Forest Green Rovers begin their Enterprise National League campaign at The New Lawn against FC Halifax Town.
The Shaymen’s last trip to GL6 came in January, when Robbie Savage’s men came out 2-1 winners.
Ahead of Saturday’s 3pm kick-off here is everything you need to know.
The Opponents – FC Halifax Town
Nickname – The Shaymen
Last season – 8th, 70 points
Halifax Town finished just one place below FGR last season after two consecutive seasons inside the playoffs.
Rovers came out on top twice against The Shaymen last campaign, winning both matches 2-1.
Additionally, The New Lawn has only seen a single defeat to Halifax Town since the year 2000.
Halifax come into this game in a rich vein of form, having won their last four-pre-season friendly matches.
The West Yorkshire side have been busy this summer with 27 transfers in total, including ten incomings.
One signing being former Barcelona and Liverpool prodigy Zak Gilsenan.
The manager – John McGrath
Newly appointed John McGrath will stand in the dugout for Halifax Town on Saturday.
The Irishman started management young at just 36-years-old when he took over at Mickleover Sports as player-manager.
He spent eight years at the Derbyshire-based club, six of which were as player-manager.
McGrath spent the last two seasons at Buxton, where he achieved back-to-back playoff finishes in National League North.
Those two impressive campaigns were enough to land him the top job at The Shay, replacing Adam Lakeland, who left to join National North outfit Morecambe.
One to watch – Conor Carty
The Shaymen's new number nine, Conor Carty, will be looking to hit the ground running as the National League campaign gets underway.
Carty joined Halifax last month from Waterford FC. The 24-year-old came through the academy at Wolverhampton Wanderers before moving to Bolton Wanderers, where he made one senior appearance, scoring against Tranmere Rovers in 2022.
The Irishman also had spells with Doncaster Rovers, Gateshead and Oldham Athletic. He joined Waterford FC on a permanent deal from fellow League of Ireland Premier Division side St Patrick's Athletic in December 2025, having returned to the Saints for a second spell in 2023.
Head-to-head
03/01/26, FGR 2-1 Halifax (Rees 67’ 78’)
23/08/25, Halifax 1-2 FGR (Bamba 23’, Mitchell 77’)
04/03/25, Halifax 2-1 FGR (McAllister 62’)
27/11/24, FGR 1-1 Halifax (McAllister 63’)
