Scout Report: FC Halifax Town Academy

Get the lowdown on Sutton’s Academy’s National League Cup Final opponents.

The Opposition

It has been quite the turn around for FC Halifax Town in the National League Divison North this season, with the Shaymen finishing the 25/26 campaign in fourth position just two points shy of Guiseley in third. This is an impressive return after they had ended the 24/25 campaign joint bottom of the league with Boston United, while only picking up 22 points from a possible 72.

The Shaymen’s home record in the league this season has been perfect as they were the only side in the league to be undefeated on their home patch. Halifax have also had the third best attack in the league putting the ball in the net 51 times. The only two sides which have scored more were the runners up in the league Gateshead with 57 and a York City side who finished mid table scoring the most amount of goals in the division with 70.

The Shaymen were knocked out of the National League Cup in the second round last season away to AFC Fylde, who went onto reach the semi –final stage that season.

Halifax have also won this cup competition before which was during the 2021/22 season. They achieved this by defeating Eastleigh 4-2 on penalties after the game had ended 0-0 in 90 minutes.

Not only have the Shaymen finished inside the top four in their league as well as reaching a cup final, they have also had a successful run in the FA Youth Cup as they reached the third round proper. It was more penalty shoot out success for the Shaymen which saw them escape an early exit in the second qualifying round as they knocked out step four side Ossett United on penalties. After an electrifying final fifteen minutes of normal time, The home side equalised with eight minutes to go, before the Shaymen thought they had won it when they took the leader in the 90^th minute. However, there was a final twist as the side from West Yorkshire thought back again in the 96^th minute before the Shaymen were victorious in the penalty shootout.

The Shaymen then earnt their place in the first round proper after a 2-0 win over AFC Fylde which saw them satisfy some revenge after they had knocked them out of the National League Cup the previous season. Halifax then put four past Oldham Athletic before a penalty decided their fate again in round two, which was the difference in a tight win away to Crewe Alexandra. However, Halifax’s time was finally up in the third round as a goal from Colchester inside the final twenty minutes meant that Halifax had to say goodbye to this competition.

The penalty shootout good fortune has continued for the Shaymen throughout their journey to the National League Cup Final this season. Their Journey started in the second round with a 2-0 victory over Altrincham. However, in the quarter finals, the penalties reappeared as after themselves and AFC Fylde could not be separated after they drew 1-1 in normal time, the Shaymen won the shootout 5-4. The penalties were present again in the semi-finals, however, the Shaymen could have avoided another shootout as they had a 2-0 lead inside the first half an hour however, they let this slip as Chester levelled the game before the half-time whistle. But for the Shaymen, they have a good record within a shootout and this is what has got them into the final winning 5-4 again on penalties.

Finally, to add to what has been a successful season for the Shaymen, they also witnessed one of their own academy players winning the Sky Bet Championship title and therefore being promoted to the premier league. His name is Carl Rushworth who was at Halifax’s academy in 2017 before transferring to Brighton a couple of years later. He has spent this season on loan with the Sky Blues in which the 24 year old was the first choice keeper playing all 46 EFL games in which he kept 17 clean sheets during the league campaign.

The Manager

Jack Garside

Jack is nearing the end of his second full season at Halifax after joining in June 2024. He previously spent four years at Manchester City coaching a wide range of age groups such as U12s, U14s, U16s as well as being the head coach of the Woman’s U21s. He then left this role at the end of the 2022/23 season before becoming the first team Head Coach of AFC Fylde’s Women’s team at the start of the 2023/24 season. However, Jack’s time was cut short with the national league side after he was sacked in November 2023 with the team inside the relegation zone. However, since the move to the West Yorkshire side, despite a difficult first year in charge which saw Jack’s side finish at the bottom of the National league Divison North table, he has guided them to a top four finish as well as a cup final to look forward to.

The Shaymen will be looking to win their second National League cup title, with Sutton eyeing up their first.

Last Time Out

The shaymen have been fortunate enough to have an extra couple of days than Sutton to prepare for the final, as they were last in action a week ago where they suffered a 1-0 defeat to the newly crowned Divison North champions Chester.