Halifax were aiming to replicate the heroics of the previous season, when they reached the play-offs as newcomers, but were always facing a big challenge from the start. The loss of Lee Gregory was going to hurt the team badly after the striker enjoyed a brilliant campaign in which he scored the majority of the goals, leading superbly from the front and providing fulcrum to the entire side. Neil Aspin sought to fill the gap by signing decent strikers like Scott Boden, Richard Peniket and Ross Dyer but none of them really managed to deliver what was expected from them. That said, Halifax started the season like a freight train and won each of the opening five games of the season, showing some excellent football and grittiness to get solid results. They continued to play some solid football and were one of the leading sides after the opening two months of the season, losing just twice in the first 13 games. Marc Roberts, Matthew Pearson and Lois Maynard were providing solid base in midfield and defence, while the entire team played with purpose and good energy. But results began to deteriorate as the autumn progressed, with a run of five losses in eight games in November seeing the Shaymen drop into mid-table. As usual, Halifax were relying on their home form to get the most of their points but there was just little sign of the sort of relentless desire and energy that typified the Yorkshireman the previous season. Aspin kept on switching his strikers in search of the best formula, with the formation changed on a number of occasions, but he never really managed to find the right formula. The team was still in play-off contention by the turn of the year and actually went on a strong winning run in the early weeks of 2015. Four victories in a row moved them within touching distance of the play-off slots and there was renewed hope that Halifax might well play a part in the battle for promotion. Indeed, the team held a very impressive record of just a single league defeat in a run of 15 games from January to April. The main problem was that wins were quite rare during that run and actually the Shaymen went eight games without a victory in February and March, just when they needed to be piling on the points. A number of games saw frustration and missed chances as obdurate opposition kept Halifax at bay. The loss of Gregory was most evident during that run, as the difference between and a win and a draw leaving the team to play a catch-up in the battle for the top five. Thus, the season rather petered out disappointingly in the spring and there was very little of the excitement that had the club gripped 12 months ago. Of course, finishing ninth in such a competitive league is no disaster and Aspin still did a pretty decent job as a whole. But he will be disappointed by the lack of progress and will be very determined to do better next season.
