Halifax Town v Southend United: The Play-Offs Are Ours, but Keep Pushing

This is a strange one to look forward to, in the nicest possible way. A few weeks ago I had Halifax away circled as the sort of game that could make or break our play-off hopes. Now, thanks to that 2–0 win at Aldershot, Southend can go to The Shay knowing the top seven is ours. I am not going to complain about that change of circumstances.

But the last thing I want is for us to arrive at 12:30 on Saturday, admire the view from seventh place and treat the afternoon as a friendly. There are three league games remaining, a chance to climb above Forest Green or Scunthorpe if results go our way, and a play-off campaign that will demand the very best of this squad. We have reached the interesting part of the season. I want us to behave like it.

There is a temptation after qualification to say the next few results hardly matter. I can see the argument when legs are tired and players are returning from injury. I just cannot agree with the idea that you can flick competitive form off for a fortnight and be certain it will come back as soon as the knock-out matches begin. We need a balance, and getting it right begins at Halifax.

One job done, a bigger one still ahead

Tuesday at Aldershot gave us a very welcome feeling of certainty. Gus Scott-Morriss bent a free-kick past Pat Nash, Charley Kendall finished the second, and the defence saw the game out for another clean sheet. We now have 75 points from 43 matches. Halifax are on 67 with only two left to play. That is the play-off question answered.

It also means we can look up instead of down. Scunthorpe are fifth with 81 points from 44 games, Forest Green sixth with 78 from 44, and we have a game in hand on both. There are enough points still available to make it worth chasing. A place higher up could make a real difference to the path we take through the play-offs. The possibility of a home eliminator is something supporters have every right to dream about.

Nothing will be handed to us, of course. Those teams will have plans of their own, and other results might not fall kindly. But we have done the difficult bit of putting ourselves in contention. Why settle for the first rung we have reached?

Which Southend turns up at The Shay?

The encouraging thing is the run we have put together. We have beaten Yeovil, Braintree, Sutton and Aldershot in our last five league games, with the Solihull draw sandwiched in there. Thirteen points from fifteen is strong form by anybody’s standards, and three consecutive clean sheets have given us a much sturdier platform.

There have been different performances within that run. Sutton was full of pace and sharp attacking movement. Solihull was heavy going, with too many passes that took us nowhere. Aldershot was a commanding first half followed by a second in which we sat a little deeper than I would have liked. I want the best bits of those games: the energy, the intelligent passing, and the confidence to keep attacking without abandoning our defensive shape.

Oli Coker looked brighter at Aldershot and his pass for Kendall’s goal was excellent. Keenan Appiah-Forson gives the midfield much-needed legs, James Morton has been disciplined in front of the back three, and Joe Gubbins is increasingly willing to drive out with the ball. Those are encouraging details. They suggest we are not relying solely on an outrageous Gus free-kick to win matches, although I certainly will not object if he fancies another.

Our strength is that we can hurt teams in different ways. Our danger is becoming too cautious when ahead. Getting that balance right might be the most useful thing we can practise over these final weeks.

Halifax have missed out, not given up

Adam Lakeland’s Halifax are eighth, eight points behind us, and their play-off chance has gone. That must sting. They have spent a great deal of this season close enough to feel involved, yet now they have to watch other clubs carry on. I do not expect a side with that much frustration to simply stand aside and let us have the afternoon.

They have drawn their last two league matches: 2–2 at home to Tamworth and 0–0 away to Yeovil. The Tamworth draw was especially painful because Halifax missed a late penalty that could have changed the race. Their campaign has featured plenty of goals but also a defence that has conceded sixty in 44 matches. That is not an invitation to assume we will score freely; it is a reason to put pressure on them and see how they respond.

We beat Halifax 3–0 at Roots Hall in September, with Andrew Dallas, Scott-Morriss and Ben Goodliffe on the scoresheet. They finished with ten men that day, so I would not read too much into the margin. This is their ground, their last home league match of the campaign, and their supporters will want a response to the disappointment of missing out on the play-offs. The Shay is not a ground where I would expect anything to be gifted.

There are familiar faces as well. Former Southend defender Shaun Hobson is part of their back line, while experienced goalkeeper Sam Johnson remains an important figure. I have a lot of respect for clubs that stay competitive in this division without the same resources as some of the bigger names. Respect, though, must not turn into hesitation. If we start at the pace we showed on Tuesday, we can ask plenty of questions.

Maher’s awkward choice: fresh legs or full momentum?

If I were Kevin Maher, the selection meeting would probably take longer than usual. There is a strong argument for keeping a winning team together, and an equally strong one for giving some of the more heavily used players a breather. We have an away trip to Hartlepool coming up after Halifax, and a lot riding on having a fit squad when the play-offs begin.

Gus has been astonishing this season. Sixteen goals from his position tells its own story, and every time he gets on the ball in the final third I expect something to happen. But he cannot play every minute forever. Harry Boyes has also put an enormous shift in down the left. If either gets a rest, I want to see it as sensible planning, not a sign we have stopped trying to win.

James Golding returned at Aldershot after the concern over his Achilles. I would be careful with him; we need him fully fit for the matches that will decide our season. Ben Goodliffe is a perfectly legitimate option for minutes in the back three, and Jack Bridge or Sam Austin could help manage the wing-back workload depending on the system Maher chooses.

Up front, Harry Cardwell needs football after that long spell out. His first few minutes back have naturally looked like those of someone finding match sharpness again, but we know what he gives us when properly fit: a focal point and a physical presence that can change the way opponents defend. Andrew Dallas has a case to start, Charley Kendall took his goal well on Tuesday, and Tom Hopper has been doing the unselfish work that often gets missed. I do not envy Maher having to choose two from those options.

Then there are Leon Chambers-Parillon and Cav Miley. Leon’s little burst of skill at Aldershot was a lovely reminder of what he can bring. If his body is ready, I would like him to get longer than a late cameo. Equally, I would not throw him into a start before the medical staff think he is ready. The whole point is to reach the play-offs with choices rather than another injury list.

The early kick-off changes the feel of the day

Half past twelve is an awkward time for an away match in Yorkshire when you are travelling from Southend. That is a very early start for supporters, whether the journey is by road or rail. I hope the team remembers the effort that goes into following them. The 561 at Aldershot had something special to celebrate; those making the trip to Halifax deserve the same commitment, whatever eleven names appear on the teamsheet.

I would like us to take the game to Halifax in the opening twenty minutes. They are capable of scoring, and if we let Harris and Hmami settle into comfortable positions we could make our own afternoon harder. Press the midfield, move it quickly through Coker or Appiah-Forson, and give the two forwards service early. Do not spend the first half playing as though we are protecting a lead we have not earned.

There is another useful challenge here: show that we can change players without losing the identity of the side. The play-offs are not going to be won by eleven men on their own. They will be won by a squad that knows how to function no matter who is asked to start.

Play-off place secured. Standards still high. Let’s keep looking up. Up the Shrimpers.

Match details

Fixture: FC Halifax Town v Southend United
Competition: National League
Kick-off: Saturday 18 April 2026, 12:30pm
Venue: The Shay
Referee: Ross Joyce
Assistant referees: Adam Burgess and George Eaton
Fourth official: Thomas Wall

Before kick-off

Predicted Southend XI

Andeng-Ndi; Scott-Morriss, Taylor, Goodliffe, Gubbins, Boyes; Coker, Morton, Appiah-Forson; Cardwell, Dallas.

Prediction only. The confirmed line-up will be announced before kick-off.