That's the view of midfielder Scott Phelan, one of the few players to emerge from Saturday's Dark Lane clash with any credit.

Defeat in Lancashire ended Town's 10-match unbeaten run in Unibond One North and prevented the side from becoming the first in Halifax history to record eight successive league wins.

But Phelan believes the Shaymen can bounce back in their eagerly anticipated match with the Tynesiders.

"We can't wait for the game," he said. "I don't think our confidence will have been affected too much because we were only beaten once in 11 games.

"I know the defeat came at a lower ranked club, but that does not matter.

"Having lost the game last weekend we need to get three points against Newcastle - and that's what we will be aiming for."

Phelan knows that opposition sides are not going to let the Shaymen play the football they want.

And Town will have to be patient against Newcastle who are six points behind them with three games in hand.

"If it was simply a matter of playing football against these teams we would beat them," he said.

"But look at Rossendale, they dug in and worked hard and I thought their back four were really strong for them."

Saturday's game is the first of three successive home matches for the Shaymen in the run up to Christmas.

And while they will be happy to be back on familiar territory, Phelan knows that they will have to be right when they next travel - to Radcliffe on December 20.

"The run could not have ended on a worse day in a colder more horrible stadium," he said.

"But when you go to places like Rossendale it is very important that your attitude is right as much as how you play, and ours was not there last Saturday for whatever reason.

"I can't put my finger on what it was."

FC Halifax Town Chairman David Bosomworth and fellow directors Bobby Ham and Stuart Peacock will be the Open to Question guests at tonight's Supporters' Club meeting in the Weavers (8.0).

The meeting is open to all HTSC members but new members can join on the evening.