Match Reports Compiled By:- A Turner
Yorkshire Division 8 

30th January 2010

Halifax are Fourmidable! 

Halifax 4 – 0 Slazenger’s

Halifax hit the ground running during their first home game of 2010. The team lined up with some new faces 
but much needed experience as they battle against relegation. After gaining a much needed point at 
second place Thirsk the previous week they lined up as follows: Matty Bretton, Andy Turner, Rob Keene, 
Neil Penny-Ward, Trevor Love, Steve Fawkes, Paul Mayes, Lee Chapman, Tom Love, Myles Brown, Phil 
Green and subs: James Smith, Roy Atkinson, Steve Hammond.
Halifax started the first half as they meant to go on against a Dad’s Army like Slazenger’s team. Straight on the 
attack but not making chances pay as Phil Green misses what can only be defined as easier to score than
 miss but he will try and hit the ball first time when he has five minutes to stop it.  Not long after, Keene made 
a fantastic stop as Slazenger’s had a rare attack on the Halifax goal. Unfortunately he tried to stop it with 
his hand and then his mouth so enter the game Atkinson to support Turner in the centre of defence for the
 remainder of the game.  
Soon after, wave on wave of Halifax attacks that were not really making any really threat to the opposition, 
Tom Love took the impetus to take the ball from just over the half way line and through some pretty nifty skills 
beat a couple of defenders to bury the first Halifax goal into the bottom of the Slazenger net. 1-0! As the half 
progressed, with a much more relaxed Halifax team on the attack with Penny-Ward, Mayes and Chapman 
linking up well down the right and Trevor Love and Brown linking well down the left, eventually enabled 
Phil Green made up for his awful miss to bury the second into the Slazenger’s net with such a force the ball 
was accelerating as it left the net. 2-0! This brought to an end the first half at Stadium Park lane.
The half time talk was a tale of two motivational speeches.  Initially, Captain Hammond with his pleasure 
that Halifax were winning overshadowed by “green eyed monster” Fawkes with a slating Halifax were not 
being clinical.
The Second half began with the introduction of “Super Sub” Smithy replacing Mayes down the right to 
exploit the distinct lack of pace in the Slazenger’s team as he, on numerous occasions, won the battle 
with the ageing opposition left back.  He set up Green for the next goal, a reasonable tap in after the 
forward had again numerous chances to finish with ease but the returning striker continued his 1 in 5 shot 
to goal ratio. 3-0! Green then again set up by an attacking force of Love, Chapman, Fawkes, Brown and 
Smith determined that Brighouse needed demolishing decided to hit a ball so far over the bar, it would 
have been better placed on a cricket pitch for 6. Slazenger’s had some threat on goal although Turner, 
Atkinson, Penny-Ward and Love had it all covered without much pressure.
As the game drew to a close, down the right, a link between Chapman and Smith, allowed Halifax to put the
 game to bed they won a decisive long corner. Taken by Fawkes, a shell across the “D” ,allowed Green to
 finish his hat-trick with a deft deflected touch that squirmed through the keeper’s legs in a fantastic worked
 goal! Did he really know anything about it or did he just put his stick in the way! 4-0! Game over at 
Park Lane.

Halifax 4, are doing well with their newly found form and continue to move away from the relegation zone.

Man of Match – Phil Green