that I've done that."

Senior's departure leaves Town with big shoes to fill, but Senior believes The Shaymen are a team on the up.

"No qualms about how the lads will do next year," he said.

"Off the back end of last season we were on a really good run, starting to find out feet.

"I know we had a good run in the middle part of the season but then we had a longer spell of positivity towards the end of the season going into the final.

"I leave behind a good, honest, hard working set of pros who are going to do well in the game and do very well for Halifax Town.

"I have no worries with the lads I've left behind, they're all great players, and more importantly, great people as well.

"I think in the final, I was the oldest outfield starter, and that sets the benchmark for the confidence and the quality these young lads have, every single one of them.

"Throughout the season they've found their feet at different points and kicked on massively.

"It was a real pleasure to see so many younger lads work so hard day in, day out.

"Sometimes so young lads can be caught up in the limelight of being a professional footballer but these lads want to work hard and create a pathway for their careers.

"I'm so happy to have shared a dressing room with them all."