National League
Pete Wild says he has been really pleased with the performances of leaders FC Halifax Town during a difficult run of National League fixtures.
Halifax have played Chesterfield, Grimsby Town (twice) and Eastleigh in the last four weeks and they have won two and drawn two – enough to keep them at the top of Non League Football.
“We have a really tough period with some really tough games,” Wild told Non League Yorkshire.
“We have come up against various oppositions with big crowds and the boys have come through those tests.
“(For instance) Grimsby home and away, a top team.
“I thought the home game there was nothing in it.
“I thought the away game they dominated us in the second half and we had to bed in.
“But that’s what you have to do.
“You have to be able to fight, you have to be able to dominate the ball and you have to be able to create chances.
“We seem to have done array of those things over the last few weeks.
“We have just got to keep going and ticking the games off and picking up as many points as we can and see where it takes us.
“No-one is getting carried away.
“We made a pact at the start of the season that we’d just focus on the next game and that’s what we are trying to do.”
The tough trips don’t stop though and a trip to Maidenhead United is next up for the Shaymen tomorrow.
Maidenhead are fourth bottom but Wild says they can’t be fooled by their lowly league position.
“It is an immensely difficult game,” he said.
“You look at how they did against Chesterfield on Tuesday night, Wrexham at home, Bromley at home, they have won all those games against big teams in our league.
“They’ll be ready and good.
“We’re looking at a tough test on a small pitch and at a tough ground.”
Halifax are riding high in the National League almost 20 years since the old club were relegated out of the Football League.
The supporters are loving the ride.
“The crowds are steadily rising which is good,” Wild said.
“The fans are enjoying the football which the boys are playing which is good and I always want a product that people will pay to watch.
“We seem to be getting that and I wanted a group of lads who will try as hard as they can for the football club and I think we’re getting that.
“I think we have to be happy with that.
“The supporters are of course pleased with how things are going and they hope it continues.
“All we can do is keep producing every week and try and stay under the radar.”
The news that attacker Matty Warburton had won the National League player of the month award for December further under-lined how well Halifax have been doing.
Wild is delighted for him but pointed out that it was also a collective effort.
“It is great for him,” he said.
“I tried to sign Matty when I was at Oldham and he ended up going to Northampton after he had a really good season at Stockport.
“So I know he’s got goals in him and he’s an attacking number ten with goals in him.
“He deserves his accolade of player of the month.
“It shows that if he gets player of the month how well the team is doing so I’m pleased for him and I’m pleased for the boys who helped him get the award.
“We’re a solid group and we never know when we are beat.
“We go to war every week and that’s probably why we are doing well because we are such a close-knit bunch of lads.”
Although clearly delighted with his squad, Wild intends on improving his team very soon.
“We’re looking to bring players in and we’re talking to two-or-three players to strengthen us,” he said.
“We’re hopeful we can them through the door in the coming days.
“Unfortunately these days every deal takes forever.
“We are always careful who we bring in.
“One they have to be a good lad and two they have to be a good player.
“A good lad will always come before good player and we’re very picky about what we do and that’ll always be the case.”
Away from the first team, Wild has heard good reports about youth team player Frankie Sinfield who is dual-registered with Thackley.
“We keep an eye on (players out on loan) and (Frankie) is one of our youth team products,” he said.
“He has done very well and he has trained with us and the youth team staff will go out and watch him because I obviously don’t get chance to get out and watch him.
“What we try and do is get our youth players out as early as we can.
“The earlier we get them out the more chance we have to see if they can make the step-up.
“There’s no under 23s here and because there’s no under 23s they need to be ready very early.”