HFX Wanderers earn their first win in dominant fashion against Valour FC

Midfielder Callum Watson plays hero with CPL's first brace of the season

It may have taken longer than they'd have liked but the Halifax Wanderers have finally won a match this season.

From players to the coaching staff, the club put in a dominant performance in front of 5,524 blue-clad fans at the Wanderers Grounds on Saturday and delivered a 2-0 effort over Valour FC.

The win is the first of head coach Patrice Gheisar's professional career with the club and, with a little bit of luck, signifies that this group is ready to take the next step.

“Obviously I’m extremely happy personally, but more than anything I’m really ecstatic for the group of boys, for the organization and the city,” said Gheisar to reporters following the win. “You could just tell there was fire in their belly, but ice in their mind to manage their emotions. I’m really proud of them."

Gheisar has been working hard to get his squad to stay switched on for a full 90-minutes and although the Wanderers have looked dangerous for stretches, had yet to put in a complete performance.

That all changed when they took to the field against Valour yesterday.

“I’m not oblivious that this is a result-oriented business. But there’s a process so I appreciate all the people that have stuck with us. But our growth isn’t over. This was a big step that we took. I feel like we just skipped four steps. It just feels incredible so hopefully we keep this going," said Gheisar.

And it was never really close as the Wanderers handled the ball with energy and poise from the opening minute. Midfielder Callum Watson had his first of a cornucopia of chances in the opening three minutes as Aiden Daniels sent him in alone in the box but his shot was saved by Valour goalkeeper Ruba-Rayane Yesli.

However, in the 8th minute, Daniels again showcased his pedigree as he drove down the right side of the pitch and crossed the ball to a waiting Watson back-post. Off-balance, Watson somehow got a boot on it while falling and gave the Wanderers the lead.

Starting his first match of the season, 19-year old striker Tiago Coimbra made an impression, taking away Valour's time and space throughout the match. In the 51st minute, he delivered a sliding tackle to turnover the ball just outside Valour's 18-yard box and worked hard to pass it on to his teammates.

The ball would end up with Lorenzo Callegari and he slipped a perfect pass to a streaking Watson who scored his second goal of the match, making him the first player to score a brace this CPL season.

But Watson was all business post-match, heaping praise on the club and the importance of work ethic.

“Yeah, obviously, it’s nice to get on the scoresheet,” said Watson. “But the main thing is coming away with those three points. I don’t think it really matters who puts the ball in the back of the net, as long as we come away with those three points.”

The Wanderers are again at home June 17 against Cavalry FC.

From the Notebook:

