 | |||
| Full name | FC Halifax Town | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Shaymen | ||
| Founded | 2008; 17 years ago (2008) | ||
| Ground | The Shay | ||
| Capacity | 14,081 (5,830 standing) | ||
| Chairman | David Bosomworth | ||
| Manager | Chris Millington | ||
| League | National League | ||
| 2023–24 | National League, 7th of 24 | ||
| Website | https://fchalifaxtown.com/ | ||
 Current season | |||
FC Halifax Town is a professionalassociation football club based inHalifax, West Yorkshire, England. They currently compete in theNational League, the fifth level ofEnglish football league system, as of the2023–24 season.
They replacedHalifax Town A.F.C., which went intoadministration in the2007–08 season. FC Halifax were initially placed in theNorthern Premier League Division One North, the eighth tier of English football ahead of the 2008–09 season. Under managerNeil Aspin, the club won three promotions, reaching the top division of non-League football by 2013. FC Halifax won theFA Trophy in 2015–16 but were relegated to theNational League North in the same season before returning to the National League immediately thanks to a play-off win againstChorley. FC Halifax also won the FA Trophy in the 2022–23 season. They play atThe Shay.
Huge tax debts buriedHalifax Town A.F.C. after almost 100 years as a football club. In May 2008, it was revealed that Halifax owed over £814,000 toHer Majesty's Revenue and Customs.[1] It was originally thought the club owed the taxman around £500,000, which might have left scope for a deal.[2] At a meeting of theFA, discussing the makeup of thefootball pyramid for the2008–09 season, it was decided that FC Halifax Town would be placed in theNorthern Premier League Division One North (the eighth tier of English football) despite various appeals.[3]
The club's first game under the new name FC Halifax Town was a friendly defeat againstTamworth on 19 July 2008.[4] The Shaymen's first competitive match came in a 3–0 loss toBamber Bridge.[5] FC Halifax's first everseason was filled with inconsistency: ending outside the play-off positions in 8th place.[6]
In April 2009,Neil Aspin was appointed as the new manager, which would prove to be an excellent appointment.[7] His first season in charge was a successful one; winning the league with 100 points (scoring 108 goals in the process).[6] Halifax reached theFA Cup 4th qualifying round that season: eventually losing toWrexham in front of a record crowd of 2,843.[8] The title was sealed with a 2–2 home draw againstClitheroe.[citation needed]
Halifax started the 2010–11 season in theNorthern Premier League, (the 7th tier of English football). New-signingJamie Vardy (who would later play forLeicester City and theEngland National Team) helped fire Halifax to back-to-back promotions to theConference North as top scorer with 22 goals. Once again, Halifax would lose in the fourth qualifying round of theFA Cup to a fifth tier side; this time it would be a narrow defeat toMansfield Town. On New Year's Day 2011, Town beatFC United of Manchester 4–1 at the Shay which attracted a crowd of 4,023, an attendance that at the time held the record crowd for the Northern Premier League.[9] They finally won the title after winning 2–0 atRetford United and gained automatic promotion to the Conference North.[citation needed]
During pre-season, star-striker Jamie Vardy signed forFleetwood Town. Vardy was replaced as Halifax's main striker byLee Gregory (who would later play forMillwall andStoke City in theChampionship). Halifax had a sluggish start to their first ever season in the 6th tier. For the first ever time, Halifax reached the 1st round of theFA Cup: a televised home tie againstLeague One leadersCharlton Athletic.[10] The result was a 4–0 defeat in front of 4,601 supporters.The club rose from 13th at the start of the match to 3rd by the end of the season. Halifax lost in the play-offs toGainsborough Trinity (3–2 on aggregate).[11]
The 2012–13 season was the club's second consecutive season in the 6th tier. The season was defined by successful cup-runs and another promotion. In theFA Cup, Halifax tookConference Premier sideLincoln City to a replay in the 4th qualifying round. In theFA Trophy Halifax reached the quarter-finals of the tournament, eventually losing out to 5th tier sideDartford. Due to Town's cup-runs and postponements from poor weather caused a huge back-log in fixtures. By February, Halifax had ten games in hand on certain teams. Halifax had a difficult run at the end of the season (despite playing 12 games in 27 days), reaching the play-offs in 5th. In the play-off semi-final, Halifax won 3–1 (on aggregate) against local sideGuiseley.[12] The play-off final was won 1–0 againstBrackley Town with a solitary goal by Lee Gregory.[13]
