A.F.C Halifax town were formed on 24 th May 1911 and even then they played at their current ground, the shay. They started playing in the midland league before being founder members of the football league third division north in 1921 and remained in that division until 1958 when the league was renamed the football league third division. However the club struggled both on the pitch and off it and after big financial problems the club was relegated in 1963.
The clubs fortunes turned around in 1967 when the club was managed by Alan Ball Sr. He helped the club gain promotion back to the football league third division in 1969 but left shortly after. Even so the success continued and in 1971 the club finished one place away from promotion. However, it wasn’t to last too long and the club were once again relegated in 1976. Even so, many of the clubs supporters would say that 1967 – 1971 were the ‘glory days’ for A.F.C Halifax Town.
The club had little success in getting promoted once again, instead creeping around the bottom of the table. Many say that without the goals of Steve Norris were what helped the club survive but in 1992 he left the club and Halifax were relegated once again, this time to the football conference.
The club didn’t find life in the conference easy; they finished several seasons’ just places away from relegation and were facing many financial problems. However the club took a turn for the better when George Mulhall was appointed manager near the end of the 1996-97 season. He managed to make sure the club avoided relegation once again and the following season he bought the right players needed to form a title winning team! That year, A.F.C Halifax town were named champions of the Conference and striker, Geoff Horsfield, was top scorer in the league with 30 goals.
However, just before the 1998-99 season started George Mulhall left the club for unknown reasons! Also, Geoff Horsfield, star striker for the shaymen, only played 10 games before being sold to Fulham. Even so, the club made a strong start to the season and were pushing for a place in the play-offs. However this ended with a mid-table finish and it only got worse in the following years. After somehow staying in the division for 4 years, the club were relegated once again to the conference.
Chris Wilder was appointed manager to try and revive the club and started his career for Halifax with a solid 8 th in the league. After a few more years of mid-table finishes, the shaymen made a strong push for promotion in 2005-06 when they achieved a place in the play-offs. After an exciting 5-4 aggregate win against Grays Athletic over 2 legs, the shaymen had to play Hereford in the final at the Walkers stadium in Leicester. Goals from Lewis Killeen and John Grant put the club ahead but Hereford stole the victory in extra time to win 3-2.
In May 2008 it was revealed that Halifax were in debt £2 million and despite appealing it was decided that the club was to be shut down. However the supporters trust managed to get the club (now named F.C Halifax Town) a place in the Northern premier league division north one. The newly formed team started strongly and victories included a 7-1 win against Salford city in September. However, despite an 8 match unbeaten streak, the shaymen ended the season badly and only managed to finish in 8 th place. However in the 2009-08, now under the management of current manager Neil Aspin, the club won the title. Key victories included a 3-0 win against Colwyn bay (who finished 4 th) in the first match of the season, 5-0 away against Curzon Athletic (who finished 3 rd) and a 4-0 home win against Lancaster City (who finished 2 nd) in front of 3152 fans.
In the Evo-Stick premier league the club signed 9 new players! That year the club got promoted yet again ending with a 2-0 away win at Retford United. The largest attendance ever in that league since 1970 was recorded when 4023 went to the shay to watch Halifax play FC united of Manchester on New Year’s Day. Another highlight of the season was James Dean becoming the first player to score 50 goals for the team after playing only 69 games for FC Halifax.
In the Conference North the club got off to a poor start with some big losses early on in the season, however a great FA cup run was under way with town reaching the 4th round, a home tie against Charlton Athletic which would be shown live on ITV1. Despite a 4-0 loss FC Halifax were able to show off their talent and potential to a watching audience. This seemed to boost confidence in the league and a 10 game unbeaten streak followed, putting Halifax in a play off position at the end of the season. In the semi-final Halifax faced Gainsborough Trinity and managed a 2-2 draw away from home. However the home tie ended in a 1-0 loss and Halifax were condemned to another season in the Conference North.
The next season was just as successful, if not more as Halifax were able to gain another play-off position after an amazing season. After dispatching of Guisley in the semi-final the shaymen were set to face Brackley at the Walkers Stadium. A huge Lee Gregory goal in the 75th minute was able to put the team back in the conference!
No comments:
Post a Comment