SHAYMEN SHOW MOR RESOLVE TO STUN WOOD

SUBSTITUTE Adam Morgan struck an 81stminute equaliser to hand FC Halifax a precious point at Meadow Park despite the late sending off of big striker Tom Denton.

Wood had gone ahead inside the opening eight minutes through the lively Bruno Andrade.

But just when Wood looked like celebrating a win that would have revitalised their unlikely promotion push, Morgan struck the rebound after keeper Grant Smith had parried a Matty Kosylo effort.

Frustrated Wood boss Luke Garrard said: “After leading for much of the game to concede the way we did was disappointing.

“The goal came from a foul where I actually thought the referee was blowing for a penalty, we allowed them to get down the sides and Grant Smith made a good save but allowed a tap in at the back post.

“We started brightly and played well for the opening 15 minutes.

“After Bruno’s great free kick we could have had a second that was chalked off for offside that I will need to look at again.

“Credit to Halifax, they put us under pressure and I thought we had weathered the storm but they stuck at it and got their equaliser.

“We certainly didn’t do enough today to win a game of football.”

Andrade gave Wood the perfect start when his pressure on the Shaymen back line earned a free-kick just outside the penalty area on eight minutes. Andrade himself drove the kick low and beat a sea of Halifax defenders as the ball nestled into the bottom right corner. Dangerman Kosylo had provided the spark for Halifax and he was at the centre of their equaliser. The midfielder’s initial shot was saved by Smith, but Morgan was on hand to blast home the equaliser. The Shaymen’s quest for a late winner pushed Denton a little too far when the striker was sent off for a second yellow card by referee Carl Brook for an alleged use of the elbow on Wood’s Dave Stephens as the 6ft 7in front man attempted to bustle his way through the Wood rearguard and into the penalty area. It was a gallant effort, but despite failing to nick a late winner, FC Halifax boss Billy Heath will full of praise for the resolve of his players. “It was a game of very fine margins and I think the point was a fair result – just,” the Shaymen boss said. “We had a purple patch in the first half where we put them under immense pressure and again in the second half and I thought it was going to be one of those games – but we stuck at it and got our just rewards. “There were a number of big decisions that went for us and equally against us. “We showed a great resolve and throughly deserved a point from our second half performance. “It was two decent teams today and we go back to Halifax happy with a point.”