Halifax Town vs Marine
FA Cup
4th Round Qualifying
Saturday
14th October 2023
The Shay Stadium
The most comprehensive preview, detailed analysis and reliable predictions of the FA Cup 4th Round Qualifying fixture between Halifax Town and Marine.
Halifax Town vs Marine: Preview
Halifax Town form analysis
The Shaymen began with back-to-back goalless draws away at Barnet and at home against Dagenham. However, defensive issues surfaced in a 2-3 home loss to Eastleigh, twice pulling goals back through Hoti and Keane in vain. They did respond by coming from behind to win 2-1 away at Woking, turning it around late through Cappello’s penalty and Golden’s last gasp winner. Last time out, Halifax made it back-to-back league wins by beating Ebbsfleet 2-0 away thanks to goals from Senior and Cosgrave.
Overall, it’s been a solid if unspectacular start by Halifax as they target an unlikely playoff push after last season’s great escape from relegation. They’ve been typically well organized, keeping 3 clean sheets already. But a lack of attacking spark has hampered them, netting just 5 goals from 6 games.
Marine form analysis
Marine made an excellent start to the season, beating Matlock Town 2-0 at home on opening day. They followed that up with another 2-0 home victory against Basford United, showcasing defensive solidity with back-to-back clean sheets. Marine’s strong form continued as they won 2-0 away at Stafford Rangers despite facing stubborn resistance. They ground out another excellent victory in their next match, winning 2-1 away from home at Marske United to maintain their 100% start. Most recently, Marine returned to winning ways after a two week break by beating Radcliffe 3-2 at home in an entertaining game.
Overall, they have won all 5 of their opening games while scoring 9 goals and conceding just 3. The victories over fellow promoted sides Basford and Radcliffe highlighted Marine’s quality. Avoiding any complacency and keeping standards high will be crucial as the season progresses. The opening weeks could hardly have gone better for Marine.
