‘The wheels will come off if we get complacent’
IN THE second part of our in-depth interview with Chris Millington, the assistant manager looks ahead to the rest of the season as FC Halifax Town push for promotion to the Football League.
As Halifax head into the home straight of the 2019-20 season, assistant manager Chris Millington wants to ensure The Shaymen just keep putting one foot in-front of the other.
There’s been plenty of jostling for position at the top of the National League, with Barrow currently leading the way on 63 points.
But Town are right in among the chasing pack, sitting third with 55 points, and enjoying a five-point cushion to Dover, who are immediately outside the play-offs.
“The work rate and effort the lads have put in is reflected in their league position,” says Millington.
“In terms of our quality and our ability, I think we’ve got stronger as the season’s gone on, they’ve also shown great personal resilience with things that have gone on both on the pitch and off it. This group of players has had a lot of adversity already this season but they have dealt with it all incredibly well so far.
“The gaffer has worked hard and been fortunate to be able to bring in the odd player who would lend themselves to strengthening the group and supporting what is already here.
“But it’s always a work in progress. If we continue to work hard, more results will go our way than not, but if we stop working hard and we get complacent, the wheels will quickly come off.
“There’s always that danger with any group and it can be hard for them to remember that they’ve got to win the next tackle, or the next header, or the next corner.
“Because they’re the things it comes down to at the end of the day. Without those things, we don’t get results.
“It’s important they stay focused on their jobs within their game.
“If we’re not ready then the opportunity will quickly pass us by and it becomes a season of what-could-have-been.”
Millington, speaking before Town’s 1-0 defeat to Halesowen last Saturday, feels The Shaymen have become more resilient over the course of the season.
“I think we’re more dogged and determined,” he said. “The game against Dover was pleasing in the sense that we got pegged back twice but kept going, and in the end our quality shone through and earned us the result.
“Similarly against Bromley, it’s well documented the challenges we’ve had against 10 men, so although we didn’t have a great second-half, it’s great that we did see it out.
“There’s more of a determined feel about the group and we feel we can go into any game and win it now, rather than sometimes in the early part of the season, although we knew if we hit form and scored the first goal we could go on and beat teams, if we conceded first or got pegged back, we weren’t always convincing after that.”
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