FC Halifax Town lost 2-1 away to Altrincham in a National League match this week. The defeat leaves the Shaymen 18th in the table with three points from four games, having scored eight goals but conceded nine so far this season.
Manager John McGrath was blunt in his assessment, telling the Halifax Courier his team's first-half showing was unacceptable. "I thought we were woeful first-half, but we were good second-half," McGrath said. Town found themselves 2-0 down at the break after what the boss called passive play and individual errors. A mistake by a player referred to as 'Flinty', who had been solid previously, led to one goal. The second came just before half-time from a free-kick, with McGrath criticising poor defending that included players being too deep and ducking out of headers.
What changes were made at half-time?
McGrath and his staff were deeply disappointed at the interval and made immediate changes. Personnel and tactics were tweaked, with players referred to as 'David' and 'Owen' introduced. The starting wide men, 'Tolls' and 'Dougie', had been poor in the first half, failing to get to the byline or deliver crosses and not working hard enough out of possession. The new personnel executed the gameplan better, bringing a more positive and direct approach. FC Halifax Town pulled a goal back in the second half, though it came via an Altrincham own goal from Matty Kosylo. They also had a goal disallowed as they pushed for an equaliser.
Why did the manager say the performance was not good enough?
John McGrath stated there are no grey areas for his team. "I don't care who you play in this division, you can't gift them goals," he said. He felt a couple of players were 'off it' in the opening period and that the display did not represent the football club, his staff, or the players based on their earlier games this term. He acknowledged the team gave a good account of themselves after the break and knew Altrincham's gameplan, having it 'nailed down'. But the initial 45 minutes was the problem. Approximately 450 traveling fans made the trip, and McGrath said the first-half showing was not good enough for them.
Where does this leave FC Halifax Town in the league?
The loss is part of a challenging start to the campaign. With a record of one win and three losses, Town are nine points behind early leaders Sutton United. Their recent form reads LWLL. This context makes the need for consistency urgent. The manager's message is clear: players either do their job and the team wins, or they don't and the team suffers. The focus now shifts to correcting these issues ahead of a run of games you can check on our fixtures page. Analysing individual and team performance data on our stats section will be key to understanding the areas for improvement as they look to climb from 18th place, detailed in the full standings.
