Halifax reveal game-plan in win against champions-elect Chesterfield

The Spireites would have been crowned champions and promoted had they secured a draw but they were well-beaten on a difficult pitch at The Shay on Wednesday night.

Will Grigg gave Town the lead but Halifax scored three times before half-time and added a fourth before James Berry got a second back late on.

When asked what the game-plan had been, assistant manager Andy Cooper told the Halifax Courier: "To be front-foot, to be in their faces when we didn't have the ball, to force them into wide areas and stop them coming back inside and trying to link-up with the quality they've got.

"And then as soon as we had the ball, try and break with power and pace, break off the shoulder of their high line and exploit them in-behind as quickly as we could, and I thought we did that outstandingly, we were relentless in that throughout the game, regardless of who was up top, out wide or in the ten, we really committed to exactly what we needed to do.

"We knew set-plays are really strong for them, they've scored an unbelievable amount of goals from set plays. But the main part is work rate, organisation, energy and being really resilient at the end.”

On the match overall, Cooper continued: "Thrilling game, I thought it had a bit of everything, entertaining. It takes two really good teams to make a game like that, great atmosphere, played in a great way.

"We've had to dig deep for it, we've worked hard, but we've created a number of really good chances. We've taken our goals well but we've created more, which is really pleasing, and we've executed a game-plan brilliantly well.

"It had last-ditch blocks, it had great saves, we had chance upon chance, they had a spell of pressure in the second-half which we knew they would, they're champions-elect for a reason and they came on strong, put more bodies up top to make it difficult for us. But we've been impressive today, it's been a really strong performance.

"I don't think for any moment we've hung on or we've sat back, we've had a real good go, toe-to-toe and that started from the first minute, creating chances, on the front-foot.”