Halifax Town: From Ball to Lillis 1968-1999

Halifax Town was formed in 1971 by an enthusiastic band of men. They had the intention of taking the club into the top division. Supporters are still waiting. Until recently, Halifax Town laboured under a poor image. The club played in a ramshackle stadium and regularly had to apply for re-election to the Football League. Demotion to the Vauxhall Conference in 1993 could have spelled the end. But somehow the club not only survived, but also reinvented itself. In 1998 the team won the Conference championship Halifax Towns first major honour. This, together with stadium improvements, earned promotion back into the League. This book begins with the 1968-69 season when promotion was gained for the first time. Amid the subsequent woes, there were memorable moments to treasure, such as victory over Manchester City in 1980 and, of course, promotion in 1998. In this nostalgic journey, there used to be one over-riding theme survival for that was Halifax Towns first and last objective. Whenever the Town supporters sang Therell always be the Shaymen, they did not do so in jest. This book is as much about them as it is about the club, which since the end of the period covered, 1999 has again fallen on hard times.