Halifax maintained their unbeaten run into a fourth month as goals in each half left Fleet without reward from this trip to The Shay.
There were two changes for Josh Wright’s men, with Dom Samuel starting his first league game since August in place of Aaron Cosgrave, while loanee Alex Lankshear replaced Ben Chapman.
A fairly pedestrian opening livened up on nine minutes when a Halifax free-kick was sent in low and Max Wright was able to get an effort across goal that hit Anthony Stewart in the six-yard box before flying behind for a corner.
And three minutes later the home side were ahead with a little good fortune. Halifax miscontrolled the ball in midfield but Jack Evans was able to pick it up and find Luca Thomas edging beyond the Fleet defensive line. He sent a good low shot across goal but it looked like heading wide before hitting the post and rolling back across the line and over off the other post.
Ryan Galvin saw a delivery just elude him a minute after the restart as Fleet cleared that one off his toes in the six-yard box.
The Fleet’s first effort on goal came from Luke O’Neill’s free-kick on 22 minutes following a foul on Samuel but that was swung up and over the bar. George Moncur’s incursion three minutes later earned the visitors the first of a succession of corners as he tried to play in Kwame Thomas. From the first, Sam Johnson had to tip away a header before Halifax shepherded out Samuel at the far post. Stewart and Alex Aoraha followed that up with efforts on goal from the other two corners.
Fleet enjoyed a period in the Halifax final third after that but couldn’t quite create an opening as Mustapha Olagunju was well tackled in the box while waiting for support. Halifax broke and Zak Emmerson sent a low shot into Mark Cousins’ arms.
Moncur’s corner four minutes before the break created something of a scramble on the penalty spot before he won another corner, breaking down the right with Thomas his target once again.
Halifax fashioned one final opportunity of the half when O’Neill’s errant pass was cut out by Luca Thomas. His deep cross found Emmerson but the Town man was too far under it to direct it and sent a header looping up over the goal.
The hosts began the second-half with purpose but not until the 57th minute did they really trouble the Fleet when Olagunju had to deflect Adam Senior’s shot behind for a corner.
Cousins was in the way of Galvin’s run and shot seven minutes after that but could do nothing to prevent Halifax extending their lead on 68 minutes. Olagunju got his leg to the ball as the blue shirts came forward but the clearance fell for substitute Jamie Cooke who sent a screamer into the top corner from 30 yards out.
Kwame Thomas got a header on target from a long-range free-kick in the final minutes but Johnson was able to grab a hold of it, while Olagunju did well to get in the way of Tom Pugh’s late counterattack into the Fleet box.
EUFC: Cousins, O’Neill (Tanga, 70), Lankshear, Stewart, Dallison, Olagunju, Aoraha (Domi 60), Edser (Manktelow 79), Moncur, Samuel (Odokonyero 60), Thomas. Subs: John, Carr, Firth
FCHT: Johnson, Senior, Smith, Adetoro, Galvin, High, Evans (Jenkins 82), Bray (Pugh 67), Emmerson (Cooke 55), Thomas (Oluwabori 90), Wright (Cappello 72). Subs: Ford, Cummings
Attendance: 1,465 (31 EUFC)
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