Déjà vu: Wanderers again concede minutes away from their first win, draw Forge 2-2

The Halifax Wanderers' current predicament — like much in life — is an exercise in perspective.

In a vacuum, their 2-2 draw to reigning champions Forge FC could be seen as a positive. They roared back during a high tempo second half to score two goals against head coach Bobby Smyrniotis' side but, with mere minutes left in extra time, Forge produced a moment of brilliance to salvage a point late at the Wanderers Grounds. Most coaches would have the luxury of crediting Forge's quality, pointing out the Wanderers' fight and move on, a precious point secured.

But when you consider Halifax's season as a whole, which includes the worst start in CPL history, it's easy to look at this match and feel frustrated. The Wanderers were a step behind to start Saturday, giving Forge too much time and space, especially on the right side of the pitch where Forge attacker David Choinière could have scored two early. They put in a better second half, yes, but were out chanced and outshot, trying desperately to preserve their lead. And in extra time, Forge was able to cut into the 18-yard box and find an open Kwasi Poku, marking the second time in three matches they've surrendered the lead moments before full-time and their first win of the season.

Make no mistake: the Wanderers had several good stretches throughout this match, and played well against the league's North Star Cup winners. They probably deserved three points.

But nearly a third of the way through the season, Halifax head coach Patrice Gheisar is still fielding questions about when his side will secure its first win and that's a problem.

Speaking to reporters post-match, Gheisar said it comes down to one's perspective, acknowledging the club's poor start while pointing out he's been happy with his squad's play these last few matches. He said that it's easy to let Halifax's record cloud their recent performances.

“The positive today is that we went down 1-0, and we made it 2-1,” said Gheisar. “So, you know, it just depends on your mindset. Did we drop two points or did we take another step in the right direction and gain a point?”

Forge, having won four out of five champions, naturally has a different perspective than the rest of the league. Leading up to the match, Smyrniotis said he expected more out of his squad following their disappointing loss to Cavalry last week. And his players, for better or worse, live within the expectations that they should be the better side on any given night.

Although the first half was relatively quiet, Forge's Béni Badibanga opened the scoring in the 49th minute, re-directing a cross into the back of the net. Less than five minutes later, Wanderer Massimo Ferrin equalized for his first of the season. And in the 65th minute, Ferrin won a penalty for Halifax, calmly slotting the ball past Forge keeper Jassem Koleilat to give himself a brace and his side a precious 2-1 lead.

But with only minutes left, Forge pushed,  sending a perfect diagonal to Opoku Ampomah — who was making his Forge debut — on the left side of the pitch. He cut inside, fending off Halifax's Zachary Fernandez, and found Poku, who made no mistake in the 91st minute.

“We are champions, so champions cannot accept easy defeat,” said Badibanga of his teammates determination. “We cannot give up, so that’s what we did.”

It would be easy to credit Forge's quality and mindset but Halifax's place on the table, and the way they are conceding leads, is taking its toll on players.

“When you concede as late as we did, it’s tough to take. We need that first win to kickstart us and get us going. It’s a little bit disappointing," said Ferrin post-match on OneSoccer.

Clément Bayiha, speaking to reporters, spoke about the mental fatigue of dropping points.

“I mean it’s frustrating you know, we did all the work, they scored first and we had to come back and we came back and we did everything and then they just scored at the end,” he said. “So frustrating for us, so it’s kind of hard mentally. But we have to push, we have to keep going and it’s going to come, it’s going to come.”

With the draw, the Wanderers record is now 0-4-5. They are last on the table with four points, 10 behind Vancouver FC and the last playoff place. The Wanderers and Vancouver play on June 23.

And the worry is, by the time the Wanderers get going, could their hopes of a playoff berth already be beyond reach?