TheNational League (5th tier) was the highest level that the newly formed FC Halifax Town side had played at since formation. Neil Aspin started the 2013–14 season by signing a two-year contract.[14] Their first season in the 5th tier started with a disappointing 5–1 defeat toCambridge United.[15] Town's first win in the 5th tier was againstWrexham.[16] From March onwards, the Shaymen won 9 of 10 matches (keeping 7 clean-sheets) Halifax finished their first season in theConference play-off positions (the highest placed semi-professional team in the country). Halifax lost 2–1 to Cambridge United in the play-off semi-final, rounding off a sensational first season in the 5th tier.[17]
During pre-season, Lee Gregory was sold for £250,000 to Millwall after being Halifax's top scorer for three consecutive seasons (scoring 18, 20 and 29 goals respectively).[18] Halifax started the new season with five consecutive wins, placing the Shaymen at the top of the league. In the 1st round of theFA Cup, Halifax were drawn against old rivalsBradford City. The televised match attracted 8,042 spectators (FC Halifax Town's record attendance): which Town lost 2–1.[19] Eventually, form dropped off in the league with too many draws (15), leaving Halifax Town in 9th place at the end of the season.[20]
The Shaymen's third season in theNational League was a poor one, culminating in relegation back to the 6th tier.Neil Aspin was sacked[21] and replaced byDarren Kelly. Kelly oversaw disastrous results againstGrimsby Town[22] (7–0),Cheltenham Town (7–1)[23] andBraintree Town (6–3).[24] The Braintree defeat forced the hand of the board who sacked him after less than two months in charge.[25]Jim Harvey became caretaker manager, he turned the club's fortunes around but couldn't prevent Halifax's relegation back to theNational League North following a draw againstMacclesfield Town.[26] Meanwhile, Halifax reached the2016 FA Trophy final, defeating Grimsby Town 1–0 atWembley Stadium.[27]
Harvey was replaced byNorth Ferriby United manager Billy Heath. Town made an immediate return to the National League, finishing in 3rd place. Halifax metSalford City in the play-off semi-final, drawing 1–1 (winning 3–0 on penalties).[28] In the play-off final, Halifax beat Chorley 2–1 after extra time in front of nearly 8,000 fans.[29]
Halifax's return to theNational League was largely uneventful. Despite mid-season doubts, Halifax were never in serious danger of relegation. Billy Heath was replaced byJamie Fullarton[30] mid-season who guided them to 16th place.[31] For the second consecutive season, Halifax finished theseason in 16th place. Halifax were top of the league at the end of August having just switched to a hybrid full-time model. The highlight of the season was an impressive win againstEFL League Two sideMorecambe.[32]
In 2018, it was announced that FC Halifax would become full-time.[33] During pre-season, Jamie Fullarton was replaced withPete Wild.[34] This time though, the positive start to the season didn't end like in previous seasons. By March, theCOVID-19 forced the cancellation of the season.[35] The final league position was decided on a points per game decision, meaning Halifax would end up in the play-off positions. However, the Shaymen lost 2–1 in the play-offs toBoreham Wood.[36] Halifax finished the following season in 10th place – four points outside the play-offs.[37] Due to the recent coronavirus pandemic, the vast majority of fixtures were playedbehind closed doors during2020–21.[38]
In the2021–22 season, FC Halifax posted their highest ever league finish of 4th place, qualifying for the play-offs.[39] In the play-off eliminator, they lost 2–1 at home toChesterfield.[40] At the end of the season, Pete Wild left for EFL League Two sideBarrow.[41] Wild was replaced byChris Millington.[42] Under Millington, FC Halifax finished 11th and won the2023 FA Trophy final at Wembley, defeatingGateshead 1–0.[43][44] They reached the National League play-offs again in the2023–24 season after finishing 7th, but lost 4–2 toSolihull Moors in the eliminator.[45]
| Period | Kit Manufacturer | Home Shirt Sponsor | Away Shirt Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2009 | Vandanel | Grand Union Railway | Halton Group |
| 2009–2010 | Doodson Broking Group | ||
| 2010–2011 | Polyframe | ||
| 2011–2012 | |||
| 2012–2013 | |||
| 2013–2014 | Sondico | MBi Consulting | |
| 2014–2015 | Adidas | ||
| 2015–2016 | MBi Consulting | Integro Doodson | |
| 2016–2017 | Northern Powerhouse Developments | GB Architectural Cladding Products | |
| 2017–2018 | |||
| 2018–2019 | |||
| 2019–2020 | Core Facility Services | Nuie Bathrooms | |
| 2020–2021 | |||
| 2021–2022 |
