‘We’ve come a long way from relagation fodder...’

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On whether Earing was knocking on the door for a start this weekend, Wild said: “There’s a few after Tuesday, I’ve got a few things to think about, which is brilliant. I’ll need to make sure we pick the right side for what will be a really tough game again on Saturday because Torquay are a very good team.”

On McAlinden’s injury, Wild said: “He’s just twisted his ankle but he’ll be fine for Saturday.

“We strapped him up for Tuesday

but he looked half a yard off.”

Wild will have winger Danny Williams available on Saturday, while left-back Jerome BinnomWilliams returns from his one hame suspension. But Jeff King will miss the game after picking up his fifth booking st Sutton.

Wild said captain Matty Brown was ahead of schedule in his comeback from a hamstring injury, but that Cameron King will remain on the sidelines this weekend.

“Cam King is under the care of the physio for the rest of this week. We hope to have him back in training next week, and available for selection for Woking. I haven’t fallen out with him, contrary to reports.

“The way that Cam’s built, he picks up illnesses, and he just needs looking after a little bit.”

Town could go top of the National League if they win on Saturday, a week after their 5-0 hammering at Bromley.

But Wild has urged the Town fans to retain some perspective despite the ups and downs.

“That’s football isn’t it? I get it, I’m a football fan, my team isn’t doing great,” he said.

“Just don’t get too carried away with the losses and don’t get too carried away with the wins. We were nailed on relegation fodder when I walked in here on July 25. We’re nearly at halfway and we’re in and around wherewewanttobe.

“That doesn’t give us the divine right that we’ll be up there at the end of the season but if I’d have sat any Halifax fan down, looked them in the eye on July 25 and said ‘after 20 games we’ll be in and around the top three’, one I’m sure they’d have all laughed at me and two, they’d have said ‘I’ll take that’.

“It’s going to be up and down, there’ll be massive bumps in the road, but that’s a 46-game season, that’s what they’re all about.

“But we’re hoping we can get Saturday done and then get a break for the lads to get ready for the Christmas run-in.”