From the Notebook:

1. I reported on Friday that defender Dan Nimick was available for selection, as was relayed to reporters during Gheisar's pre-match press conference. He didn't play against Forge, the club opting not to clear him. I asked Gheisar about their decision to rest Nimick post-match and he said it was one made last minute to ensure he's 100 per cent healthy when he returns. But I also think there's an element of gamesmanship here. The CPL is a highly competitive league and any advantage you can garner — a tweaked backline, a surprise tactical change — is a feather in a gaffer's cap. And that's not to take away from Cale Loughrey and Julian Dunn, who have performed admirably in Nimick's absence. Gheisar spoke at length about their quality and rise in play, adding he'll have a very difficult decision to make when Nimick does return as all three deserve minutes in his eyes.
2. I did want to touch on Forge's equalizing goal for a minute. Firstly, I want to recognize that the diagonal that is sent to Ampomah was perfect, catching the Wanderers pinching right. Fernandez, Dunn and Loughrey are all back and Fernandez steps up to challenge Ampomah, who cuts into the box. Now, if you freeze the frame before Ampomah centres the ball you'll see a couple of things: Fernandez doesn't have body position, causing Dunn to post up in a spot where he can try and block the pass or step up to deny a route towards goal. But at the same time, Tristan Borges and Poku are also streaking in, leaving two men for Loughrey to mark (although Vitor Dias is working to get back). Long story short, neither of the defensive midfielders are within view, putting the backline in a tough spot. Ampomah passes the ball, which narrowly misses Dunn, and it glides past Borges to Poku. Loughrey, originally focused on Borges, is forced to switch marks part-way through and is too late in challenging Poku, who beats Yann Fillion low and right. It's a tough look but I don't fault the defenders: the fact that Forge beat the Wanderers midfielders into the box is the real issue.
3. Saturday marked probably the healthiest the Wanderers have been all season but it was short lived. Both Tiago Coimbra and Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé came off with injuries and, although he didn't have an update, Gheisar said both "aren't moving much." Gagnon-Laparé is of course already playing hurt, sporting perhaps the biggest handguard I've ever seen. But I really feel for Coimbra, whose promising first professional season was cut short due to a nagging thigh injury. It's been a bit of the same story this year as knocks and a suspension have limited him to just 284-minutes of playing time. Although it's early, I'm told it's his hamstring. Hopefully both players are back fully fit in no time but one has to wonder if Coimbra's injury forces Christian Volesky back into the starting XI?
4. There's just something about Massimo Ferrin and Forge. After yesterday's match, Ferrin now has five goals in five appearances against the Hammers and it couldn't have come at a better time. For various reasons (mostly injuries), Ferrin has struggled to start the season and Gheisar has clearly been trying to get him going, keeping him on late in matches in an attempt to build his confidence. Ferrin's first goal was as easy as he's going to score in the CPL, a sitter from just outside the six-yard box. And he took his penalty with remarkable calm, causing Koleilat to jump right while he shot left.  He'll look to build on this performance.
5. Speaking of performances, I though Bayiha did well in his first start for the Wanderers. He was involved in play and was integral in setting up Ferrin's first goal. In fact, Gheisar praised Bayiha post-match, calling him "fantastic" and I liked the way he meshed with Halifax's attacking players. The biggest thing for me is he's a different profile of player: quick on his feet, pressy and happy as a clam to dribble all the way to goal. It's fitting that he's donned No. 14 as he's brought some much needed Callum Watson energy (not that I think they're the same player by any stretch). Speaking of which, Bayiha was an interesting interview post-match and said he's tried to bring some positivity as the new guy.
6. I also want to commend Fillion's performance. There's been some debate around his play this year so I think it's only fitting he's praised for keeping his side afloat in a close match. He made five saves, all inside the box, and stood tall amidst several big chances against. Although the Wanderers were leading until the end, they were statistically outplayed and Fillion helped bridge that gap. Forge had more possession (59 per cent) and sent 17 shots Fillion's way while the Wanderers mustered only five shots in total.
7. One of the biggest issues on Saturday was that the Wanderers just couldn't win their duels, especially on their left side. Wesley Timoteo (2/7), Lorenzo Callegari (1/5) and Ferrin (1/7) were unable to consistently come out with the ball and it showed. On the other side, Bayiha (6/10), Gagnon-Laparé (2/5) and Fernandez (7/12) did a much better job winning ball battles. It's no coincidence that in a ploy to create space for him, Badibanga was switched over to face Halifax's left side.
8. Say what you will about the Wanderers this season, I've found them entertaining to watch these last four matches. They're fighting, they're trying to play Gheisar's style and sometimes, they're delivering darn good football. They've earned points in their last three matches and are starting to produce goals. Through this narrow lens, they're looking like the club that tied Forge for second place last year. But when you add in the perspective of the whole of this season, it's easy to understand why supporters are frustrated awaiting their first win of the season. Progress isn't always linear.

Cover Photo Credit: Trevor MacMillan / Halifax Wanderers FC