THACKLEY'S season keeps listing from side to side as management duo Chris Reape and Andy Patterson search for consistency.

The up-and-down nature of the Dennyboys' performances will leave supporters wondering what to expect when FC Halifax Town turn up at Dennyfield.

Thackley were left to lick their wounds after a humbling 8-0 defeat to a Pontefract Collieries side who were then second in the Northern Counties East League.

A decent display but a narrow home defeat followed before the Dennyboys knocked Pickering Town off the Premier Division summit with a 4-2 home win last weekend.

That was followed by a poor performance that led to a 3-0 defeat at Albion Sports in their midweek derby clash.

Prior to the Pickering game, the Dennyboys had progressed in the West Riding County Cup – beating Glasshoughton Welfare 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 stalemate over 90 minutes to earn a home tie against Halifax in the second round.

Patterson said: “I think we were a bit fortunate to win that game against Glasshoughton but we’ll take any luck we can get at the moment.

“It sets up a great tie against Halifax in the next round and the players should be up for that one. If you’re not excited at the prospect of playing a National League club then you’ve lost your appetite for the game.

“It might not be their (Halifax’s) number one priority but because of the rules of the competition they have to play players who have played games for the first team.

“Whatever side they send will be a good one because they are a full-time outfit and they’ve got quality throughout their ranks. It’s a great game for our lads to be looking forward to but we can’t spend too much time focusing on that because there’s some league games before that which we need to be winning.

“It’s a good tie for the club though not just the players. The supporters are looking forward to it and I’m sure that the committee will be hoping for a bigger crowd for that one.

“If we can get the turnstiles ticking over and get a bit of an atmosphere around the place it should be good. The bar takings might be up that night and that always brings a smile to the faces of the committee.”