With road trip losses to Cavalry and Forge, the language around the Wanderers has changed to 'must wins' and 'now or never'

For all their efforts, the Halifax Wanderers have been unable to take advantage of their opportunities this season. Now, with 11 matches left, the club has put themselves in a position where fixtures — like Saturday's match away at Valour — have become "must wins' in the words of their leadership.

Speaking post-match following a tough 2-0 loss to Forge, their second defeat on what's surely been a grinding road trip, Wanderers defender and assistant captain Dan Nimick doubled down on the group he's been a part of for nearly two years.

"I know for a fact we're not a last placed team despite what the table says right now," Nimick told reporters on Wednesday. "Saturday's a must win. I believe we'll get it done and I 100 per cent believe we will make the playoffs. We need a positive response and I think we'll get it."

This is not the first time Nimick has said the Wanderers aren't a last placed team but, for a variety of reasons, it has remained true throughout much of their campaign. On Wednesday, part of the reason can be attributed to an error in judgement from one of Halifax's most experienced players, Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé, who lost his cool following a reckless challenge and got himself a red card. Down a man for over 60-minutes against the CPL's perennial champions, the Wanderers fought hard but ultimately succumbed to Forge's clinical playstyle.

There's no doubt Gagnon-Laparé's lapse in judgement put Halifax at a massive disadvantage —  head coach Patrice Gheisar noting in his availability that the 29-year old midfielder apologized to the entire team after the whistle blew — but it's one of several similar errors this season.

"Every game from now on is a big game," said Gheisar.

"I've talked about this before: our performance on the day needs to be sharper, our performance on the field needs to be hungrier. We have to learn. Right now, we've played 17 games and we have four red cards. In this league — and listen, against Vancouver we won with a red card — it's going to be tough (playing down a man). We need to learn from our mistakes and put them behind us."

Simply put, the Wanderers have had trouble getting out of their own way — but maybe not in the manner you think.

It'd be easy to pin their woes entirely on discipline as the Wanderers lead the league with their four reds but the truth is they are amongst the most disciplined clubs. They have conceded the least amount of fouls at 193, tied with Pacific, and sit with the second fewest yellow cards at 35. In juxtaposition, York United boasts 236 fouls conceded and 57 yellows; Valour has conceded nearly 300 fouls.

It'd also be easy to point to a sputtering offence, especially at the early juncture of the season, but as of late, the Wanderers have found their scoring touch, helped in no small part by the rise of Ryan Telfer and return of Tiago Coimbra, who have combined for seven goals. And although players like Massimo Ferrin and Vitor Dias have struggled to find their form amidst several knocks, Nimick has stepped up in the penalty spot and in set pieces, playing the role of offensive catalyst from the backline. Halifax's 22 goals puts them squarely in the middle of the pack. Their xG suggests there's more offence they can squeeze out; they have the creative players to do it.

No, where the Wanderers have fallen flat is in their defending, specifically in their ability to stay concentrated for a full 90-minutes. This also helps to explain their slew of red cards: be they veteran players or young professionals, they are losing themselves momentarily and it's costing them. Against both Forge and Cavalry, set pieces undid Halifax's hard work and put them behind at hostile grounds. In total, they've conceded 28 goals, only two off being the worst defence in the CPL. But their miscues and lapses aren't from a lack of quality; this is the most talented roster in Wanderers history. Nimick, Cale Loughrey, Wes Timoteo and Zachary Fernandez are all good defenders. Yann Fillion has been solid. And Aiden Rushenas, who made his debut against Forge, was arguably Halifax's best player on the night.

It comes down to concentration, something Nimick admitted had been missing at training this past week amidst a golden opportunity to make up points on the table. They've now squandered two important matches, giving themselves little room for error down the stretch.

"Training this week was not what we want it to be. People seem flat and it's a tough road trip we've been on," he said. "It's a long road trip, it's a tough road trip and I think we just need to show in our training the next couple days we're hungry. We're still within a shot of the playoff spots."

As Nimick mentioned, despite Halifax's poor start and faltering form of late, they are still in contention. The Wanderers have a match in hand and are seven points back of Vancouver FC, who occupy the last playoff spot. They're one point behind Valour and could leapfrog them with a victory tomorrow. And once they depart Winnipeg, the Wanderers will play four of their next five matches at the Wanderers Grounds.

The question is: will the Wanderers learn from their mistakes and find a way to make the most of their talent? Or continue to let opportunities slip away and potentially underachieve with some of the best players to ever pull on the shirt? Either way, we'll find out soon enough.

"If we have a chance to make a run, it's got to be now or never," said Gheisar.

Cover Photo Credit:  Jojo Yanjiao Qian / Forge FC