Halifax’s Wembley Triumph was not enough for the boss to keep his job, as Robson Friend reports.
FC Halifax Town defeated Grimsby Town to lift the FA Trophy at Wembley but it was not enough for manager Jim Harvey to keep his job.
Harvey’s contract was due to expire at the end of the season and had hoped that the win would earn him a further deal, but it was not the case – despite a historical day at the office for Yorkshire club:
The Shaymen arrived at Wembley stadium with the notion that they were likely to be the underdogs on the day with Grimsby recently winning promotion back into the Football League and ranking as the stronger side.
However, with the club having already reached their main goal for the season prior to kick-off, it was clear the Mariners could well have been suffering from an extended hangover and in turn provided Halifax with a chance to snatch the trophy, which is exactly what they did.
After a dull and uninventive first-half for either side, Halifax finally broke the deadlock in the 48th minute thanks to a terrific strike from defender Scott McManus which ultimately secured the trophy for the Blues and elated their 10,000 fans who had made the trip to north-west London.
Silver Lining
As Halifax Town were unable to avoid the dreaded drop this campaign the FA Trophy stands as a silver lining for the Blues and despite manager Jim Harvey’s Wembley heroics, incredibly it was not enough as the club have decided that they will not be renewing his contract, and instead hiring Billy Heath for two seasons.
Harvey said after the victory: “The chairman is going to announce something tomorrow and I hope that he is going to talk to me and offer me a new contract, but that’s up to him, I’d love to continue the job, I’ve really enjoyed it”.
And just days later the club’s official website announced that they would not be continuing with the Northern Irishman despite his achievement at Wembley and only missing the safe zone by one point.
They expressed their gratitude towards Harvey and his assistant, saying in a statement: “We admire the efforts of Jim and Tommy Miller in what has been a difficult season trying to avoid relegation and the outstanding success of winning the FA Trophy. Our very best wishes go with Jim and Tommy. The Club can confirm the appointment of Billy Heath and Mark Carroll on a two-year contract”.
Nonetheless, Halifax fans will be grateful for Harvey’s involvement in managing the West Yorkshire town to silverware and will hope their next manager can make an instant impact and fire the squad back up to the National League this coming season.