Town stride into play-offs with impressive victory
FC Halifax Town booked last night’s (Wednesday) play-off eliminator clash against Solihull Moors after easing into the top seven with a 3-0 win at Eastleigh on Saturday.
Goals from Adan George, Jamie Cooke and Max Wright gave Halifax a deserved win as The Shaymen strolled into the play-offs.
They might have stumbled towards the final day, but it was an utterly professional performance from Town, who were easily the better team.
There was a hint of danger from the league's top scorer Paul McCallum within the opening ten minutes, with one header against the bar that wouldn't have counted anyway and another landing on the roof of the net from a long throw.
Town saw plenty of the ball from the off, popping it about with an assured touch, but the early chances fell to Eastleigh, with Nigel Atangana blazing over from just inside the box.
Andrew Oluwabori then had a shot, cutting in on his right from the left, tipped over by Joe McDonnell.
The winger was the only one of Town's front four offering a threat, dragging another shot wide after another trademark cut inside.
Town were looking comfortable and settled, and were largely in control of the contest, but Sam Johnson misjudging a Lee Hodson cross, that dropped just wide, didn't help any nerves.
Those were settled by Town's number 27 in the 27th minute when Oluwabori's bobbling cross from the left was met with a bobbling shot by George that sneaked past Joe McDonnell, with Eastleigh protesting about a foul on halfway in the build-up.
As if things couldn't get much better for The Shaymen, Dagenham and Redbridge took the lead against Aldershot.
It wasn't supposed to be this straight forward was it?
Halifax ended the half playing some fluid, flowing stuff on the plush Eastleigh pitch. What a difference some grass makes.
Eastleigh looked like a team with nothing to play for, an air of going through the motions, unlike Town, who were cohesive, switched on and the superior side, Luke Summerfield and Kane Thomson-Sommers bossing midfield.
The Shaymen hadn't converted their possession into a glut of chances, but had taken their opportunity when it came.
It was all going about as well as it could, but McCallum's shot just wide on the turn just after the interval was a reminder how quickly it could change.
So was Aldershot's equaliser at Dagenham.
But Town were containing Eastleigh effectively, with the hosts yet to have a shot on target as the hour mark ticked by.
And they doubled their lead when a lay off by Oluwabori
found Cooke, who lashed the ball in low from just inside the box.
Oluwabori should have set-up Max Wright for Town's third soon afterwards but opted to shoot after nicking the ball inside the Eastleigh half rather than passing to his team-mate, and his effort was blocked.
It already looked a long way back for the hosts, and Eastleigh were then put out of reach when Wright produced a superb left-footed shot from 20 yards into the top corner.