CLUB
Halifax Town
Some clubs we’ve come up against over the years find themselves on a proper rollercoaster ride; glorious highs and heartbreaking lows. We suppose it helps to keep things interesting, but that’s not good for the heart? In some cases, however, such rides can come to an abrupt end. And that is what happened to Halifax Town; going out of business in 2008 only 10 years after a Conference title win took them back into the Football League after a five-year absence.
The problem is they couldn’t make good on that opportunity. And it’s why we ended up playing them a good few times across two separate spells in the 1990s and 2000s – as we’ll now explore. Boro’ came up against them on 20 occasions in all – each time a league game across two spells in the Conference. Well, two spells for them. The first spell coincided with our promotion from the Diadora League Premier League; the Shaymen relegated from the Football League in 1993.
After earning promotion back to the League in 1998, the Shaymen were among us yet again six years later. In 2007, however, Halifax found themselves in administration. And despite surviving relegation on the last day, they were expelled from the Conference. It was shortly after the curtain fell on their story. The name was revived by the new FC Halifax Town that same year. Can the ‘new’ Shaymen make it back to the Football League?
Halifax Town: The Facts
Head-to-Head
| Played | 20 |
|---|---|
| Won | 10 |
| Drawn | 1 |
| Lost | 9 |
| Goals For | 31 |
| Goals Against | 27 |
| Win % | 50% |
Club History
Who are Halifax Town Football Club?
There’s no shortage of football clubs in the West Yorkshire region. Leeds United, Bradford City, and Huddersfield Town spring to mind immediately. And you could stray a little further into east Lancashire or other parts of Yorkshire and find other teams jostling for support. It isn’t much of a shock, however. A lot of people live in the mill towns and cities all along the M62 corridor. And, in 1911, there was easily room for one more: Halifax Town.
Just 10 years after forming, the Shaymen landed a spot in the Football League; one of the founder members of Division Three North. True to the rollercoaster analogy, they had their ups and their downs over the years. The 1934-5 season saw them end up a close second behind Donny. For the most part, however, the club’s finishing position would be in double figures. And if relegation from the League had been a thing, it may have been so different.
A relatively good 1957-8 season worked in their favour when the Shaymen were placed in Division Three on reorganisation. The club were relegated a few years later, but did make a return to the third tier in 1969. It came close to being so much better too as they finished third in 1971; missing out on promotion to Division Two by four points. After that, however, the trend is a downwards one. And it starts with relegation back to Division Four in 1977.
Why do we know the Shaymen?
Back in the basement division, the Shaymen were more often than not found languishing in the bottom four. And, as relegation from the Football League started become a thing in the late 1980s and early 1990s, this wasn’t the safest place to be hanging around. It’s not too much of a shock, then, that it’d catch up with them; falling into non-league for the first time in 70 years after propping up Division Three come the end of the 1993-4 season.
One year later, Boro’ joined them in the GM Vauxhall Conference.
How to get to Halifax Town
By Car
By Road
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By Rail
By Rail
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Parking
Parking
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Previous Meetings
| Date | Competition | Venue | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Apr 2008 | Blue Square Premier | A | 2-1 |
| 17 Nov 2007 | Blue Square Premier | H | 2-3 |
| 28 Apr 2007 | Conference National | A | 1-2 |
| 30 Sep 2006 | Conference National | H | 2-1 |
| 14 Apr 2006 | Nationwide Conference | A | 1-1 |
| 3 Sep 2005 | Nationwide Conference | H | 1-0 |
| 12 Feb 2005 | Nationwide Conference | A | 1-2 |
| 6 Nov 2004 | Nationwide Conference | H | 2-1 |
| 21 Feb 2004 | Nationwide Conference | H | 1-0 |
| 4 Oct 2003 | Nationwide Conference | A | 1-2 |
Shared Players
| Player | Profile |
|---|---|
| Jordan Burrow | View Profile |
| Steve Croudson | View Profile |
| Terry Dixon | View Profile |
| James Ferry | View Profile |
| Santos Gaia | View Profile |
| Scott Houghton | View Profile |
| Jake Hyde | View Profile |
| Dominic Naylor | View Profile |
| Brian Quailey | View Profile |
| Toby Savin | View Profile |
| Jordan Slew | View Profile |
| Darryn Stamp | View Profile |
| Chris Tate | View Profile |
| Darren White | View Profile |
| Richard Wilmot | View Profile |
| Kyle Wootton | View Profile |
