Halifax Town manager John McGrath has indicated he may alter his starting XI for Tuesday night’s trip to Hartlepool after watching his side produce a stronger second-half display in Friday’s 2-1 defeat at Altrincham.
Reaction to Altrincham and the selection question
McGrath had selected the same starting line-up for the fourth game in a row on Friday, but he took off wide players Ben Tollitt and Connor Douglas at half-time. Their replacements, Owen Bray and David Kawa, were credited with lifting the team’s performance during the second half — a factor McGrath said would influence his selection for Hartlepool.
“There’s players who played second-half (at Altrincham) who certainly put themselves in the shop window to start against Hartlepool,”
He added that the result and performance would have a “massive” bearing on his choices, underlining his desire to use the full depth of a squad he described as around 22–23 players.
Where Halifax fell short — and what to expect at Victoria Park
McGrath was frank about the first-half display at Altrincham, calling it “not good enough” and pointing to a passive approach that lacked forward penetration. He criticised an absence of play to the byline, a failure to get behind opposition defenders and individual positioning that blunted his side’s threat. He singled out Conor Carty and Zak Gilsenan, saying Gilsenan was pushed into deeper positions in search of the ball and was therefore less dangerous to the opposition.
That appraisal contained a clear warning for Tuesday’s fixture at Hartlepool: Halifax’s manager expects the team to press higher, create more chances and avoid the kind of passive first-half that cost them at Altrincham.
- Starting XI continuity: McGrath had kept the same starting 11 for four consecutive league matches prior to the Altrincham game.
- Impact substitutes: Bray and Kawa impressed after coming on at half-time.
- Squad usage: McGrath intends to use the wider squad rather than persevere with an unchanged XI regardless of form.
Managerial intent and match preparation
McGrath said he approaches every game with full focus and that the club’s preparation for Hartlepool would be thorough. He praised the reaction of the team in the second half against Altrincham and made clear that he will not hesitate to make changes if players earn a place by their performance.
“I want to win games of football and I’ve got, I keep harping on about this, 22, 23 man squad and there’s no point having them if I don’t use them,” he said, reflecting a willingness to rotate and to reward second-half contributors with starting opportunities.
| Match | Result | Selection note |
|---|---|---|
| Altrincham (Friday) | 2-1 defeat | Same starting XI for fourth game; two wide men substituted at half-time |
For Hartlepool fans travelling to Victoria Park, the most immediate question is which of those second-half substitutes will be handed starting berths and how Halifax might line up differently to deliver the stronger, higher-pressing performance McGrath demanded.
The emphasis on using the wider squad suggests the visitors will be sharper and more competitive than in the first half at Altrincham, but the manager’s comments also underline that he sees room for improvement if his side are to pick up points on the road.
Tuesday's game provides a chance for players who impressed from the bench to stake a claim and for Halifax to show a quicker reaction over the course of 90 minutes than they managed on Friday.
Whatever changes McGrath makes, his public message is clear: selection will be earned by performance and the team must be capable of playing with greater intensity from the start.
