Halifax Town managed to grab themselves a play-off place in the National League last season, but can they repeat the process once again this time around?
Following a final-day victory, Halifax Town secured their play-off place but it ended in pieces after they were beaten by finalists Solihull Moors, falling at the first hurdle.
This is day ten of our countdown to the 2024/25 National League campaign, where we take a closer look at each of the 24 teams, their summer activities and where they should be aiming for this season.
Previously, I focused on Ebbsfleet United and now it’s time to switch our attention to Halifax Town.
Let’s begin…
How did Halifax fare last season?
It was a campaign to remember for Chris Millington’s side last season, even despite a disappointing play-off match against Solihull Moors.
The club won 19 league matches last season and finished in the final play-off place in the National League, fresh from their FA Trophy success in the previous campaign.
Halifax conceded just 50 goals in the National League last season with only Bromley (49) and Southend United (45) conceding fewer goals.
The issue for Halifax is that they only managed to score 58 league goals, with only five sides scoring less goals and three of those were relegated.
Similarly, the club had the third-best away record in the National League last season, something that was only bettered by Chesterfield and Solihull Moors. Unfortunately, their home form didn’t match as they finished 14th despite only losing five times.
Heading into the brand new season, Halifax Town need to score more goals in my opinion. Their lack of goals last season was saved by their brilliance at the back, but you can’t always rely on keeping the ball out to secure points – you have to score goals too.
Summer transfer activity thus far:
Unlike most clubs, Halifax Town didn’t provide an official retained/release list – instead they randomly tweeted either players that were leaving or their full squad at that particular time.
However, the club did lose four first-team players this summer immediately as Luke Summerfield, Rob Harker, Tom Wilson and Tom Scott all left.
Meanwhile, Jack Hunter (Hartlepool), Jamie Stott (Morecambe), Tylor Golden and Jordan Keane all turned down the club’s offer of a new contract and have subsequently left the National League side.
Angelo Cappello was the only player to have signed a new deal with Halifax Town, leaving the side with work to do this summer.
Currently, Halifax Town have secured the signings of four new players ahead of the 2024/25 campaign. Amongst those is Blackpool forward Zak Emmerson with whom Halifax have paid an undisclosed fee for.
Their other signings include Scunthorpe’s Tom Pugh, Sheffield Wednesday’s Adam Alimi-Adetoro and Harrogate Town’s Will Smith who spent time on loan at fellow National League side York City last season.
Verdict so far: Halifax have a habit of losing key first-team players and replacing them with unproven names who go on to do very well for the club and it appears as though this is the target once again.
Hunter and Stott are especially significant blows due to them being at the heart of the club’s play-off campaign last season and have left gaps that need to be filled.
Stott has been replaced by Will Smith, who is a player I really enjoyed watching at York City last season and is a very good addition.
Zak Emmerson was highly rated at both Brighton and Blackpool but never managed to make the cut on either side, but I certainly believe he will prove himself massively this season.
Though I thoroughly believe Halifax need more signings, I do like the business they have done so far and it will be intriguing to see whether their current team is good enough to repeat the heights of the previous season.
Pre-Season 2024:
In-truth, it’s been a difficult pre-season for Halifax Town so far, featuring in six matches so far with mixed reviews – although of course that doesn’t mean an awful lot in the grand scheme of things.
Halifax began pre-season with a 2-1 defeat against Hyde United, before bounding back with back to back victories against Mossley AFC and League One side Barnsley – only to slip to defeat hours later against a weakened Huddersfield Town.
Unfortunately for the club, their winless run has continued as they were held by Alvechurch before losing to Radcliffe last time out – leaving more questions for the side to answer.
Chris Millington’s side have three matches left before their National League campaign begins as they make the trip to NL North side Scunthorpe United this weekend.
This is followed up with a match against Ashton United before travelling to Curzon Ashton in their final outing before the brand-new season begins.
Verdict: I feel like a broken record by now, but of course I will continue to stand by the fact that pre-season results mean nothing.
Having said that, there may be an initial concern that Halifax hasn’t managed to have a winning pre-season thus far.
Another issue I have picked out is that aside from playing a weakened Barnsley & Huddersfield side, the remainder of their schedule is against sides below them in divisions which means fewer lessons would be taken.
However, Halifax have beaten Barnsley and have kept a clean sheet so far which will be positives that can be built upon.
Star player:
Halifax Town have several talented footballers at their disposal, including both new signings and players from the previous campaign, but with their defence being so strong I have picked out Adam Senior as a key to their success.
Senior made 43 league appearances in the National League last season, scoring four goals from right-back but it was his defensive contributions that really allowed him to stand out.
The 22-year-old managed 4.9 interceptions, 11.7 ball recoveries and 4.1 clearances per 90 minutes as well as seven duel wins per game.
Despite Jamie Stott’s departure, Senior has contributed to fly under the radar in the National League and is a name that almost certainly deserves a high level of praise heading into the new season.
What do Halifax fans think of their sides’ chances this season?
To better understand Halifax’s expectations heading into the new season, I spoke to supporter Danial Clark (@ClarkDania77609 on Twitter), who stated…
“In my opinion I think we should do well. We’ve lost a few key players but Millington proved last season that his recruitment is good and he has the ability to find good replacements.
“I think anything lower than 7th would be a disappointment as Millington (like Pete Wild) has a three-year plan.
“I’m hopeful we can be battling at the top of the table this season but as we know anything can happen in this league.”
Where do I think Halifax will finish?
Halifax Town have always been a ‘funny side’ in my eyes – simply because some of their business does appear great to the eye but it almost always pays off further down the line.
This summer it is no secret that the club have lost a few key players and those are always extremely difficult to replace.
Stott has been replaced by Will Smith which is a transfer I really like and is possibly one of my favourites in the division so far, whilst the addition of Zak Emmerson is also a brilliant piece of business on paper.
I think the aim of Halifax Town has to be a top ten finish, pushing for the play-offs once again due to how competitive I think the division is going to be next season.
Though some of their supporters are aiming for a higher finish, I think the bare minimum the club has to finish is top ten.
