'Vicious circle' - expert verdict on Chesterfield's next opponents FC Halifax Town

The Spireites head to The Shay on Saturday for the lunchtime kick-off (12.30pm) having won all of their last six games.

The Shaymen got off to a slow start this season but have shown signs they are improving in recent weeks.

The Blues beat Halifax 2-1 away in last season’s play-off elimination round and they will be hoping for a similar result in their favour again.

We spoke to journalist Tom Scargill, who covers the Shaymen for the Halifax Courier, to get the verdict on Chesterfield’s next opponents:

What's gone wrong for Halifax this season?

They had a really poor start, which was brought on by a lot of new signings failing to gel and underperforming players. I think Chris Millington perhaps got stuck in a bit of a vicious circle of trying to find a solution but whatever he seemed to try just didn't work - different players, different formations. Eventually they turned it round but they lost a lot of ground in those early weeks. Expectations were high after last season and despite losing some quality players, the kind of new signings that were made were generally warmly received by the fans, as was Millington's appointment. But they just looked badly undercooked right from the first game at Barnet and it took a long while for them to find their feet.

But there have been slight improvements recently, why is that?

Better individual performances, a more settled line up and the introduction of some of the younger, hungrier players in the squad like Tylor Golden, Angelo Capello and Jamie Cooke, who have all played really well since being more regular inclusions. Players like Mani Dierseruvwe, who had a slow start, has found the net more regularly over the last few weeks and they've tightened up considerably at the back, something which simply had to happen as they were shipping goals at an alarming rate. I think work-rate has gone up hugely too - there was almost an apathy at times from the players, who didn't show enough fight or spirit in the early weeks, but they've shown that in droves of late.

Halifax normally do good business in the transfer market - how would you rate their summer activity?

Yeah I don't think it's been up to scratch to be honest. There are a lot of players for whom the jury is still out. It shows that constantly unearthing diamonds at this level is so difficult season after season, and perhaps Town's radar has been off course a little. Sam Smart was sent out on loan to Dagenham last month after failing to get going since joining from Eastleigh, Tom Clarke hasn't really been the kind of commanding, authoritative presence you'd have expected, and neither has Jordan Keane. Sam Minihan has been out of the side in recent weeks, with Golden taking his place. Others like Capello, Dierseruvwe and Festus Arthur and Jamie Stott have got better as the season's gone on. But none of the new signings have really set the world alight, which has been the case in recent seasons.

What's the verdict on manager Chris Millington?

He's definitely on more stable ground now. Plenty of fans were calling for him to go after the first few weeks when there were some shocking results and performances, but chairman David Bosomworth stuck by him and deserves credit for doing so as, since then, form has improved drastically. Millington deserves credit too as he has made the changes that were needed, he has left out players who weren't performing to the required standards and has shown he has enough tactical nous to address the problems. He's a very nice guy, all the noises are that he's popular among the players and has a good relationship with them. It's been a massive test of his managerial credentials in what is his first senior job as manager, and hopefully he's come through his toughest spell in the role.

Is there a different style of play compared to when Pete Wild was in charge?

I would say there are differences. They had Billy Waters up top last season, who was 5 foot 6 inches, compared to Dierseruvwe or Rob Harker, both of whom are six foot plus. So that has meant a few more direct passes at times. When Town were at their best under Wild, they were exciting, exhilarating and in-your-face. There have been glimpses of that this season, but not really enough. They've shown they're capable of playing some good football, but there's not quite been the attacking exuberance yet that existed for a fair bit of the time under Wild.

Who are the key men to watch out for?

Kian Spence is a talent, great technique, vision and work rate. He's an attacking midfielder who can play as an 8 or a 10, but maybe just needs to add more goals to his game. He and Jamie Cooke have both been playing off a central striker of late and have done well. Luke Summerfield adds crucial experience and composure in central midfield and has probably been one of the team's best players this season. It's vital Town keep him fit.

Can they still make the play-offs?

I believe they can. If you'd have asked me after the 4-0 home defeat to Woking at the start of October it would have been a different answer but since then they've beaten York, Solihull and Boreham Wood, looked much more like a team who are working for each other and are much harder to score against. Their main issue is a lack of goals, they're the joint-lowest scorers in the league, and that simply has to be addressed if they're to have any designs on the top seven. They can't rely on keeping clean sheets to win games by just scoring once. The likes of Jordan Slew and Matty Warburton have both hit double figures in recent seasons, but neither has hit their stride yet, while forward Yamen Osawe, of who big things were talked of, has made no impact yet. Whether the lack of goals needs to be rectified by adding to the squad from elsewhere remains to be seen, but that's the main missing ingredient and what is needed to take them from the safety of mid-table up towards the promotion contenders.

Any injuries/suspensions for this one?

Jack Hunter is back from suspension. Tom Clarke, Jesse Debrah, Jordan Slew, Yamen Osawe and Milli Alli were all unavailable for the defeat at Yeovil last time out, but all could be in with a chance of returning on Saturday.

Predicted line-up?

(3-4-2-1) Johnson; Arthur, Stott, Senior; Golden, Summerfield, Gilmour, Capello; Cooke, Spence; Dierseruvwe