It was stoppage-time heartbreak for Halifax again, as a 90+2 minute tying goal from Kwasi Poku denied the Wanderers their first win of the season in a 2-2 draw with Forge on  Saturday afternoon.

The Wanderers Grounds appeared primed to celebrate another big win over Forge, as a Massimo Ferrin double had put Halifax ahead after Forge’s Béni Badibanga opened the scoring. But a lovely finish from Poku after a cross from debutant Nana Ampomah tied the match.

Halifax’s winless streak now extends to nine straight to start 2024.

Massimo Ferrin had a brace for Halifax, and now has five goals in five career matches against the Hamilton club. The two goals undid an early second-half opener from Forge’s Béni Badibanga.

Forge FC had an early opportunity to open the scoring as a quick transitional opportunity saw Tristan Borges play in David Choinière down the right. The Forge midfielder sent a low driven strike across goal but it caught the inside of the post and stayed out. Kyle Bekker, meanwhile, was unable to settle the rebound enough to tuck it past Yann Fillion in the Halifax net.

The teams traded half-chances after that, but neither was able to find a great deal of quality in the final third on a slick pitch in Halifax.

With a rare pair of giveaways in the waning moments of the half, however, Forge invited the Halifax attack into the match. First, An under-hit pass backward from David Choinière was picked off by Giorgio Probo, who played in Ferrin. The Halifax attacker did a pair of stepovers but was shielded off the ball well in the box by Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson in the end. Probo then picked off a poor pass from Metusala, but his strike from distance was saved by Jassem Koleilat in the Forge net.

Choinière had another great opportunity in the 42nd minute as space opened up for him in the box on the right flank again, but his powerful shot hit the side of the net. Then, in first-half stoppage time, Borges had a crack at goal which was well saved by Yann Fillion down to his right. Borges’ strike was the last play of consequence of the half, as the two sides went to their respective rooms after a mostly cagey 0-0 opening half.

Just four minutes into the second half, Forge found their goal. A lovely bit of interplay saw Kyle Bekker play Choinière in down the right, who sent a looping cross into the box. Badibanga bravely got his head on the ball with a diving effort, and redirected it past Fillion for his third goal of the season.

Three minutes after that, however, Halifax replied. Probo carried the ball through the middle before slipping in Clément Bayiha into the centre of the box. The winger couldn’t quite get the ball out of his feet in front of Koleilat who was charging out of his net but it eventually fell to Ferrin who poked home his first goal of the 2024 season.

In the 64th minute, having just come into the match, captain Andre Rampersad made a confident run forward and played a lovely ball at the top of the box to Ryan Telfer. Telfer touched the ball into the path of Ferrin, who strode into the box before being hauled down by Malcolm Duncan. Having won the penalty, Ferrin stepped up and took it himself, smashing the ball past Koleilat to give Halifax the lead.

Requiring a spark, Bobby Smyrniotis handed a debut to Ghanaian attacker Nana Ampomah off the bench in the 66th minute. Ampomah had a lovely moment just minutes into his first appearance on the second phase of a Forge corner kick routine, but Fillion stopped his effort from close range brilliantly.

Looking to avoid a fourth defeat in five league matches, Forge desperately pressed for an equalizer in the late stages. They came close again just before the end of the 90 as substitute Malik Owolabi-Belewu played a perfect ball into the box to Noah Jensen, but Fillion made himself big for another save.

In the second minute of stoppage time, however, they rescued a point. Ampomah took down a long ball brilliantly and burst into the box before squaring to Poku who cleverly finished his first of the season in CPL action just inside the right post.

It was the second time in three matches that the Halifax Wanderers have seen a late lead evaporate in stoppage time. They are now undefeated in three straight, but will know that was another big missed opportunity to gain ground in the table.

BOX SCORE

Lineups

Halifax Wanderers: Fillion; Fernandez, Dunn, Loughrey, Timoteo; Callegari, Gagnon-Laparé (Rampersad 62′); Bayiha (Dias 82′), Probo (Daniels 82′), Ferrin (Ferrazzo 82′); Coimbra (Telfer 30′) 

Forge FC: Koleilat; Duncan (Owolabi-Belewu 78′), Achinioti-Jönsson, Metusala, Parra; Hojabrpour, Bekker (Jensen 66′), Borges (Schiavoni 90+5′); Badibanga (Koné 90+5′), Choinière (Ampomah 66′), Poku 

Goals

49′ — Béni Badibanga (Forge FC)
52′ — Massimo Ferrin (Halifax Wanderers)
65′ — Massimo Ferrin (Halifax Wanderers) (Penalty)
90+3′ — Kwasi Poku (Forge FC)

Discipline

9′ — Yellow: Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson (Forge FC)
48′ — Yellow: Alessandro Hojabrpour (Forge FC)
64′ — Yellow: Malcolm Duncan (Forge FC)
79′ — Yellow: Wesley Timoteo (Halifax Wanderers)