Howard’s (a)way
FC Halifax Town vs York City, The Shay Stadium, National League, 26th October 2024
With Liz once again otherwise engaged, Ben goes it alone for a day out in West Yorkshire …
There were 2 things I knew about Halifax before I headed there:
It’s the home of The Halifax Bank. The big ‘un. The mothership. The HQ. Where Howard lives. Ahead of my trip I’d been wittering on to Liz all week about ‘Howard from the Halifax’, telling her with increasing assurity that I was ‘bound to bump into him’. 1
Former Sheffield United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny once had his eyebrow bitten off during a night out in Halifax.2
I think it’s fair to say that those 2 facts alone don’t give me a great deal to work with as regards imagining what Halifax might be like as I drive down. It’s only 90 minutes or so away from where we live, so not a particularly arduous drive. I’m able to make my way into town and get parked with no fuss whatsoever.
First stop: The Big Halifax Bank. But alas, it’s covered in scaffolding and plastic wrap so I can’t appreciate the full majesty of Howard’s financial castle. Nor can I knock on the door and ask if he’s in. Plus it’ll look terrible on my Instagram. But I take a photo outside of it so that I can prove that I’ve been (next time I’m asked…) and then head off for a mooch and a coffee.
The town centre is alright, fairing slightly better than most I’d argue. And right in the middle, there's one truly outstanding bit - The Piece Hall. It’s the only remaining Georgian cloth hall in the world, don’t you know. So I can say with cast-iron certainty that it's definitely my favourite Georgian cloth hall. A magnificent 4-sided structure surrounding a huge, square courtyard, it's been in the centre of Halifax since 1779. Originally built for the trading of ‘pieces’ of cloth, it’s now full of independent shops, bars and cafes - and the library. And it looks amazing!
After doing a full circuit and ducking in and out of a few of the shops, I then leave The Piece Hall and head back to the car where I’ve left my lunch. As I pass the station I become aware of the large police presence that has appeared. All of a sudden, I notice there’s ‘an atmosphere’. It’s a bit charged. This is, after all, a local derby - Halifax versus York. I hadn’t really given that a lot of thought, and even if I had, I perhaps naively hadn’t realised that there’d be a huge amount of needle between the two teams. But the gang of about 30 marauding, face-covered teenagers leads me to conclude otherwise. Not wanting to suffer a fate similar to that of former Sheffield United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny, I head back hurriedly to the sanctuary of my Skoda Fabia where I can lay low for a bit with my cous-cous and mixed vegetables. If anything underscores the fact that I am not ready for some football violence, it's that sentence.
After about half an hour, duly re-fuelled and still with both eyebrows, I head to The Shay Stadium for the match. FC Halifax Town are another phoenix club. The original Halifax Town were wound up in 2008 due to huge debts, but were immediately reformed and re-entered the football pyramid in the Northern Premier League Division One North - the 8th tier of English football.
They are now back in the 5th tier, where they have been since 2013. The Shay Stadium where they play is a big ground for this level of football - frankly, almost a bit too big. It’s also where the Halifax Panthers rugby league team play, and has a capacity of around 10,000. To date, FC Halifax Town’s average attendance this season has hovered around the 1,500-2,000 mark…
There’s a nice little merchandise offering set up by the supporters club just tucked inside the ground. A few pasting tables-worth of some really decent looking stuff! I buy a pin badge, obviously. Then I buy my ticket for the match. I am free to sit anywhere - as I say, there’s plenty of space. I also grab a cup of tea, a 50/50 half time draw ticket and a programme. It’s a bright, crisp autumn day. A lovely day for football. I glance over to my right and see the away end filling up with a huge number of travelling fans.
Now, a confession. I had to think hard about who to support today. I have several legitimate reasons why I could have gone in the away end with the York fans:
Liz was born in York
I went to University in York
I like York
A good friend of mine lives in York
It rhymes with pork
However, if it’s not a Boro match, I tend to support the home side. There have been a couple of exceptions (wanting Morecambe to beat Crewe - they didn’t - and, for reasons I’ll not go into now, finding myself in the away end for Bristol Rovers vs Forest Green Rovers - FGR did win that one!) but I’ve decided today I will be in with the home fans. I’ve enjoyed my time here so far, and I can lend them my support. Or curse them. We’ll find out.
The game kicks off and it's a dominant start by York who really should take an early lead, but are denied by an incredible save by the Halifax keeper. But then, out of nothing, the home side grab a goal when Jamie Cooke3 finds himself in acres of space on the right-hand side and finishes neatly.
This goal against the run of play seems to focus York further. They dominate again, but can’t find a way through. An older chap behind me, sick of seeing Halifax under seemingly non-stop pressure lets loose with a cry of ‘BLOODY HELL-FIRE!’ which seems to sum up the mood. The home side have taken the lead but have done very little else. Somehow, they hang on at 1-0 up until half-time.
A man does a circuit of the pitch holding aloft the winning 50/50 number. It’s not mine. But the highlight of the break in play is a small boy passing me with a tray of roast potatoes covered in gravy. They smell amazing. They look amazing. In fact, I think my eyeballs might have brushed against them as he passed by in front of me. Just as I contemplate getting my own tray of potatoes, the game restarts.
It soon becomes apparent that whatever tactical changes York made at half-time have backfired spectacularly. The game is now very open, and it suits Halifax down to the ground. The home side put York under tremendous pressure. In fact, I can’t really put into words just how badly York go to pieces and how poor Halifax are at taking advantage of the fact. They must spurn 5 or 6 first-rate opportunities. The game should be dead and buried. The home side should have wrapped up the points comfortably.
The match slows down and begins to peter out. We pass the 90-minute mark and into injury time. And if you can’t guess what is coming next, you are clearly new to football/sport/life…
York equalise. Heads go down all around me as the away fans celebrate. The home side have been punished for their inability to kill the game off, but York are a good side and draw isn't the worst resu-
Goal. From a free kick in the dying embers of the game, York score again. They’ve won it, from nothing. The away fans go ballistic. There’s a flare on the pitch. Around me, stunned disbelief. It’s like I’ve been punched in the stomach, and I’m only a Halifax fan for today. I feel for the home fans, I really do.
I head out of the shell-shocked ground, up past the away end where it’s party time - and understandably so! What a result for York. I make it back to the car having seen no bother whatsoever, no trouble. I’ve still got both eyebrows to prove it.
Despite the result, I’ve had a really nice time in Halifax. I didn’t see Howard, mind. Maybe next time.
If you do not know who ‘Howard from the Halifax’ is, here’s some further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Brown_(Halifax_Bank)
I’ve double-checked this to make sure I hadn’t just imagined it.
He should definitely be the Captain of Middlesbrough one day with a name like that.