SHAY NEWBIE IS WARING A BIG SMILE
GEORGE Waring scored on his FC Halifax debut but it wasn’t enough to earn the Shaymen a first win in five games as they had to settle for a point against Torquay United, who moved off the bottom of the table.
The Tranmere Rovers striker signed on a loan deal just hours before kick-off and his 68th minute close-range finish appeared to give Town a valuable victory.
However, the Gulls – belying their lowly league position throughout – rallied and equalised eight minutes later when Jamie Reid fired home after Rhys Murphy’s header had struck the post.
And although Town boss Billy Heath admitted his side weren’t worthy of maximum points, he was impressed with the impact of his goalscoring debutant.
“I don’t think we did enough to win the game,” he said. “It was a pretty even game and it wasn’t the greatest but we managed to get a point. We were a little bit off the pace. It was a disappointing that we got in front and we couldn’t see the game out.
“I was pleased George managed to get a goal. It was difficult as he hadn’t trained and I only met him this morning. “I thought he was fantastic as it was a great all-round performance and he topped it off with a goal. All credit to him.” Waring’s first contribution was to set up strike partner Ben Tomlinson but the former Barrow man couldn’t find the target. Matty Kosylo then had an effort deflect over before Town goalkeeper Sam Johnson had to be alert to keep out efforts from Ryan Higgins and Luke Young. Johnson then produced a brilliant save to deny Liam Davis after a rampaging run but as the heavens opened, Town were rewarded with divine intervention from Waring who found the target after the visitors failed to clear their lines. United gained a deserved point, however, courtesy of a poacher’s finish from Reid, leaving boss Gary Owers satisified. “We played really well,” he said “It was an excellent performance. We are better than the league table suggests. I was pleased the lads didn’t let their heads drop and they forced an equaliser. It’s progress.”