 | |||
| Full name | Halifax Town Association Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Shaymen | ||
| Founded | 24 May 1911 | ||
| Dissolved | 2008 | ||
| Ground | The Shay | ||
| Capacity | 14,000 | ||
| 2007–08 | Conference National, 20th | ||
Halifax Town Association Football Club was anEnglishfootball club based inHalifax, West Yorkshire. They played in theEnglish Football League from 1921 to 1993 and from 1998 to 2002.
The club was dissolved in 2008, but reformed that July under the name ofFC Halifax Town.[1]
The club's stadium wasThe Shay.
The club was formed on 24 May 1911 at the Saddle Hotel.[2] They initially played in the Yorkshire Combination and theMidland League. They were one of the founder members ofFootball League Third Division North in 1921, and remained in that division until restructuring in 1958, when they became a member of theFootball League Third Division. They’re highest league position prior to World War II was second in 1934–35.[3]
They finished third, one place off promotion in theFootball League Third Division in the1970–71 season.[4]
The next season, they just avoided relegation on goal difference afterRotherham United lost on the last matchday toTranmere Rovers for Halifax to move up. In 1976, they were relegated toDivision 4.
In 1993, they were relegated to theFootball Conference.[5]
The club found the Conference no easier than the fourth division. After several poor seasons with severe financial constraints, the club was demoralised as there seemed to be no way out. However, previous managerGeorge Mulhall returned towards the end of the1996–97 and avoided relegation from the Conference. The next season Mulhall andKieran O'Regan made a number of additions to the squad includingJamie Paterson, Mark Bradshaw andLee Martin to put together a title-winning team. The Shaymen were crowned champions of the Conference and thus regained Football League status. Free scoringGeoff Horsfield was also the top scorer in the Conference that season, scoring 30 goals.[6]
At the start of the 1998–99 season, managerGeorge Mulhall chose to retire and O'Regan was promoted to manager. Striker and top scorerGeoff Horsfield only played ten games before he was sold toFulham for £300,000 in October 1998.[7] Halifax made a strong start to their league campaign and were amongst the leaders until December, after which their results started to drop off and they slipped into mid-table. Although only three points off playoff positions, O'Regan was sacked as manager by Chairman Jim Bown after a 0 – 0 draw with Rochdale in April 1999.[8]
Chris Wilder was appointed Halifax manager in July 2002.[9] In their first season back in theConference the Shaymen finished in eighth position.[5]
In2005–06, they finished 4th,[10] and reached theConference play-off final, losing toHereford United.[11]
In 2007, the club was placed into administration by a local consortium trying to buy the club.[12][13] In spite of being docked 10 points for entering administration, the club again survived relegation on the last day of the season. However, the club failed to get a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) to bring the club out of administration,[14][15]
Though the club appealed against the decision to remove it from theFootball Conference,[16] the appeal was unsuccessful and the club was wound up.[14]
In May 2008, it had been revealed that following a major error, the club owed over £800,000 toHer Majesty's Revenue and Customs, making the club more than £2 million in the red.[15]
The Supporters' Trust prepared a back-up plan to form a new club should it be required. However, the club was re-formed by the same directors of the previous legal entity under the nameFC Halifax Town and was accepted to play in theNorthern Premier League Division One North in the 2008/09 season.[17]
The club moved toThe Shay in 1921 (hence the team's nickname "The Shaymen") and remained there until it folded.
From the mid-1990s on, the Shay underwent substantial development, andHalifax RLFC moved in and shared the venue. TheFootball Trust assisted in providing funds for the redevelopment.[18]
For a list of notable Halifax Town players in sortable-list format seeList of Halifax Town A.F.C. players; for all Halifax Town players with a Wikipedia article seeCategory:Halifax Town A.F.C. players.
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| National | |
