The last time Valour FC visited York Lions Stadium to take on York9 FC, one of York University’s esteemed alumni, Dylan Carreiro, played the role of hero for the visiting outfit, as Rob Gale’s Valour defeated the Nine Stripes 2-0 to end a run of nine matches without a win.

This time around, York Lions Stadium was even kinder to Valour, who plucked a 4-2 victory to go joint-third in the Fall table.

York Region has been quite kind to Valour, no?

“I don’t care if it’s at York, Halifax, Dinglydill or Knobbly End,” Gale said, with a laugh, after the match.

For Gale, the simple act of taking three points is all that matters.

“I like when my team executes the game-plan for 90 minutes, then they win football matches,” Gale said. “And, I like winning.”

You could hardly blame Gale for being in good spirits following a resounding performance from his team; in their last two matches, Valour suffered defeat at the hands of the league’s top two outfits, posting a 3-1 loss to Forge FC off the back of a humiliating 8-0 setback against Cavalry FC.

Valour hasn’t had the best of fortunes in its last two fixtures, it’s true.

But Gale figures he’s got the symptom of it down pat.

“It was giving the opposition games, and that’s what we’ve said; don’t give up silly goals, make the opposition earn everything they get, and that’s what we’ve been guilty of, unfortunately, throughout the season; not making the opposition earn a result,” Gale explained. “Today, we executed well, we’re terrific in transition, and should have scored more. It was a proper performance today, and I’m just delighted for the lads.”

In this, the inaugural season of the Canadian Premier League, all the head coaches, Gale included, know that you’ve got to take the good with the bad, even if those highs and lows can leave you breathless at times.

It’s the tumultuous nature of a startup league, after all. And, as far as Gale is concerned, it’s what he and his peers all signed up for at the beginning of this whole adventure.

As such, Gale took some time to look back on Valour’s campaign thus far, as he prepares to make one last go of the Fall campaign.

In particular, he pointed to some of the big-picture takeaways he’s already seen from Valour Football Club.

“Sometimes you take results you don’t enjoy,” Gale reflected. “Sometimes player performances are up or down. But, if you’re in it for the right reasons – the development of the game and the players – you have to remain persistent and continue to believe in these guys, because days like this, when they reward you and get the accolades they deserve, are very enjoyable.”