Football Season Guide

Halifax return to the Conference Premier for an exile of five seasons in which the new club fought their way back to the top of the non-league pyramid. The former club went into administration at the end of 2007-08 season and was eventually wound up but the fans showed their unity and strength and the new FC Halifax Town managed to make the journey back into the Conference Premier back in May this season. A dramatic win over Brackley in the play-off secured promotion just one year after a dramatic loss at the same stage suffered against Nuneaton. It was a result to cherish for the numerous Shaymen fans who saw all their tireless efforts of building the club again from scratch rewarded. Yet, staying up in the Conference Premier is a tough job and Neil Aspin will have his hands full, creating a squad that will be able to compete with much more resourceful and established forces. His budget is rather limited and he has not been able to bring in too many quality signings so far. However, the likes of Adam Smith and Keith Briggs have enough pedigree at this level and will surely raise the overall level of the squad while bringing energetic midfielder Josh Wilson from Guiseley is a smart piece of business too as he has all the attributes to succeed. Lee Gregory is a tricky and lively striker that has the potential to do well after scoring 22 goals in the Conference North last season while Matt Glennon and Jon Wortnighton are good pros and will provide consistency and reliability. Thus, Halifax look well equipped to graft their way through the season and steer clear of the danger zone. A place somewhere in the bottom half of the table is most likely for them.