After a fast start to their National League campaign, ambitious Altrincham visit Halifax Town on Monday, at The Shay.
While the visitors were two goals to the good within 20 minutes of the new season, on the way to a first-day win, the Shaymen lost their opener before picking up a first victory on Saturday.
Match preview
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Ahead of their Bank Holiday Monday clash with Lancashire counterparts Altrincham - a side they finished 18 points and seven places clear of last term - Halifax have taken three points from their first two games.
The West Yorkshire outfit had only won once in their last 13 visits to Woking before Saturday's encounter in Surrey, and they returned north with all three points safely pocketed after a hard-fought 3-2 victory.
Pete Wild's men had started out with a disappointing 2-1 loss at home to Maidenhead, as Kane Ferdinand scored a last-minute winner for the visiting side last Saturday, but hopes of an improvement on last season's 10th place remain a realistic proposition in a competitive division.
Appointed Oldham manager following the resignation of Paul Scholes in 2019, Wild was later offered the chance to revive Halifax's fortunes and will now hope to replicate a pair of wins over this Monday's opponents last season - 3-2 at home and 1-0 away.
Last week, Altrincham began their 2021-22 campaign with an away victory over Torquay, who missed out in the playoff final last season. Quickfire goals from Marcus Dinanga and loanee Connor Kirby quickly put the visitors in the driving seat, and they never relinquished their lead.
Toby Mullarkey's strike six minutes from the end ultimately put the seal on a 3-1 win down in Devon - getting Alty's quest for promotion off to a flying start.
Manager Phil Parkinson has previously helped the club secure promotion from the NPL as champions in his first season, before earning a place in the National League via the playoffs in 2020. Having signed on for another three years at Moss Lane, as the club's first-ever full-time manager, Parkinson is now seeking further progress.
Favouring a possession-based game, experienced signings such as former Ipswich Town midfielder Ben Pringle and South Africa international Dean Furman have been made to bolster the squad for the challenges ahead.
Altrincham finished 17th last term, having struggled for goals, so will hope that a three-goal haul on the opening day will prove an indication of better things for the rest of this season. Certainly, they will want to make that attacking intent pay against Halifax - particularly after the luxury of a weekend free of league duty.
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Team News
Halifax will be led by captain Niall Maher again on Monday, after he stepped into the role when Nathan Clarke was unavailable last season - taking over as skipper permanently after the veteran defender left the club at the end of last season.
Martin Woods - a scorer at the weekend - adds experience in midfield, while Billy Waters is likely to start up front once more, despite the quick turnaround.
Just five of the squad members present in December's loss to Halifax at The Shay were in Altrincham's starting XI last Saturday at Torquay - goalkeeper Tony Thompson, Tom Hannigan, Joel Senior, Jake Moult and Josh Hancock - indicating the revolution which has occurred in their playing personnel.
All of that quintet should start again, and they are likely to be joined by new signing Dean Furman, who will offer a wealth of experience, having won 56 caps for South Africa.
Marcus Dinanga will start up front for the away side, following a first goal for the club within 14 minutes of his competitive debut last weekend.
Halifax Town possible starting lineup:
Johnson; Benn, Bradbury, Maher, Senior; Gilmour, Summerfield, Woods, Warburton; Slew, Waters
Altrincham possible starting lineup:
Thompson; Fitzpatrick, Senior, Hancock, Hannigan; Furman, Moult, Mullarkey, Colclough; Dinanga, Mooney
We say: Halifax Town 2-2 Altrincham
Altrincham have recruited well and stated their intent to improve on last season's efforts, plus have had several extra days to prepare for this clash.
They can show some early progress by holding a team that finished above them in the standings last season to a score draw, as Halifax take a point to add to Saturday's success.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Altrincham win with a probability of 46.16%. A win for Halifax Town had a probability of 28.93% and a draw had a probability of 24.9%.
The most likely scoreline for an Altrincham win was 0-1 with a probability of 9.86%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.29%) and 0-2 (7.77%). The likeliest Halifax Town win was 1-0 (7.48%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.78%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 4.5% likelihood.
