FC Halifax 0
United 1
McGavin (45+3′)
United came away from The Shay with a hard-earned victory on Saturday, as a Brett McGavin goal was enough to give the Gulls all three points in Yorkshire.
Gary Johnson made three changes from the opening day draw at home to Oldham Athletic with Tom Lapslie, Asa Hall and Shaun Donnellan replacing Corie Andrews, Ali Omar and Kieron Evans in the starting line-up, with the latter dropping down to the bench. The two new signings announced shortly before kick-off also figured, with Nelson Iseguan and Tommy Hughes taking their places amongst the substitutes.
After a tight opening, it was Halifax who settled the quicker.
They created the first chance with Milli Alli having his shot deflected over the bar in the 9th minute, before two minutes later, it was Jordan Slew who tried his luck, with Mark Halstead responding by pushing the ball behind.
Alli and Gilmour fired efforts wide either side of Halstead being called into action again, saving from Slew, before the United ‘keeper followed that up by making a point-blank save from Mani Dieseruvre’s header to keep the scores level.
With the action switching to the other end, a free kick from McGavin in the 36th minute just evaded the advancing Goodwin inside the area, leaving the hosts to clear the danger.
Home pressure returned in the 41st minute though, with a back-post Dieseruvwe header allowing Halstead to gather comfortably, before a left-wing cross from Jack Senior moments later fell to Alli, who put the ball over the bar from close range.
With the first period entering injury time though, The Gulls struck decisively.
A long throw from Dean Moxey was initially flicked goalward by Shaun Donnellan at the near-post, where McGavin was ideally placed to control the ball before firing into the bottom left of teh Town goal to put Johnson’s men a goal up at the break.
United came out in the second half in determined mood, and in the 47th minute a ball into the area by Goodwin found Tom Lapslie getting in behind his man, before firing a shot on goal which home stopper Sam Johnson palmed away.
In response, nine minutes later Jesse Debrah fired a shot from distance wide of Halstead’s left hand post, before an effort from a similar distance from United’s Dylan Crowe was also sent wide of the upright.
As the clock ticked down, Alli broke into the United area, with his stinging shot palmed away by Halstead, before United’s No.1 denied Dieseruvwe once more, this time getting down to save his shot from point blank range, before Gilmour sent the follow-up well wide.
A determined run from Goodwin saw the on-loan Stoke man tear into enemy territory before seeing the ball robbed off his boots just as a pass to the rampaging looked on, before a 93rd minute 20-yarder from Luke Summerfield saw Halstead produce even more heroics, pushing the shot over the bar.
When Halstead stood up to deny Dieseruvwe again in the dying stages, it seemed written in the stars that Johnson’s men would hold on for victory, and so it proved in the baking hot conditions, as The Gulls left The Shay to make it four points from two games.
United: 1. Mark Halstead, 2. Dylan Crowe, 4. Tom Lapslie, 6. Ross Marshall, 7. Ryan Hanson, 8. Asa Hall (c) (28.Tommy Hughes 58′), 14. Brett McGavin, 15. Ben Wyatt (26.Nelson Iseguan 58′, 11.Kieron Evans 71′), 16. Shaun Donnellan, 19. Will Goodwin, 21. Dean Moxey.
SUBS NOT USED: 11. Kieron Evans, 22. Rhys Lovett, 23. Ollie Tomlinson.
Yellow Cards: Donnellan 60′, Evans 78′, Hughes 86′, Marshall 89′, Hanson 90+7’
FC Halifax: 1. Sam Johnson, 3. Jack Senior, 4. Luke Summerfield, 5. Jesse Debrah, 9. Mani Dieseryvwe, 15. Tom Clarke (c), 16. Jordan Keane,(14.Jack Hunter 90+2′) 20. Harvey Gilmour(11. Sam Smart 83′), 21. Milli Alli, 24. Sam Minihan, 25. Jordan Slew (17. Rob Harker 63′)
Attendance: 1,774 (135 away)