Halifax Town's traditional colours are blue and white. The club doesn't have any particular, identifiable style and as such there can be quite a change of style season upon season. For the majority of Halifax Town's existence the club has opted for blue shirts, blue shorts and blue socks with various different styles on the shirt. This rhythm was interrupted between 2011 and 2014 as in the 2011–12 season the kit was blue with black trim as opposed to white, between 2012 and 2014 the club wore blue shirts, white shorts and blue sock; in the 2019–20 season the kit was blue with golden trim before moving back to a blue kit with white trimmings for 2020–21, which continued into 2021–22. As Halifax Town (AFC) the kit was also variable, including full blue, blue with white shorts, blue and white stripes and in the 1970s the kit included orange and even full white kits with orange[46] Away kits have no set standard or style nor colour and can come in a wide range of styles, such as the 2019–20 away kit which was orange with light blue trim which was exchanged for a pink and black kit or a gold and white shirt with hints of burgundy with burgundy socks and shorts in 2020–21, even the 1996–97 white away kit with purple trimmings or, finally, the black and white 2011–12 away kit with lime trimmings.[47]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(November 2023) |
FC Halifax play atThe Shay, which has a capacity of 14,081 (5,830 standing).[48]
| Club | Last Match | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Bradford City | L 2–1 | 2014–15 |
| York City | L 1–2 | 2024–25 |
| Huddersfield Town | D 0–0 | 2001–02 |
| Rochdale | D 0–0 | 2024–25 |
| Burnley | L 1–0 | 1991–92 |
According to a survey conducted in 2003, Halifax's three main rivals areBurnley,Rochdale andHuddersfield Town.[49] The rivalry with Burnley began in the 1980s when Burnley dropped into theFourth Division and a number of intense affairs between the two clubs when the teams played sparked a rivalry. Despite not having met since and rarely beforehand, Halifax fans still view Burnley as being the club's biggest rival and make reference to it in several chants. Halifax have met Rochdale well over 100 times in theFootball League[50] and like the Burnley rivalry has formed due to theYorkshire-Lancashire connection and being one of the nearest towns toHalifax, albeit over thePennines. Rochdale are the club's oldest traditional rival and many of the older generation of supporters still see them as the primary rival. The Huddersfield rivalry comes from the proximity between the two towns, being just 8 miles apart. Like Burnley, the two clubs have rarely met due to Huddersfield usually being in a higher division but the fans still see there as being a rivalry.[51]
Other rivals includeBradford City andYork City. Despite Bradford being a similar distance away from Halifax as Huddersfield is and having met each other far more times, isn't considered as fierce a rivalry. York, although around 35 miles away, have a competitive rivalry with Halifax, particularly as the two were the only Yorkshire representatives when playing in theConference Premier in the mid-2000s.Barnsley andOldham Athletic were both considered rivals in the past; Barnsley have not played Halifax in a league fixture since the 1970s.[52]
When Halifax were demoted to the regional leagues some of the smaller local clubs tried to form competitive rivalries but none of them really took off. The biggest of these rivalries was arguably withGuiseley as the clubs met several times and during Halifax's time in theConference North the two clubs were both pushing for the play-offs. The rivalry has since declined and has become more of a friendly one as several ex-Halifax players now play and manage there. A small rivalry formed withChester during their season in the Conference North as the two clubs were the two big, ex-league clubs and had gone through an almost identical fate, having been liquidated and demoted three leagues. Smaller rivalries were also formed withBradford Park Avenue,FC United of Manchester andHarrogate Town.[53][54]
As of 16th October 2024[39]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Board
Management and backroom staff
All competitions exceptWest Riding County Cup
| Name | From | To | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Vince | 2 July 2008 | 9 April 2009 | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 47.83 |
| Nigel Jemson (Caretaker) | 9 April 2009 | 25 April 2009 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Neil Aspin | 28 April 2009 | 17 September 2015 | 332 | 178 | 78 | 76 | 53.61 |
| Gareth McClelland (Caretaker) | 17 September 2015 | 1 October 2015 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Darren Kelly | 1 October 2015 | 17 November 2015 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 20.00 |
| Jim Harvey (Caretaker) | 17 November 2015 | 22 December 2015 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60.00 |
| Jim Harvey | 22 December 2015 | 24 May 2016 | 29 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 41.38 |
| Billy Heath | 24 May 2016 | 31 January 2018 | 88 | 38 | 23 | 27 | 43.18 |
| Neil Young (Caretaker) | 31 January 2018 | 20 February 2018 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 33.33 |
| Jamie Fullarton | 20 February 2018 | 15 July 2019 | 65 | 20 | 27 | 18 | 30.80 |
| Steve Nichol andNathan Clarke (Co-Caretakers) | 15 July 2019 | 24 July 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Pete Wild | 24 July 2019 | 26 May 2022 | 139 | 65 | 28 | 46 | 46.76 |
| Chris Millington | 28 May 2022 | Present | 126 | 49 | 37 | 40 | 38.88 |
FC Halifax Town's honours include:[39]
League
Cup
