THERE’S been some moments this season that have been a real trip down memory lane for Darlo fans and there was none more thought provoking than the visit to Halifax on New Year’s Day. The ground, the crowd and the admission price were more befitting of a division or two higher than the National League North.

There were some glimpses of decent football too, although it was often bookended by a level more associated with this division. For all of the investment in Halifax’s team, resulting in nearly all of the promoted North Ferriby team switching from East Yorkshire to West, Halifax once again looked a bang average side. While we weren’t at our best by a long stretch, the game felt as though it was there for the taking. With an electric atmosphere in the Skircoat Shed provided by our fans (well, someone had to make some noise in a cavernous ground), unfortunately, we couldn’t quite cheer the lads on to victory.

Once again, defending was our undoing. Both goals conceded were avoidable. Before the game, Halifax’s manager Billy Heath had called for his side to take collective responsibility for their defending. Well, that’s a line Martin Gray should take with his team too.

While easy to highlight the recent errors by Peter Jameson, the rest of the team could have taken some pressure off the lad’s shoulders by offering him more protection. Halifax’s first goal saw nobody put Adam Morgan under any sort of pressure, allowing him to shoot. Whether the ball took a deflection or not, he shouldn’t have been afforded such space. Meanwhile, the second was a real peach. Most Sunday morning footballers, half-hungover from the night before, would have been embarrassed by the corner from Josh Gillies or the missed clearance from Leon Scott.

Up to and including the Harrogate Town game, in league and cup, we conceded at a rate of 1.41 per game. While that isn’t great, it was just about manageable considering our ability to bang in the goals. Since the Harrogate game, over two months now, we’ve played nine and conceded exactly two per game. There’s only been one game in that run where we haven’t conceded at least two – ironically against Fylde. We simply can’t keep conceding at that rate. It’s crazy that we need to score two goals per game just to stand a chance of securing a point.

Let hope that we see some significant improvement in the way the whole team defends this Saturday when we play Nuneaton. Our visitors from Warwickshire have seen their form pick up following the appointment of Tommy Wright. I’d like to think that this is a game we should be winning but the way we defend makes any sort of prediction impossible. Let’s hope Nuneaton have an off day.

Speaking of improvement, it will be fascinating to see whether the catering at Blackwell Meadows has improved following Trestlegate on Boxing Day. With the possibility of rain on Saturday, I’m curious to see just how weatherproof their catering provision is. Playing Devil’s Advocate, it would also be interesting to see what the food hygiene rating is for a trestle table out in the open. Hopefully, as soon as possible, we will see a catering provision that is less summer fete and more akin to a football match.