1. They did it. They honest to God, fully completely (any Hip fans here?) won a match. I wrote a doozy of a column earlier in the week emphasizing that the Wanderers didn't need to change one iota of their game plan because they were close. Tantalizingly close. In words buoyed by the lifejacket of opinion, I felt a combination of bad luck and getting up to speed on a new system had stopped Halifax from earning their first win weeks earlier. Thankfully, the club rewarded my faith with a dominant performance that saw everything they've been preaching click all at once. Simply put, if you want to know the type of football Gheisar wants his squad to play, re-watch this match. Their shape was fluid, ethereal, rotational. Players stepped up, pulled defenders away with their movement, dipped back and came forward again. It was a masterclass in modern, attacking football against a Valour squad which was unprepared and overwhelmed. Both the eye-test and the analytics speak to the strength of Halifax's performance. The Wanderers held 56 per cent possession, had 12 shots to Valour's 4, dominated all the passing metrics and won the xG battle 1.88-0.12. That's good football.
2. I had a chance to join Gheisar's pre-match conference call and asked him a question I've been sitting on for a number of weeks. Back against York, he made the comment that his players were intimidated playing in front of their own fans. I think it's safe to safe the Wanderers looked uncomfortable that match and as things unraveled, panic set in on a young squad. Gheisar had a very thoughtful answer: “Listen, these guys are trying to do the best they can for themselves and more importantly, for the team and the city. Especially with what’s happened to the city, you know, with the fires, I think they feel more of an emotional connection to bring a smile to any kids or families present. They're putting a lot on themselves. I think for a lot of these guys, they’ve never been in this environment, they’ve never been there." He continued on to say when you want something too much, that's when you make mistakes or get in your own head.
3. So, as a coach, how do you stop players from getting too focused on results, especially when things aren't going your way? “My message is guys, just go out and make them proud with your effort and work rate. You wear that Halifax badge, you represent the city, it’s a city of honourable people. Bring that effort and everything will work itself out," explained Gheisar. Well, his players heard his message loud and clear because the Wanderers work rate was fantastic. From Coimbra to Watson to feisty Zachary Fernandez, the players put in an honest effort from start to finish. And that is perhaps the greatest milestone this game represents: for all the talk of Halifax taking their foot of the gas in previous matches, they delivered a consistent, concentrated effort for a full 90-minutes. In a way, it almost feels like this is a fresh start for the club and the true beginning of their season.
4. We can't go much further without discussing the CPL meme-God himself, Callum Watson. He is truly the brightest bulb in the box, or at least for this match. Watson is a worker bee type midfielder; he's always buzzing, whirring his way up or down the field. Be it in game or in training, he puts in the effort and sets an example even if he's not the most technically talented. Yesterday saw his strong efforts rewarded as he had five shot attempts and scored a brace to remember. His first goal is the result of a yeoman-like performance to make that run back-post with a Valour defender draped all over him. His second goal came from another good run, recognizing the opportunity once Coimbra created the turnover. Post-match, his coach praised him for putting in the work. "For me, it’s just about the energy he brought. He wanted to work, he wanted to win, he wanted to fight. Yeah, he’s got the ability, he’s got the talent but it’s really about putting himself in key areas," said Gheisar. Watson's man of the match was well earned.
5. Which brings us to Aiden Daniels. I've written about the power of confidence in previous Notebooks but its hard not to marvel at the difference between this year and last. Without getting too far down the rabbit hole, Daniels was lost in 2022 but has been consistently brilliant for the Wanderers this year. He put on a clinic against Valour and looked extremely confident, even starting to add some fancy flourishes to his ball work as the match progressed. Watson's goal doesn't happen without the build up play between Daniels and Fernandez, who had some great chemistry on the right side of the pitch. In fact, the combination of Callegari, Daniels and Fernandez rotating and supporting one another best exemplifies how Gheisar wants his players to play through opposing presses. They just couldn't be stopped and have the skill and football IQ to impose their will on the pitch. One last thing on Daniels: his ability to dribble the ball, to drop the shoulder and go, is one of his best assets.
6. I touched on him already but Fernandez is another player who had a fantastic match. He's just everywhere and aside from Callegari, is perhaps the player I think best embodies Gheisar's system. Fernandez is pacey and has the legs to slot in as a right back one minute and then pop up as a right winger the next. And he's a pest to play against. In fact, it got to the point where Valour were just blatantly fouling him in an effort to slow him down as they couldn't keep up with his pace and energy. I think it just made Fernandez play harder.
7. A note on the defenders. Dan Nimick and Cale Loughrey (who I profiled last week) are obviously Gheisar's preferred centreback pair and again looked solid. They are poised to the point where it almost seems like they delight in playing one-on-one versus attackers and broke up the few dangerous moments Valour had. Both Jake Ruby and Cristian Campagna were solid in their minutes. But what I think speaks volumes about the backline's performance is not what they did but what they didn't allow Valour's attackers to do. Pacifique Niyongabire, easily one of the most dangerous players in the CPL, was suffocated all game. The Wanderers didn't give him any time or space to the point where Valour coach Phillip Dos Santos subbed him off. Niyongabire finished the match with only 22 touches and 9 completed passes, a sign of a job well done by Nimick and company.
8. One last Gheisar quote: "I thought today, we handled the transition moments well. But we also held on to the ball for long stretches of the game, and you don’t have to defend if you hold onto the ball." This is Gheisar's mantra in a nutshell and no player allows the Wanderers to retain the ball like Callegari. But Gheisar made some changes to his formation, deciding to sit captain Andre Rampersad — who has looked shaky playing as an 8 this season — and put in Mo Omar, who has also struggled. Gheisar asked Omar to slot in just in front of the defenders and, when in possession, had Callegari form a double pivot with him. Once the ball had been moved up, Callegari pushed forward and with his teammates pressing hard and creating space, I thought the Frenchman looked extremely dangerous in the final third. He notched an assist on Watson's second goal and had two good attempts on net. Long story short, everyone looked better in midfield with the changes and, barring any surprises, makes me think Gheisar should run the same starters next week. But where does that leave Rampersad? Does this mark the end of his tenure in an offensive role? And what about the roster decisions which will have to be made once Morelli joins as the squad is already at 23 players? All in all, too many quality players is a good problem to have and I'm interested to see how it all shakes out. Until then, the Wanderers should enjoy their first win of the season.

Cheers,

-WN

Cover Photo Credit:  Trevor MacMillan/HFX Wanderers FC