Off The Post Blog: New year, new positivity for The Shaymen
By Luke Ramsden
Many FC Halifax Town fans will be glad to see the back of 2015. After a rollercoaster ride since the reform and finally gatecrashing back to the top level of the non-league pyramid - things at the Shay were starting to grow a little stale.
Neil Aspin was the instigator of everything that had gone right over the past 5 years but his aptitude was finally becoming questionable as the 2014-15 season stuttered to an undignified close with a return of just 1 win in the final 15 games of the campaign. A summer of turmoil with the key elements of the previously successful squad dispersing for pastures new left the door open for a complete refurb in playing staff for preseason.
The Shay faithful were pensive rather than optimistic as Aspin chanced his arm again at plundering the lower reaches of the Northern scene and casting his net over Conference Premier castoffs to join his crew to take on the predominantly full time squads of the newly rebranded National League for the 3rd time.
What followed was glimpses of what could be as some elements worked, others didn't but results creaked and the team performances continued to be lukewarm at best. Aspin was generally forgiven his sins in this regard on account of such stellar results during his tenure as boss but ultimately it was the results that did for the former Leeds United stalwart. The board pulled the trigger and Aspin was gone after a disappointing loss at local neighbours Guiseley in September.
Stability cast aside, 2015 was to go from sad to desperate in October. Untried, unproven, unbelievable Northern Irishman Darren Kelly was parachuted in to pick up the pieces and drive the club forward. Kelly's managerial CV thus far amounted to an ill fated 10 games in charge of Oldham before he was given his marching orders as recently as the previous month.
But with tall tales of attacking football, defensive solidity and the playoffs on the horizon - Darren Kelly arrived at The Shay. We were duly thrashed 7-1 at home by Cheltenham. Not an ideal start to anyone's managerial tenure.
What followed was a ten game reign of at times laughable ineptitude. Kelly's final goals scored record eventually stood at 13, while we'd shipped a monstrous 35. The writing was on the wall and FCHT Chairman David Bosomworth had to draw the line before the season became unsalvageable.
But this is where the story starts to take a more positive spin from a Shaymen perspective. Darren Kelly was gone but to add further drama to the managerial merry-go-round it was his #2 Jim Harvey who was put in interim charge.
Harvey, a non-league mainstay of good pedigree from his days at the helm of successful Conference sides including Morecambe & Forest Green Rovers, made sense as an appointment but would his reputation have been tainted by his association with the Kelly regime?
His first game in charge Away at Gateshead alleviated all these concerns. Reduced to ten men on 35 minutes, the Shaymen would run out 4-1 winners in miraculous circumstances. (Ironically a result that led to 'Heed manager Malcolm Crosby being replaced by Neil Aspin. You're welcome Neil).
Since then Jim Harvey's FC Halifax Town, with practically the same group of players, have gone from strength to strength and are still undefeated having reduced a 10 points to safety deficit to just 1 point after fantastic displays over the Christmas programme garnered a deserved 7 points from a possible 9. Inevitably Jim Harvey has been given the full time job to keep the Shaymen in The National League.
The defence looks organised, the midfielders are supplying the ammunition and in a strike force of Sean Tuton & Jordan Burrow we have the firepower to climb the league. Most importantly, the players look like they care and are playing for each other, the manager and the fans. We may lack the budget to attract full time players and offer the training facilities that have become the norm at what is now a near fully professional level but effort, coordination and workrate can still carry a long way and this is what we'll need to continue to see through to the seasons culmination in May.
On current form, you wouldn't doubt this will be achieved and football fans in Halifax can finally look forward to some happier times to come as we leave 2015 behind and kick on into 2016.
Luke Ramsden has followed Halifax Town in both its incarnations for the last 15 years. One of his favourite highlights of following the Shaymen is still a 2-2 draw away at Grays Athletic in the Conference PlayOff Semis in 2005-2006. Absolute classic. Follow @FCHalifaxTown for the unofficial fanfeed on FCHT.