FC Halifax Town 2-0 Weymouth: Slew and Spence score as Shaymen win again

After Tuesday night's high drama against Notts County, this was the type of game, against a struggling, out of form team, that might have tripped up The Shaymen in the past. Not now.

Pete Wild's team were by far the better side, winning comfortably, creating a glut of chances and playing some attractive football.

It's now seven wins from their first 11 games, and seven matches unbeaten, including five wins.

The Shaymen were brimming with hunger, desire and determination, and had far too much for Weymouth. They'll have far too much for any side at the moment.

Any Town fans wanting their side to pick up where they left off on Tuesday will have been a little disappointed at the comparatively sedate start of the game; mind you, an F1 Grand Prix is sedate compared to that.

Weymouth's intentions were clear in their 4-1-4-1 set-up - to frustrate Halifax, plug the gaps they like to play in and keep things tight.

The Shaymen might have needed another heroic comeback had Kieran Green not cleared Omar Mussa's shot off the line as the visitors started reasonably well, but Halifax soon assumed superiority.

The strength and power of Jesse Debrah impressed in place of the suspended Tom Bradbury and twice went close to scoring when his shot was deflected to the keeper and then he headed wide from a corner when some home fans thought he'd found the net.

Jack Senior was a threat down the left flank, linking up with Harvey Gilmour and the returning Matty Warburton, while Tyrell Warren also got forward well down the right.

Town were patient in their approach, perhaps switching the play from flank to flank more than usual given how tight and compact Weymouth were out of possession, but it was effective in finding players in space away from the crowd in the middle of the pitch.

The Shaymen had to be very precise if they were to pass their way through, something which Weymouth didn't seem to possess, with more of their possession being wasted.

Town produced some nice spells of play, getting better as the opening half went on, with some cute and clever phases, but needed to lift it tempo-wise closer to goal.

Just after Gilmour and Slew had switched flanks, Warren's low cross from the right was smashed in at the far post by Slew for his fourth of the season - already his most prolific campaign since 2016-17.

The goal seemed to relax Town, who now looked more comfortable and assured, and were more incisive too, as evidenced by Gilmour's cross-field run from the right, and when Slew's step-over saw Gilmour's pass run to Senior, the defender fired a shot narrowly over.

Green was dictating the contest with some superb long passes to the flanks, while Senior and Warren were pushing up and giving Town some width and hemming Weymouth in their own half.

Lone striker Brandon Goodship was stranded; Weymouth were all at sea.

By half-time it was a 1-0 battering.

After a sloppy pass by Mussa, Weymouth were indebted to keeper Ross Fitzsimons, who reacted brilliantly to stop Matty Warburton's dinked shot finding the net when he'd been played through by Slew.

Fitzsimons then did well to keep Billy Waters' low shot out from an angle; it looked a matter of time before the game was over.

Halifax were overrunning their opponents, winning 50-50s, bustling them off the ball, looking far more purposeful and energetic.

Green, at the heart of it all, fired wide from 20 yards, but after that, Town's threat dissipated.

They remained in the ascendancy, but couldn't shake Weymouth from their coat-tails. The visitors were limited, lacking Halifax's combination of creativity and hunger, but had stayed in the game.

Green brought another good save from Fitzsimons with a well-struck effort from a tight angle after a typically-tigerish burst forward.

Waters then curled a shot over after some nice approach-play by Town, who were creating all the chances, but Weymouth remained in the game.

But not for much longer, as substitute Jamie Allen ran half the length of the pitch before his low cross was only half-cleared, leaving Spence with a simple finish for his first Town goal.

Senior nearly added a glorious coup de grace after a terrific display when a one-two with Allen put him clean through, but Fitzsimons, Weymouth's best player by a mile, reacted well to save his shot.

Halifax: Johnson, Warren, Debrah, Maher, Senior, Green, Spence, Slew, Warburton (Woods 80), Gilmour (Newby 77), Waters (Allen 77). Subs not used: McDonagh, Summerfield.

Scorers: Slew (33), Spence (82)

Shots on target: 7

Shots off target: 8

Corners: 5

Weymouth: Fizsimons, Cordner, Brooks, Leslie-Smith, Goodship, Mussa, Robinson (McBurnie 56), Murray (McQuoid 60), Harfield, Shields (Ash 67), Bearwish. Subs not used: Rose, Olomowewe.

Shots on target: 1

Shots off target: 2

Corners: 1

Attendance: 2,241 (48 away)

Referee: Lewis Smith

Town man of the match: Kieran Green, thanks to another Keran Green-type performance, full of running, effort, passion and no little quality. Some player.