‘This group have bedded in, got to know each other and, as they've got experience of the level, we have started to see their quality'
Chris Millington
GATESHEAD have so many injuries they will barely need a minibus for this afternoon's journey to Wembley.
But don't expect FC Halifax Town boss Chris Millington to underestimate the Heed's walking wounded as he bids to take the FA Trophy back to the Shay for the first time since 2016.
“Listen, we've all got injuries,” said the 47-year-old, whose opponents are reported to have just 13 players fit and firing. “At this stage in the season, everyone is physically spent.
“But if you put Gateshead's strongest available XI on the pitch then it's a very formidable team with some outstanding players.
“Both goalkeepers are very talented and fit into their style very well. The back three are all excellent on the ball. The forward line is up there with the best in the league.
“We know Aaron Martin very well from his time here and I think Greg Olley and Adam Campbell would get into any National League team.
“I haven't even mentioned Dan Ward so you look at that and you've got an awful lot of very, very good footballers at this level. We've got a lot of respect for all of them.
“Okay, so they aren't at full strength. But what they are is a team of very good players who can hurt anybody – at our level or probably even above – if you give them the opportunity to get on the ball and dominate possession.
“We're very aware of their strengths, and we won't fall into the trap of thinking that they're in any way weakened.”
Not that respect should be mistaken for fear. Since stepping up from a coaching role to replace the popular Pete Wild and overseeing an exodus of experienced players last summer, Millington has endured several rocky spells.
Their National League campaign began with a five-game winless run, whilst defeat at home to Maidenhead in late February left the Shaymen just five points above the drop zone.
Since then, however, they have lost just once in 15 – including a 3-1 victory over champions Wrexham – and will roar into Wembley on the crest of an unexpected wave.
Resilience
“We always knew there'd be a transitional feel to this season,” says Millington, who had to replace Jamie Allen, Billy Waters, Tyler Warren and several other stars of the side that finished fourth last season.
“When you lose so many established players that's inevitable. But this group has bedded in, got to know each other and as they've got experience of the level we've started to see their quality.
“Jamie Stott's never played as many games at this level as he has this season. Tylor Golden – it's his first season playing regular first-team football. Angelo Capello has come pretty much straight out of the Under-21s.
“Milli Alli's had a couple of false starts, with a move to Stockport that never really came to anything. He's starting to show what he can do.
“Then you've got Rob Harker, who again has been brilliant in his first full season of first-team football.
“The names I've mentioned there, they're not just an array of good characters. There's a lot of football ability as well.
“It was a case of trusting the process. I know that's a cliche these days. So many managers bandy that phrase around. But we knew that what was going on behind the scenes was positive and would come good in time. It took a bit longer than we expected but we knew that if we stuck at it then the quality of the players would shine.”
Quality, and resilience. The Shaymen have made an art of plucky comebacks, and would have qualified for the play-offs were the season based solely on second-half performances.
In the Trophy especially, Halifax have done things the hard way. They needed penalties to see off Harrow Boroughough and Maidenhead in the early rounds, and also won a semi-final shoot-out at Altrincham after Alli had equalised in the 89th minute.
“One thing this team has developed over the course of the season is a bit of a never-say-die attitude,” adds Millington. “Truth be told, we've had some really poor results and some really poor performances. But what we've seen time and again is the bouncebackability of this group. In recent weeks, that's really come to the fore.
“The Altrincham one is the obvious standout, but don't forget that we went in at half-time 1-0 down to Wrexham. Very few people would expect us to come out and turn that round but we ended up with a 3-1 victory.
“It's a real character trait of this group and it's something we may well have to call on at Wembley. Gateshead are incredibly good starters – if you look at the stats they perform brilliantly in the first half of games and usually take the lead. But if that happens, we know we've got what it takes to come back.”
‘Truth be told, we've had some really poor results but what we've seen time and again is the bouncebackability of this group'
Chris Millington
Of the team that lifted the Trophy in 2016, only goalkeeper Sam Johnson remains. With that in mind, Halifax set off for London yesterday morning, stopping off for a training session on route before taking a 45-minute tour of Wembley to get acclimatised.
Wow factor
“We wanted to get a sense of the scale and get a feel for the stadium, just to get that initial wow factor out of the way,” explains Millington. “It's about enjoying the environment first so when we turn up on Sun- day we can get straight down to business. “We actually had a fans' day down at the Shay last Saturday and that was a nice moment because we had a chance to put names to some of the faces we see week in, week out and who follow us up and down the country. “Hearing their excitement and what it means to them really got the nerves and anticipation flowing, but we need to be calm on the day.”
Is that easier when you're playing for a stand-alone trophy rather than a place in the Football League?
“No, I don't think so,” he insists. “It's very similar to a play-off final in many respects. The losers come away empty handed and get forgotten, whereas the winners lift a trophy and go down in history.
“Any club who has had success in this competition, it's remembered very fondly amongst the fanbase. The lads of 2016 are all heroes here and we want to make sure we're remembered in the same light. The only way to do that is to make sure we win on Sunday
“Personally, it's about doing my job. As a coach or a manager, you're paid to win football matches and we've not really done enough of that this season. It just took us too long to get going. So my expectation going into the final is that we put that right by winning this one.
“I'm sure there'll be a huge sense of satisfaction if we manage to achieve that, but anything less and I'd feel that I hadn't done my job.”
