'Fair result' - why Halifax boss was extra pleased with win against Chesterfield

In a tight encounter with few clear-cut chances, the Shaymen edged it late on through Rob Harker’s goal.

"I thought we were a bit loose in some of our passing and receiving to start," he told the Halifax Courier.

“I thought they (Chesterfield) shaded the first quarter of the game.

"They (Chesterfield) were marginally the better team without creating a great deal, but as the first-half wore on I thought we really sharpened up and some of the intensity in our play was fantastic.

"The immediate press, the organisation when they had good possession, the way we moved the ball when we got it in their half was fantastic.

"The only disappointment was we didn't capitalise on that spell with a goal.”

He added: "Second-half, I thought for the most part we were fairly comfortable, we controlled parts of it and the times when Chesterfield had the ball, we never really felt completely vulnerable, they never really opened us up.

"So I think a 1-0 win is a fair result.

"It took us a little while to get to grips with their passing game and the way they were trying to build, but once we did, not dissimilar to Solihull away, it looked like they really struggled to find any answers to the intensity and the structure of our out of possession work.

"Once we started to grow in confidence in terms of our out of possession work, that transmitted into what we did when we regained the ball and we moved it with an intensity and a purpose."

Millington was extra pleased with the result after revealing that some of his players had been ill during the week.

He explained: “More than anything, it's easy to say this as a manager and not mean it, but I'm just dead pleased for the lads because I know what they've put themselves through to get the result.

"Five or six of them are not 100 per cent, and one or two of those are really ill.

"So I'm just really pleased they can go home, rest up, hopefully begin to get well, safe in the knowledge they've really earned that three points.”