“A great player, but an even better lad” - former FC Halifax Town team-mates pay tribute to Jordan Sinnott

Former FC Halifax Town team-mates have paid heartfelt tributes to Jordan Sinnott after his tragic death on Saturday at the age of 25.

Sinnott scored 10 goals in 44 appearances during his single season, 2016-17, at The Shay, but was a crucial part of the team as they earned promotion from the National League North under Billy Heath.

The midfielder, affectionately known as ‘Sinbad’, was an unequivocal success at The Shay, exuding skill and assurance, displaying an eye for a pass and an eye for goal. The go-to man against stubborn defences, the driving force when the team needed a lift, literally at the centre of it all.

“The first time I saw him play was for Altrincham against North Ferriby, and he was so comfortable on the ball,” recalls Halifax’s assistant manager that season, Mark Carroll.

“He just looked as if he had all the time in the world. Only good players make the game look easy and Sinbad could do that.
“I remember when we played Altruincham at home, he came on when we were 2-1 down, Tuesday night game. He gets the ball and Bill’s going ‘put it in the box’ and he goes and beats two or three men and puts it in the top corner. Absolutely superb.”

”Even though we were part-time, we were a close bunch, considering we were only together for three nights a week,” says former Town defender Kevin Roberts.

“As a footballer, he was one of the most technically-gifted players I played with.

“That season we wouldn’t have gone up without him.

“We had a lot of dogged-type players around him, but he was the one with proper quality.”

Sinnott’s finest hour in a Town shirt was a man-of-the-match performance in that season’s climax against Chorley at The Shay; a beacon of composure in the maelstrom of a play-off final.

”We were pretty poor on the day but he was involved in the two key moments in making both goals,” recalls former team-mate and current Town captain Matty Brown.
“We were dead on our feet towards the end, we had Peni (Richard Peniket) injured for the last few minutes.
“But he had that quality about him, he could turn a game and he had that swagger about him.”

“He’s one of the best technical players I’ve ever played with and he was absolutely brilliant that season,” says former Halifax striker Richard Peniket.

“In the final against Chorley he almost carried us on his own. He was brilliant that day.

“When we needed a bit of quality or a calm head, he was always there for us.

“I remember playing at Kidderminster when we got a last-minute penalty, and he had the nerve to take that.

“He wasn’t a Billy-type player, but because of how good he was, he was needed. He’d give you the quality we needed.

“They had a strong relationship, along with Bobby (Mark Carroll).”

”The last 10 games of the season, he got us over the line,” says Carroll.

“When you look at that ball in for the winning goal, he’s literally facing the touchline, and how he’s whipped that ball in to Garns (Scott Garner) head, it’s just unbelievable.

“It was a big game but it didn’t faze him. you looked at him before the game and he was as calm as anybody.

“We’d made our subs and we were virtually down to 10 men because Richard Peniket was playing on one leg, and he took the game to them.”

”I think he was one of our best players in that promotion season,” says former Town striker Tom Denton.

“He was the playmaker in our team and he made things happen. He got plenty of assists, plenty of goals.”And he got a deserved move to Chesterfield, who were in League Two at the time, on the back of it.”I watched the final back when I’d heard about what happened.”He set up Kev Roberts for the first and put that cross in on the bounce (for the winner) and you could just see his face down the camera. He was just loving it.

“Two great assists, and they got Halifax to where they are now.”

”He was a big player for us that year,” says former Halifax midfielder Liam King. “He’s one of the best technical players I’ve ever played with.
“He’d make things happen. He scored a lot of goals that season and created a lot.

“He was such a nice lad, so laid back. A nice kid.

“He was definitely one of the lads, a big part of the team spirit. A very easy-going guy.

“When we went on our night’s out he was the life and soul of the party.

“It was a pleasure to play with him.

“Sinbad’s cross to (Scott) Garner was the promotion winning goal. Fantastic memories!.
“The whole squad share those promotion memories together. It was a brilliant season with a great group of lads. We will never forget it.”

”I didn’t really meet Sinbad until quite late on that season because I was away getting rehab on my injury,” recalls Brown.
“But ever since I met him, we used to just hammer each other with banter.

“That was me and him. We used to just leather each other, and formed a really good friendship.

“I’ve had him stay at my house countless times, I’ve been on nights out with him. He will be greatly missed.”

”Bill pulled his hair out sometimes because of his laid back nature,” recalls Carroll, “but he was my type of player.
“Off the pitch, never any problems at all. He was the centre of everything in the changing room.
“That Halifax changing room was one of the best we’ve been involved in and he was an important part of that.
“Everybody loved him. He took his football seriously but he could also sing.

“All the new lads had to do a song and he sat at the back of the coach with his guitar and sang ‘Valerie’.

“All the lads were like ‘wow, he’s not only a good looking boy, he can play guitar and he can sing as well, the boy’s the full package!’”

A trip to Dublin holds particularly fond memories for Roberts.
“We were on the back of this tuc-tuc, and we must have nearly crashed about four times,” he recalls.
“It’s one of the funniest journeys home I’ve ever had on a night out.

“I think there were four of us but I’m not sure how because it was only meant to hold two!
“He was a funny lad, loved a night out like all of us did.
“He was a laid-back character but he wasn’t quiet, he’d be involved in all the banter.
“He was always smiling and laughing. He always had a smile on his face.”

”He was just a really, really nice lad,” says Peniket. “I can’t remember anyone ever having a bad word to say about him, which is quite rare in football.
“Everybody liked him. He was so laid back, always laughing, always smiling.
“He was a good friend.
“I just remember having such a laugh with him.

“We were always the last ones to go home, that’s the type of lad he was. Full of life, loved life, happy. He had more friends than anyone I’ve ever known.”

”He was a special player,” says Carroll. “He’s one of the most talented players I’ve ever had the privilege to work with.

“Some of the things he could do with a football, we used to look on with envy in training.
“Most of all, he was just a top, top bloke. I’ve not heard anybody have a bad word to say about him.
”Billy’s instructions were ‘get it into Dents’ and ‘give the ball to Sinbad’,” says Roberts.
“He was the one who’d feed the wingers and add that bit of quality.
“He was a great player but an even better lad.
“When a tragedy happens, people say ‘he was a great lad’ but he genuinely was one of the best lads you’ll meet.”

”He was more of a friend than a team-mate,” adds Denton. “He was a great guy, proper down-to-earth, always had a smile on his face.

“He even played with a smile on his face.

“He was always up for a laugh, just a joy to be around.”