Forge FC striker Anthony Novak joined CanPL.ca’s Marty Thompson on the CPL’s Instagram account this afternoon for a live chat ahead of Thursday evening’s OneSoccer rebroadcast of the club’s inaugural win over Pacific FC.

Novak began by breaking down his goal from that match from last May, which came off his left foot from a tight angle just three minutes to give his side an early lead at Tim Hortons Field.

“Getting that first goal out of the way, then Emery (Welshman) coming really quick afterwards, really got the ball rolling,” Novak said. “Real breath out, you know.”

OneSoccer Classic rebroadcast: Forge FC’s 1st CPL win (Thursday at 8 pm ET)

He explained how his inclusion in the lineup that day had been in doubt, after he’d hurt his ankle the prior week against York9 FC.

“I was racing to get back,” Novak said.

From there, conversation turned to League1 Ontario, where Novak won the 2018 golden boot while with the Oakville Blue Devils. He explained, especially in the wake of Emilio Estevez’s transfer to ADO Den Haag, how important the CPL’s platform is for young players.

“The most important thing is to stick with it,” Novak advised current L1O players. “If you have the quality and you don’t give up, we have the place for you to shine now.

“We have a standard in our league and it’s high, and players can go on and play in places where it’s even higher.”

Novak added how impressed he was in 2019 with how quickly Hamiltonians embraced the CPL and Forge.

“The game came to Hamilton, because Hamilton was ready for it,” he said. “We were wanted here. Being proverbially down the road (from Toronto), it’s nice to play in a city where they want you here.”

To illustrate the point, Novak told a story about a Forge fan who showed up recently to one of Kyle Bekker and David Edgar’s community coaching sessions, asking them to sign the jersey he’d thrown into the stands after Leg 2 of Finals 2019 in Calgary.

Novak went on to chat about football boots and breakfast sausages — which the striker famously credited as his fuel for scoring goals in Winnipeg last season. Plus, he gave his opinion on some other comfort foods: pineapple on pizza? All day, in his books.

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