Final Score: Halifax Wanderers 3-0 Forge FC

Goalscorers: Probo 30’, Rampersad 53’, Rea 61’

Game of the 2024 season: 89

CPL match: 573

Match in a minute or less

Halifax Wanderers earned a morale-boosting 3-0 win at home against league leaders Forge FC, who were widely expected to come away with all three points from their trip to Atlantic Canada.

The victory means the Nova Scotians still have the possibility of making the playoff stages of the knockout portion of the Canadian Premier League, provided they continue to rack up wins, and will be hoping that results from other games go their way. 

The hosts began the game aggressively, putting the Hammers on the back foot in the hope of catching them off-guard. While it did take some time to break down the visitors, Halifax’s persistence finally paid off when Giorgo Probo slotted home from close range in the 30th minute, converting Zachary Fernandez’s cutback, following excellent hold-up play by Ryan Telfer.

Probo turned provider in the second half, when his inswinging cross found Halifax skipper Andre Rampersad with pinpoint precision, enabling the lanky midfielder to power home a header past keeper Jassem Koleilat to double the hosts’ advantage and put them in the driving seat eight minutes after the restart.

Despite Forge making two attacking changes at half time, with Kyle Bekker and Jordan Hamilton coming on for Tristan Borges and Noah Jensen, it was Halifax who looked to be the more dangerous side going forward.

With their tails up, Halifax were brimming with confidence, and that showed in the execution of the third goal in the 61st minute: Massimo Ferrin’s brilliant chip found Sean Rea waiting in the box, and the Montreal native danced past his marker and the goalkeeper before passing the ball into the net. 

League leaders Forge will be hoping their latest stumble does not affect their chances of clinching the title: they welcome York on Sept. 28, and Atlético Ottawa on Oct. 12, both of whom are among the chasing pack.

Three Observations

Halifax’s fringe players rise to the challenge

With many of his players unavailable through either injury or suspension, Halifax head coach Patrice Gheisar was forced to field a makeshift lineup: he made six changes to his starting XI, and he was so bereft of players that five of the substitutes on his bench were Under-21 players.

In fact, this was the first time his all-Quebec back four were even playing together: with Clément Bayiha drafted in at right back, Zachary Fernandez was forced to operate on the left. Centre-back Jefferson Alphonse has only played five league games this season, while Nassim Mekideche’s arrival was only announced on Friday. Seeing the manner in which they held the line against Forge, however, you’d think they’ve been playing together since forever.

Further up field, Giorgio Probo was only playing his 13th game of the season, but shook off his rustiness to deliver a stellar performance, dovetailing brilliantly with fellow attackers Massimo Ferrin, Sean Rea, and the returning Ryan Telfer. 

“It was a tough time for me,” admitted Probo after the game, when asked about whether he would’ve liked to play more this season. “I haven’t played a lot of minutes lately, but I was happy to start, and I was happy to help the team. I just go into the field to do what best I can and today, I scored and assisted. I think we’ve been excellent, we took three points, and now we go for the playoffs.”

Before the match, Gheisar had urged his players to step up, and they certainly took his words to heart.

“It’s about understanding that you belong to a family,” said Gheisar, in his post-match conference. “Every week, every family member has a different role. Clément stepped up, Zachary was fantastic. Inspirational performances from many around them…I don’t want to call them the supporting group, but other people are fighting and becoming key members in this team.”

Nassim Mekideche proves to be the right choice

Despite being unveiled as a Halifax player only on Friday, Nassim Mekideche was parachuted into the starting lineup, following a slew of injuries and suspensions, and he certainly rose to the occasion against Forge.

Mekideche used his lithe, six-foot-two frame to easily handle crosses that Forge’s attackers sent into the box, and his tactical acumen and ball-playing ability means he was in the right place at the right time to intercept passes and win back possession, looking up to find the right pass as soon as he’d won back the ball.

In signing Mekideche, Gheisar seems to be following the advice of the legendary Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman: The team that scores the most goals wins. To do that, you need to make sure your defence is sound.

“He’s only been with us a few sessions, and given the suspensions, we had to make some adjustments to make that work,” said Gheisar, post-match. “So I thought the back four did great. They had a lot of energy. I felt that commitment.”

“What I said to these guys is that you can cry in the storm or dance in the rain. And I thought that game did not look like an eighth-placed team against first place. So, yeah, I’m really happy with the win. But part of that makes me also say that we need that performance every week now. That’s our standard.”

Forge need to find their form away from home

Although Forge are atop the CanPL table, they’ve only won two of their 11 games away from home: their first was on April 21, away at York United FC, while their second was when they travelled to British Columbia to play Vancouver FC. 

Although there are only five games left in the regular season, three of those games are away from home – against Vancouver, Valour, and Pacific, while their two home games are against title challengers Atlético Ottawa and York United: not the best title run-in for the Hamilton club, given their current form.

Defender Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson cannot put his head around why Forge haven’t been successful away from home this season.

“Today, we had a chance to take a big step forward and we didn’t take it, which is a little bit what we’ve done throughout the years: we make it unnecessarily hard in the game, maybe look like we have some breathing room when we really don’t, and when it really gets tight and it’s go time, that’s usually when we show up. But’s it’s not like your ideal way to go about it.”

Hammers coach Smyrniotis knows he has to pick himself up quickly, but he isn’t getting bogged down in the logistics of home and away games: to him, each game takes place on a patch of grass with a goal at either end.

“Last year, if you look at our record, we got four wins at home,” he said, after the game. “This year, we’ve got 12 or 13 through all competitions. So, we flipped the script. What matters is what happens in the end. 

“Whenever November rolls around, we’ll look at all of that stuff,” he added. “Until then, it’s one game, one place, one shield, and you look at it that way, it’s not necessarily what your record is in one place or another. Because next week we could win on the road. And then what does that mean? It’s just a game.”

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Giorgio Probo, Halifax Wanderers

A superb performance from the diminutive Italian: he was a constant threat to Forge all game, and was rewarded for his dedication and perseverance with a well-taken goal. His superb cross into the box to assist Andre Rampersad put Halifax in the driving seat, en route to a well-deserved victory. His performance gives Patrice Gheisar a welcome selection headache ahead of Halifax’s next match.

What’s next?

Halifax welcome Pacific, who will make the third-longest away trip of any domestic football league in the world on Sept. 18 (7 p.m AT, 6 p.m ET), while Forge also play a team from British Columbia: they travel to Vancouver on Sept. 21. (3 p.m PT, 6 p.m ET).

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