Lewis Killeen reflects on both the highs and lows of his time at The Shay
IN THE latest part of our My Time At Town series, Lewis Killeen reflects on a tumultuous time at The Shay.
Lewis Killeen felt at home straight away at Halifax, and it was a bond that remained when he left nearly six years later.
The forward joined Town on loan from Sheffield United in November 2002 and experienced a tumultuous few years at the club, coming within touching distance of promotion before the agony of Halifax’s financial oblivion.
After the forward “jumped at the chance” to join the club on loan, he netted four times in 13 games, doing enough to convince Town boss Chris Wilder to sign him permanently in the summer of 2003.
“I think I did well on loan, then the following season I think I did OK but I would have expected to score a few more goals,” says Killeen, who scored eight times in 34 league games in the 2003-04 campaign.
“But I evolved a bit in my time at Halifax and my position changed a bit. It would change throughout the season year-byyear.
“But that first season was a bit disappointing for me and the club, I think we underperformed because Chris had made some nice signings that summer.”
After a 19th placed finish that season, Wilder was unequivocal he wanted more from Killeen and the team.
“He gave me a bit of a kick up the bum that summer and said he expected a bit more from me and he wanted me to kick on for next season,” says Killeen. “I remember the second season definitely being more successful. We were playing a lot better and I felt my performance was better that season.
“It was a season we built the foundations to go on from.
“Chris knew which players to bring into the squad. I think Chris learnt season-by-season what was needed in that league. Bit-by-bit, he brought in more experienced players and made that a foundation of the team, and got some quality loan signings. That was a good strategy.”
The 2004-05 season brought improvement from Killeen 12 league goals - and the Town team, as they finished ninth. That proved the launch pad for the following campaign, as The Shaymen, helped by 10 league goals from Killeen, reached the play-offs.
“If you’re playing in a good team and the team’s playing well, you’re going to improve with it. I learned as I went along.
“And Chris helped me improve. The first thing he used to give you was confidence. He trusted you, which is a big thing as a player.
“We had a few forwards - me, John Grant, Suggy (Ryan Sugden), Chris Senior, Danny Forrest. Two of us would play and the other two would come on and we’d all chip in with goals. That was really important.
“He did lots of shape work on a Thursday and we learned different ways to play, with and without the ball.
“We were hard working, and when you get that in a team, you just bounce from game-togame. We almost had that ‘us against the world’ mentality at that point because of the financial problems with the club. We probably weren’t fancied to be up there against some of the bigger spending clubs so that siege mentality started to get us bouncing along consistently.”
After a terrific season which saw Town lose only once at home, Wilder’s men met Grays in the play-off semi-finals.
“We got out the traps really quickly in the first game at home, I think we were 3-0 up at half-time,” Killeen says.
“I think I scored the third goal and I remember running along the side of the stand and it was absolutely bouncing. Then they came back into it in the second-half and I think Grays thought they’d done enough and you could tell they thought they were just going to turn us over down at theirs.
“I think any other season, that would have affected us losing those two goals in the first game, but I think the play-off season, with the good pros we had and the mentality we had, we shrugged it off and knew we could go down there and get a result.
“Both ties ebbed and flowed but I think our spirit got us through to the final.”
Old foes Hereford, who had relegated Town in 1993, awaited The Shaymen in the play-off final in Leicester.
“We prepared well, we felt like we could give them a good game and we were looking forward to it,” says Killeen.
“I scored to put us 1-0 up which was a really good moment for me. But they quickly equalised and it became a tight game. Going 2-1 up with 10, 15 minutes left and then it was the killer blow of them equalising. Extra-time was a bit of a blur really because you’re so tired, it’s a tense period, and ultimately they scored the winner, which was devastating for us. It’s disappointing when you’ve worked so hard all season, for it to end like that. Quite cruel really. The whole team were devastated.
“Then you reflect on it afterwards and you’re proud of the effort you’ve given. And you’ve got to recharge yourself to come back the following season.”
Easier said than done.
The momentum Town had established over the previous two seasons disappeared, and they ended the 2006-07 season in 16th.
The only momentum Town now had was dragging them further towards relegation as financial constraints really began to bite.
The 2007-08 season would prove to be Killeen’s last at The Shay. The forward again netted only three times as Town battled against a 10-point deduction and crippling financial strain.
“There was one point where I was thinking ‘we’re really struggling here and we’re probably going to get dragged down’ but we always had it in us to pull it out of the bag when it mattered.
“Even though we were up against it, we always had a feeling we’d get ourselves out of it. Ultimately we did.”
Town’s final day escape proved a false dawn as the club folded. But that final, crushing footnote does nothing to alter the frontman’s affection for the club.
“There were highs and lows but I look at it as a positive time, even the seasons where we struggled,” he says.
“We still managed to escape relegation, which is what we wanted because we didn’t want the club to go further down the pyramid than it should do when it was already lower than where it should be.”