Take a bow FC Halifax Town boss Jim Vince, the man assigned with the herculean task of reinvigourating footballing fortunes in Calderdale following the Shaymen's inglorious decline – and rebirth under a new moniker.

The once-proud club folded earlier this summer after almost 100 years in existence amid spiralling debts of more than £2m – a whopping £800,000 of which was owed to the Inland Revenue – effectively wiping Halifax off the footballing map.

The hammer-blow left a town and generations of Shaymen followers reeling.

Memories of halcyon days such as the never-to-be-forgotten FA Cup third-round win over Manchester City in 1980 and the champagne spell of the late '60s and early '70s – Town agonisingly missed promotion to the old second division by one place in 1970/71 when they finished above Aston Villa – appeared distant in the extreme.

But despite facing Armageddon, Halifax's loyal and defiant supporters stood firm and pledged to resurrect the club in some shape or form – come what may.

And the fighting talk has proved more than just idle words, thanks in no small part to the consortium led by David Bosomworth.

That said, it's come at a considerable price. Halifax – or more specifically FC Halifax Town – find themselves unceremoniously bounced down the footballing pyramid into the backwaters of Division One North of the UniBond League with their appeal against expulsion from the Conference rejected by the Football Association.

That was the tough brief which faced ex-Witton Albion boss Vince when Halifax's board approached him at the end of June – having targeted him as the man to pick up the footballing pieces at the Shay.


Convalescing following a spring-time operation – which prompted his decision to leave Albion after taking them to within a whisker of the UniBond Premier title in his two seasons there – talk switching to another ailing patient in Town would have been unpalatable to most people.

Many more would have sent for the men in white coats on hearing of the interest, equating the role with the most poisoned of chalices. But not Vince, with the lure of trying to restore the fortunes of a former Football League club proving simply irresistible.

Vince said: "I'd had an operation on my Achilles tendon and had it reattached this spring, so when I left Witton at the end of last season, it was for a genuine reason. I felt my rehabilitation was such that I had to have time for myself.

"Then, nine weeks after the operation, someone rang me from the club (Halifax) and asked me if I'd like to be considered. Out of respect for the person who rang me, I thought I'd go and have a chat and see if it was right for me.

"To be fair, I didn't want to manage at this level. If I was going to get back and involved in football, I wanted to go higher.

"But I'm very grateful I actually went and met the chairman, David Bosomworth, and his board. Once you meet these people, you are influenced.

"Their passion is infectious when you talk to them about football.

"They told me what they wanted for the club and the team and how could I refuse an opportunity like this with the history of the club? It's like creating your own chapter.

"We're part of an era here and players can write themselves into the club's history.

"We are a phoenix rising from the flames, and I'm privileged to be involved in this era. If I can help the club progress, that's my number one priority."

Feeling an acute sense of history is one thing, but possessing the nuts and bolts to start engineering a renaissance is another, with 41-year-old Vince handed just two weeks to get a side together for new-look Town's first-ever game, a friendly against Bury.

With no registered players, it represented a thankless task, with Vince immediately having to don the guise of persuasive salesman to convince prospective players that Halifax meant business before even envisaging getting to work on the training ground.

Rather than a smooth-tongued approach, Vince laid it straight down the line with a host of potential new recruits.

And given the flood of signings who have elected to join his footballing odyssey at short notice, his honesty and candour has paid off.

Vince, who brought in ex-Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest striker Nigel Jemson as his No 2 shortly after being handed the Town reins, said: "It's been an experience over the past few weeks, but we knew it would be a difficult period.

"First of all, we've had to go and get a team together. You can wait and wait and wait for quality, but when you haven't any players to start with, really it's a case of getting players on board and then building very quickly.

"Usually when you take over a football club there's a nucleus of players that remain and you bring in three or four or whatever you think is needed as a manager to improve the team. But here, it was a bit more complicated because we had a blank canvas.

"I said 'no commitments' when I spoke to players and told them just to see if they liked the training and the manager and if they were prepared to work with me.

"Players did get confidence in me and that's how you build a relationship. And it's happened quite quickly here.

"We've improved on the team and are in a position now where we are going to be competitive this year and give a good account of ourselves.

"You look at last year's keeper, Craig Mawson. It didn't take a lot of persuading for him to remain at the club.

"The experience of the club and the environment of the stadium sold itself. But what Craig didn't know was what I was like as a person or as a manager or a coach.

"With Craig, as with others, it was a case of 'come and have a look'. You don't buy a car before driving it first."

Vince is clearly one of life's 'do-ers', and it's a good job given the scale of his task at the Shay – which would make many a nicely-ensconsced feet-under-the-table Football League counterpart blush.

There are many things to contend with, most notably expectation, which may seem a wholly strange concept given that the embryonic club only recently formed from the ashes of its predecessor which went to the wall.

That hasn't stopped the UniBond League's leading bookmaker Corbetts installing newly-formed Halifax as favourites to win the Division One North title, and that's without even mentioning the supporters' soaring anticipation. But Vince insists he is equipped to cope – and is fully confident in his own abilities.

He said: "It's a test for me, as a manager and a coach, to take this team forward.

"I relish challenges. I thought long and hard before taking the position and spoke to my family before deciding this was the right one for me.

"The support from the fans and the board and the people working in the ground has underpinned my decision.

"There are no guarantees in football to win things, but what I will guarantee is that I'll give supporters value for money. They are the ones crucial to the success of these clubs, they'll be there much longer than me or any of the players or board.

"They are the lifeblood of the club and what I will give them is good football, that's one thing they will get from me.

"My job is to improve the gates. I'm not bothered about that – although bothered isn't perhaps the right word. But if I get the football right, the crowds will take care of themselves.

"In football, you've got people who talk a good game and those who deliver it. When I took over Witton, we were a mediocre team and last season and the season before we lost the league on the last game of the season – with plenty of bigger teams having better finances and budgets.

"I'm proud of what I delivered there and think I did a good job.
"But I'm at a club now where I think I can fulfil my ambitions as a manager and a coach."

A host of players have been won over by the persuasive tongue of Vince, most notably former York, Walsall and Hartlepool centre-back Tony Barrass, who will skipper the side, and defensive bulwark Steve Payne.

Former Shay favourite Ryan Sugden and other familiar faces in ex-Town striker Neil Ross, defender Thomas Harban and keeper Mawson have also signed on the dotted line, along with a raft of starlets keen on rising up the footballing ladder with Halifax.

Vince – whose side kicked off their season at home to Bamber Bridge yesterday – said: "Steve and Tony are big players.

"Tony has played 500 league games, while Steve was a rock for Stalybridge last year and I'm sure he'll carry that on with us.

"Looking at the youngster lads, Junior Brown – who was a young pro at Crewe – is one to watch out for. I work at the Academy there and there are quite a few players I'm aware of (at Crewe).

"We've signed Ashley Stott, who is going to be fantastic for us as he's a prolific goalscorer and there are a few other signing nuggets.

There's Chris King, a left-back from Wigan who is only 18 but has a big future, and supporting that are the likes of Craig (Mawson). And I've two good keepers with him and Phil (Senior).

"Defensively, we're okay and there's also (Lincoln) Adams and Tom Harban, who was with us last year. I'm pleased with the squad and it's going to get better."

Ends