Unconvinving win in final friendly for Men's 1sts

For the 1st 15 minutes Halifax were under the cosh with the visitors showing good pace and skill. The team held on and slowly got into the game with Henry Shelton having a good solid game at the heart of the Halifax defence on his return to the 1st team.

Leigh walker and Josh Foreman also were getting to grips with the speed of the game and more possession was being won allowing the midfield of Josh Sutcliffe, Tom Love , Damien Reynolds and Gabriel Coleman to create some chances.

It was an own goal that opened the scoring with a strong strike into the D being deflected off a Slazenger stick into the top corner of the net.

Halifax went into half time a goal to the good. Injuries to Reynolds and Dave Wheatley did not help the balance of the team neither did the sin binning of Michael Jones and Sutcliffe.

Slazengers got a deserved equaliser from a penalty corner with a well struck shot finding the corner past the diving Matthew Metcalfe who had a solid game.

The match opened up in the last 20 minutes with both teams missing several good chances. Matthew Graham was not his usually lethal self with his first touch not up to standard.

Matthew Bairstow was excellent again down the right wing giving his marker a torrid time and both he and Jones were unlucky to see goal bound shots saved with amazing goalline clearances.

It was just that man of the match Coleman got the winner after tremendous work from Bairstow and Graham.

The team have got some work to do before next week's league opener against Harrogate at Park lane