Gainsborough Trinity 3 FC Halifax Town 2: Halifax dominate but then fall to defeat

FC Halifax Town's Liam King scored his side's second goal in the 3-2 defeat at Gainsborough. Picture: Bruce Rollinson

Halifax should have been comfortably ahead at half-time instead of drawing 2-2, and did not produce anywhere near the same level of performance after the interval, mustering barely a response to Gainsborough’s third goal.

Simmons linked with Tom Denton after just 13 minutes when the latter nodded on a long-throw and Simmons bundled the ball in at the far post.

James Reid’s free-kick was glanced in by Jordan Thewlis for an equaliser against the run of play, but Halifax regained the lead soon afterwards when Liam King was set clear on goal and rounded Jonathan Hedge to score.

Gainsborough refused to submit and again equalised when Thewlis latched onto a superb pass by James Reid inside the area before blasting the ball past Steve Drench and in off the near post.

Not for the first time this season, Halifax were not the same side after the break, and Worsfold got a decisive touch to Reid’s free-kick a few minutes after half-time to hand the hosts the lead, the prospect of which would have been fanciful 25 minutes in.

Gainsborough: Hedge, Lacey, Quinn, Evans (Picton 34), Beatson, Bailey-King, Wiles, Thornhill, Reid, Worsfold (Jarman 72), Thewlis (Morrison 63). Unused substitutes: Davis, Hands.

FC Halifax Town: Drench, Moyo (Hibbs 68), O’Brien, Garner, Wilde, Macdonald, King, Roberts, Sinnott (Peniket 74), Simmons (Burrow 87), Denton. Unused substitutes:Nicholson, Hughes.

Referee: Simon Mather.