Halifax Town will look to continue their solid run of form in the National League when they take on Ebbsfleet United at the Shay Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts will enter this match on 62 points and in sixth place in the league standings, while the visitors are 15th and on 47 points with seven games left to play this season.
Match preview
Halifax Town will come into this match brimming with confidence after forcing runaway league leaders Chesterfield to keep their promotion champagne on ice for at least a few more days in midweek.
The Spireites were just a point away from securing their spot in League Two, but they were defeated by the in-form Shaymen. Consequently, the Shaymen moved into the playoff positions, now two points above Gateshead in eighth.
That result marked Chris Millington's side's seventh win in their last eight league games, with their only defeat during that time coming in a 2-0 loss away to fellow promotion hopefuls Bromley at the start of the month.
At the Shay Stadium, Halifax are riding a four-match winning streak dating back to mid-February and have taken a total of 31 points from a possible 57 this season with a record of eight wins, seven draws and four losses.
Meanwhile, after only managing a single win in 13 matches between October and December last year, Ebbsfleet United have begun to find some semblance of the form that saw them secure promotion to the National League last term.
In 2024, the Fleet have a record of seven wins, two draws and just three losses in 12 games, with their most recent outing ending in a 4-2 victory over Gateshead in midweek, with Rakish Bingham netting a second-half hat-trick.
That proved to be a huge result for the Fleet as it allowed them to move up as many as four places in the league standings, with Wealdstone, Flyde, Eastleigh and Maidenhead all losing their midweek fixtures.
Since his appointment as manager at the start of February, Danny Searle has maintained an excellent record, losing just once in his first eight games in charge while winning five and drawing two of the remaining seven.
The new boss will be eager to keep his side's momentum going as they enter the final stretch of the season, though this will be a major test for him against a side that beat the Fleet fairly convincingly at Stonebridge Road Stadium in the reverse fixture back in October.
Team News
Halifax will be able to welcome back Adan George for this weekend's match following his three-match suspension for the red card he received against Bromley at the start of the month.
Angelo Cappello is still recovering from a hamstring injury and Jamie Cooke is a doubt due to a sprained ankle. Tom Wilson, Jordan Keane and Jo Cummings are ruled out owing to their respective groin and knee injuries.
Ebbsfleet will have to make do without the services of Birmingham City loanee Tommy Fogarty, who has been called up by Northern Ireland Under-21s for this month's international games.
Centre-back Jack Wakely remains the Fleet's only long-term absentee due to a ligament injury, and he is likely to miss the remainder of the campaign.
Halifax Town possible starting lineup:
Johnson, Golden, Galvin, Senior, Stott; Hunter, Hoti, Cosgrave, Thompson-Sommers; Oluwabori, Harker
Ebbsfleet possible starting lineup:
Cousins; Bilongo, Fogarty, Skura, Kenlock; Edser, Clifford, Wright, Samuel, Chapman, Bingham
We say: Halifax Town 2-1 Ebbsfleet
Both these sides are arguably playing their best football this season and will feel they are in good enough form to take all three points here. However, Halifax are at home, are riding a four-match winning streak at the Shay Stadium and will be desperate to keep ahold of their playoff spot. We feel the hosts will edge the result in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
