MATCH REPORT: FC Halifax Town 1 - 3 COUNTY

By Hatter in Macc

County walked away from their latest pre-season encounter with another win under the belt and the growing feeling that a real team is starting to develop.

County's pre-season journey today took a slight detour from the North West, venturing across the Pennines into West Yorkshire on a gloriously sun-drenched afternoon - the like of which I don't often expect to see when visiting Halifax.

This said, I was appalled to realise that it was, in fact, over twenty years since I had last set foot in The Shay to watch County. The ground, which now, on the approach-signs, gets to be called a Stadium, has undergone quite an impressive transformation in the meantime, too.

Gone is the slag heap that used to double up as an away end, and neat, covered stands - both seated and standing - now feature on all four sides.

The action on the pitch is brought closer to us, in the absence of the old speedway track. Halifax are an outfit back on the up.

And don't we Hatters know it?! Having recently swapped places with the Shaymen, following County's relegation and our hosts' success in the Conference North Play-offs, we found ourselves this afternoon with a fixture that was a mirror image of the friendly a year ago, as Jimmy Gannon's Blue and White Army prepared itself for what it hoped might turn out to be at least a top-half Conference Premier finish.

Our lower-level opponents disposed of us with some ease last Summer (which should have been a sign of what was to follow...) - and, twelve months further on, newly-promoted Halifax were coming to the end of an impressive build-up to life back in the Non-league Big Time. 

This promised to be a stern test, all right.

County took to the field, in front of a hundred-plus Twelfth Man representatives and to the theme of Hawaii Five-0 (nope...me neither), with the following line-up:

Ormson, Jacobs, O'Halloran, Fagbola, Tunnicliffe, Charnock (Captain), Hand, Turner, Craney, Jevons, Dennis.

With Matty Glennon (who received a generous reception from the away contingent) in goal for the hosts, Keith Briggs starting the game, and both Paul Marshall and Sean Williams on the bench, the match certainly had a feel of County Past v Present about it. Another interesting twist was provided by Tunnicliffe playing in front of the back four. Had that goal on Tuesday night gone to his head?! We would see...

Our defence was slightly the busier one in the early exchanges, which saw O'Halloran clear a goal-bound ball with an acrobatic clearance and, shortly afterwards, Halifax hit the back of the net...only to be ruled offside.

Not to say, however, that County - playing in their 'home' kit while the Shaymen opted for a snazzy red and black ensemble - were being overrun.

In fact, we were looking increasingly comfortable on the ball. And when, on 20 minutes, Dennis converted a Jacobs cross with a sensational volley to put County one up, it wasn't against the run of play.

Seven goals for Dennis in the friendlies, then - and pretty much every one of them has had the hint of spectacular about it.

Half-time: Halifax 0, County 1.

The Shaymen, no doubt with a few choice managerial words ringing in their ears, were sent out early for the second half.

Marshall and Williams were now among their number, while Briggsy was taking a rest. For County, two new faces - in Coppin (remember this name for future reference) and Verma - replaced Charnock and Turner.

Later in the half, Hand and Jevons were to give way for Bateman and Windsor. 

Within five minutes of the re-start, that man Dennis was at it again to put County two in front. 

A toe-poke from close to the goal-line? A lucky deflection off his backside? Nah...this man just doesn't seem to be interested in run-of-the-mill goals.

Number two for him today, and his eighth so far for County, was a scorcher of a shot from fifteen yards out.

Utterly unstoppable - and one that Glennon was wise not to get in the way of.

Halifax were by no means finished, and strove to push forward, forcing the increasingly impressive Ormson to make a couple of excellent, fingertip saves, before a cross from Marshall (didn't 'cha just know that a former County player wouldn't be able to resist coming back to haunt us?) was headed in by Roberts to reduce the arrears with fifteen minutes to go.

What threatened to be a rather tense closing chapter in the game, however, soon turned out to be anything but. The diminutive Kayde Coppin, who had shown some nice touches, and gone on a few good runs, since his introduction,  took everyone by surprise, ten minutes from time, when he unleashed a screamer to leave Glennon with no chance and restore County's two-goal advantage.

Full-time: Halifax 1, County 3.

A most impressive performance by a team, which, since half-time at Ramsbottom just under a fortnight ago, has been getting better with every game. Dennis will take many of the plaudits for his eye-catching goals today - and deservedly so - but there were many other plus-points. Ormson looks confident, the defence is a solid unit, Craney lasted the full ninety minutes (and had us in awe with his pin-point-perfect passes), and I am starting to warm to Tunni again! Dare I say, that I have begun to feel just a teeny bit excited about our prospects for next term, too?

Grateful thanks to my trusty apprentice camera-man, Macc Junior, for taking the matchday pics.