Halifax Town v Grays Athletic

Tuesday 16^th October, 2007

The Shay, Halifax

Kick Off 7.45pm (Live on Setanta sports 1)

A week after their last game, Halifax Town entertain Essex club Grays Athletic at The Shay this coming Tuesday.

Match 16 of their Blue Square Premier League season sees The Shaymen live on television for the 3^rd time this year, in a game which never fails to remind Town fans of the televised meetings between the two sides at the end of the 2005-2006 season, when they met in the Conference Play Off Semi finals.

Both teams have had a decline in fortunes since those exciting, goal-ridden matches, which saw Town progress to the play off final at Walkers Stadium, Leicester.Both teams looked like relegation candidates for the most part of last season, and this term we see Halifax in 17^th position, with Grays 2 places beneath them in 19^th spot.

Our visitors will make the long journey up north on the back of a 2-0 home defeat against Weymouth, and a backroom re-shuffle with first team coach Jimmy Dack being replaced by John Yems.

Grays started the game against Weymouth in a 4-3-3 formation, and despite a good opening spell in the game, frontmen Aaron O'Connor. Danny Kedwell and Gavin Grant failed to find the killer instincts needed from them in front of goal.As Weymouth got back in to the game, those wasted chances came back to haunt The Gravelmen as Jamie Coutts and Jefferson Louis both scored for Weymouth in the 2^nd half to give The Terras all 3 points.

As for Town, Anthony Griffith will be missing as he begins his 4 match ban for picking up 5 yellow cards and a sending off in the defeat at Kidderminster last Tuesday.Reserve Steve Bushell will have a chance to impress once again, after starting the season alongside Tom Kearney, but not adding the strength and impetus as Griffith has since his arrival from Doncaster.With the strength in depth of the central midfield now looking quite precarious, one thing the town fans will be hoping is that the sometimes volatile Bushell will remain card free for the 4 games he is likely to partake in.

Another option Chris Wilder has in the middle of the park is to include the creative Steve Torpey in the centre alongside Kearney, to maximize the flow and the tempo of the type of football The Shaymen are playing this season.

Chris Wilder is likely to play with 4 at the back, as is his normal selection in home games, and with 3 fully fit centre backs to choose from, we could see Adam Quinn partnered by Greg Young at the back, with Cortez Belle taking a rest on the sidelines.

Upfront sees Lewis Killeen an almost certain starter, with loanee Dean Oliver likely to partner him.Jon Shaw is still missing through suspension, and Andy Campbell isn't fit.Stamp should be available for a place on the bench, and Daryl Taylor will also be vying for a place upfront, although his likely position will be on the right of midfield, Danny Forrest still sidelined, penciling in a comeback on October 27^th in the FA Cup qualifier.

Grays Athletic visit The Shay with a superb defensive record of conceding one away goal every 96 minutes.With one of the best defensive records in the league at the moment, Grays' lowly position is all down to their poor strike rate - with only one goal every 113 minutes, Town's chances of their 4^th clean sheet of the season are high, and despite another new partnership upfront, Town have been able to find the net once every hour so far this season.

The Shaymen enter this one as favourites, Bluesq.com offering evens - although Steve Clifford will be planting £1 on Adam Quinn to open the scoring in a 2-1 win to Halifax Town at 140-1, hoping that he can build on his £110 win by picking Jon Shaw to score first in a 2-2 against Cambridge, and coming so close to winning £420 on Anthony Griffiths to score first in a 3-2 win at York the previous week.

Steve Clifford