FC Halifax Town - The Phoenix Rises

[craigmcfc]

Cheers Gary, really interesting read that

[CITYSTEVEDON]

Ok, I'm a Yorkshire lad and am proud of it and just wanted to share this seasons achievement of my local team. Most of you will remember Halifax Town for all the wrong reasons (beating us in the FA Cup for all you youngsters) but unfortunately at the end of last season they went out of business after surviving relegation from the Conference on the final day of the season.

They were reformed shortly afterwards as FC Halifax Town and had to apply to the Unibond North, which is 4 divisions below the football league and one division lower than that FC Utd of Manc shower. With only one automatic promotion slot, a new team and a new manager, Neil Aspin, promotion seemed like an extremely long shot.

Having spend the first half of the season trailing Lancaster City by around 10 points, with games in hand, since xmas the gap has been slowly closed until they played them at home at the Shay almost a fortnight ago, beating them 4-0

Halifax have gone on to clinch the title, and with one game left have a record of

P 41 W 30 D 9 L 2 F 107 A 37 PTS 99


i thought both halifax and baby rags was in the same div
So next season Town will be a step nearer where they belong and having the chance to hopefully crush FC U of M in both games. Let's hope that Chester City can see the light at the end of the tunnel

[craigmcfc]

Ok, I'm a Yorkshire lad and am proud of it and just wanted to share this seasons achievement of my local team. Most of you will remember Halifax Town for all the wrong reasons (beating us in the FA Cup for all you youngsters) but unfortunately at the end of last season they went out of business after surviving relegation from the Conference on the final day of the season.

They were reformed shortly afterwards as FC Halifax Town and had to apply to the Unibond North, which is 4 divisions below the football league and one division lower than that FC Utd of Manc shower. With only one automatic promotion slot, a new team and a new manager, Neil Aspin, promotion seemed like an extremely long shot.

Having spend the first half of the season trailing Lancaster City by around 10 points, with games in hand, since xmas the gap has been slowly closed until they played them at home at the Shay almost a fortnight ago, beating them 4-0

Halifax have gone on to clinch the title, and with one game left have a record of

P 41 W 30 D 9 L 2 F 107 A 37 PTS 99


i thought both halifax and baby rags was in the same div
So next season Town will be a step nearer where they belong and having the chance to hopefully crush FC U of M in both games. Let's hope that Chester City can see the light at the end of the tunnel

Nay man, not only did you mess up quoting but you also didn't read the date on the original post, which was 12 months ago! Doh!

You'll be pleased to know Halifax won 1-0 away to them, and then hammered them 4-1 at home not long after

[john68]

That was a good a good read Gary. I haver been to the Shay watching Salford RLFC and had no idea of the stand's history when I was there. I will ensure i take my camers next time and look stupid photographing the roof.

I am informed that an amount of the Maine Road seating was bought by Coventry City, are there any other bits of Maine Road knocking about antwhere that you know of Gary?
I was also told that the old floodlight stanchions that graced Maine Road until the 60s/70s are still in place at Hurst Cross, Ashton.

[gary james]

That was a good a good read Gary. I haver been to the Shay watching Salford RLFC and had no idea of the stand's history when I was there. I will ensure i take my camers next time and look stupid photographing the roof.

I am informed that an amount of the Maine Road seating was bought by Coventry City, are there any other bits of Maine Road knocking about antwhere that you know of Gary?
I was also told that the old floodlight stanchions that graced Maine Road until the 60s/70s are still in place at Hurst Cross, Ashton.

There are a few bits here and there. The white barrels from the Main Stand roof are used as pig shelters in a piggery in Cheshire (I think - it has appeared on other forums in the past). Some of the old North Stand Grey seats ended up at Droylsden (though I don't know if they're still there). Some seating did go to Coventry.

The floodlighting - the original floodlighting system was updgraded in 1963 (I've not had chance to check the specifics today on any of this, so some of the dates may be slightly out) and the old lights went to Leamington I believe (I've not heard the one about Ashton Utd's Hurst Cross before). The towers for the second lights demolished in 1993 were scrapped but I guess some of the lights themselves may have made it to Ashton.

At one stage engineers were looking at the possibility of dismantling the entire Kippax St (the seated, last one) and re-erecting it at Aintree, but the cost made it too much of an issue.

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

At one stage engineers were looking at the possibility of dismantling the entire Kippax St (the seated, last one) and re-erecting it at Aintree, but the cost made it too much of an issue


That would be appropriate. I certainly saw some 'mares' sat in the Kippax.

[gary james]

That would be appropriate. I certainly saw some 'mares' sat in the Kippax.

I like that. Notice I was careful not to say 'Pig Sty' when I was talking about the white Main Stand roof being used to house pigs. There's clearly lots of potential for digs etc.

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

That would be appropriate. I certainly saw some 'mares' sat in the Kippax.

I like that. Notice I was careful not to say 'Pig Sty' when I was talking about the white Main Stand roof being used to house pigs. There's clearly lots of potential for digs etc.

And we all know who really plays at "the sty"

[john68]

Thanks for that info Gary. Not sure where I heard the Ashton thing, it was a long time ago and i never checked it out. It would have been the towers and lights from the system demolished in 1963.

I can definately tell you what happened to the corner flag (between the Scoreboard End and Kippax) from the Charity Shield in 1968, v West Brom. I got to it before my mate during the celebratory pitch invasion at the final whistle and it was in my possession for a number of years....:-)

[craigmcfc]

Last game of the season and the final league table saw them finish as Champions, 19 points clear of second place, with a record of -

1. FC Halifax Town P42 - W 30 - D 8 - L 4 - F 108 - A 36 - PTS 98

Finished with 2 draws which was a shame as just one win would've given them 100 points to go along with the 100 goals. Blue Square North next season, hopefully playing Hyde if they can survive on the last day

Congrats to Bury too

[CITYSTEVEDON]

ooooops anyway well done to halifax, and i still hate them for winning 1-0 in the fa cup all those years ago[1980] and i was there