WILD CLOSES IN ON NEW SIGNING Halifax boss hoping to add new face for Torquay clash at Shay
TOWN BOSS Pete Wild is hopeful he will add to his squad ahead of Saturday’s Shay clash with Torquay.
The Shaymen will return to the top of the National League if they beat The Gulls and leaders Bromley fail to win at Wrexham. Wild said he had been close to sealing a loan deal for a player, which eventually fell through, but is hopeful of adding another player to his squad on a shortterm contract.
“It’s been frustrating,” said the Town boss. “I spent all since Saturday evening on the coach home and all through Monday working on potential targets. I had one two-thirds of the way done, and then he didn’t want to come. I had the deal agreed with the club and the bloke didn’t want to come, so that was frustrating.
“But that’s football and I’ll keep working hard on who I need to get in. I’ve got numerous targets. Me and the chairman sat down on Monday about what we want to do.
“The fans have got to be patient because it’s not a case of ‘we’re going to do this and it’ll happen tomorrow’. We know who we want, we’ll chase them down. Fingers crossed we’ll have one more body in for Saturday. That just needs rubber stamping, but hopefully we’ll have another experienced body in the building for Saturday.”
When asked what position in the team he was looking to strengthen, Wild said: “To increase our goal tally, our forward line, that’s obvious.
“I was looking at a centrehalf but I’m going to stick on that one and concentrate on my forward line. If the lad comes off that I want, he’s a number 10, so while Cam (King) is getting over his illness he’ll give us another body in that position.”
Jacob Hanson, Josh Macdonald and Jack Earing are all pushing to start on Saturday after good displays at Sutton.
“I thought they did well,” Wild said of Hanson and Macdonald, who both started for the first time this season. As I’ve said in every interview, it’s not as though I don’t rate Jacob and it’s not as though I think he’s a poor player.
“He’s just had to wait for his chance because the back four’s been doing well. I said to him ‘take your chance and you stay in’. That’s what I’ve done with every player and he’s taken his chance tonight so it gives me something to think about for Saturday.”
Earing impressed after coming on at half-time at Sutton.
“Jack’s been excellent in training,” said Wild. “Liam (McAlinden) was carrying a knock going into the game - in the last two minutes of training he took a knock.
“We were umming and aahing over whether we were going to start Jack, then I went with Liam because of the goals he’s scored.
“But I’m really pleased for Jack. I thought that was the best performance he’s done this year, a really mature performance, and he’s getting better every week.
“One thing I’d say about Jack is that he doesn’t moan, he gets his head down, he works hard and he’s just trying to be a better player, and full credit to the lad because he showed that on Tuesday.”
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