FC Halifax Town travel to Clitheroe on Tuesday night in their penultimate pre-season friendly as the start of the new campaign draws nearer.

The Shaymen have been impressive in their warm-up matches so far, beating Brighouse Town 5-0, drawing impressively with Droylsden, Hyde and Gateshead and losing despite a battling display against Grimsby Town on Saturday.

It will be a case of friends reunited for Town players Simon Garner and Nathan Taylor, who both played twice against FC Halifax Town for Clitheroe last season and signed for the Shaymen over the summer.

Garner impressed Neil Aspin in both matches enough to be snapped up thanks to his versatility as well as his energetic performances, while Taylor has notched five goals so far in a Town shirt. Midfielder Joe Roberts will be on the other side of the fence though, as he is currently part of The Blues' squad after a spell in West Yorkshire last season.

Last year, Clitheroe grabbed a 2-2 draw at The Shay but were beaten 2-1 at home by Aspin's men, while the year before, Halifax completed a double over the Lancashire side.

Manager Peter Smith led the club to their best ever finish of 8th in his first full campaign in charge last season and will be hoping to see an improvement that could result in a play-off push this time around.

His team's pre-season so far has seen them suffer defeat at home to Guiseley, draw with Accrington Stanley and Charnock Richard and win against West Didsbury & Chorlton, Rossendale and, somewhat spectacularly, 14-0 against Shelley.

James Dean and Danny Lowe remain unavailable for selection, but Scott Phelan may be back in contention after missing the last two friendlies through injury.

FC Halifax Town will be hoping to get back to winning ways quickly, and to see if they can, get to the Shawbridge ground on Tuesday night for the 7.45pm kick-off. If you can't make it to the game, the official FC Halifax Town website will be providing regular updates on all the night's action.

Tom Scargill