HFX Wanderers FC dethrones Hamilton’s Forge FC in 2-1 home thriller

TTwo days before HFX Wanderers FC were set to topple Hamilton’s Forge FC 2-1 at Wanderers Grounds, erasing the memory of four years battling the defending Canadian Premier League champions, fullback Zach Fernandez made his own forecast of his Friday fortunes. club on the field.

“I think we have more confidence [compared to] the final result,” he told The Coast ahead of Halifax’s Canada Day weekend game against second-place Forge — a team that stole a late draw against the Wanderers on April 22. “Mentally we knew we had quality. But now I think we can prove it a lot more.”

Prove it, they did. These aren’t the sad Wanderers of past seasons. For 90 minutes and beyond, Halifax defeated Forge FC in dramatic fashion, behind a pair of goals from winger Massimo Ferrin and centre-back Daniel Nimick.

The Wanderers got off to a shaky start. Bobby Smyrniotis’ Forge FC side looked to be the more threatening of the two clubs during the opening minutes, with both midfielder Aboubacar Sissoko and striker Woobens Pacius testing Halifax goalkeeper Yann Fillion within the opening eight minutes of the game. Pacius’s was the more dangerous of the two attacks; the 22-year-old resident of Terrebonne, Que. beat Fillion for a header in front of goal, only for the shot to float above the crossbar. But a resilient side of Halifax managed to weather the storm.

Both sides found the sodden field challenging. Not long after Forge’s first wave of attacks, Halifax winger Massimo Ferrin tried to send teammate Tiago Coimbra towards Hamilton’s goal with a through ball, only to see the ball slide past his outstretched boots.

However, it was Ferrin again who would prove to be the hero for the 6.145 at Wanderers Grounds – thanks in large part to a world-class diagonal ball from Nimick. In the 25th minute, the Happy Valley-Goose Bay native defender threw a ball 70 yards across most of the field to an in-stride Ferrin, who broke past Forge’s Rezart Rama and hammered the ball past goalkeeper Triston Henry to give the Wanderers a 1-0 lead.

GOAL 🌊

What a start to this match for @HFXWanderersFC while Massimo Ferrin scores a rocket from just outside the box!🔥@ForgeFCHmilton must respond now!

🔴 https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/pzhZ1HMkqz

— One Soccer (@onesoccer) June 30, 2023

‘I knew Mass[imo] for a long time,” Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar told reporters after the game, “I thought [he] was fantastic. The first half, and the first 30, he really caused a lot of trouble. He’s so dynamic. What we all see is the goal and the chances he creates, but the defending that’s needed, and holding the ball, and all the other things he does goes [unnoticed].”

Forge pressed hard for an equalizer before the break, but the Wanderers held on – something the club struggled with in its first games of 2023. In the club’s season opener on 15 April, the Wanderers saw a brilliant 1-0 lead disappear at the feet of Atlético Ottawa midfielder Ollie Bassett, two minutes after stoppage time. A week later, the Wanderers gifted a late equalizer to Forge FC in the 89th minute. Another week later, the Wanderers saw an early 1-0 lead disappear before half-time thanks to an equalizer from striker Shaan Hundal.

“We’ve got 15 new guys, so a lot of guys are learning what we’re trying to do,” Gheisar told The Coast in the days leading up to Friday’s game. “We leave the [last Forge] game away from us in the second half. And that’s a lesson we’ve learned, and we’re better at it now.”

Wanderers survive tricky second half, climb to 4th in the standings

It was a nerve-racking second half at Wanderers Grounds. Six players ended up with yellow cards: Halifax midfielders Tomas Giraldo and Wesley Timoteo, defender Cale Loughrey, Forge’s Abdulmalik Justin Owolabi-Belewu, Hamilton substitute Kwasi Poku and goalkeeper Triston Henry. Poku’s challenge, which sent Wanderers midfielder Mo Omar grounded near Halifax’s 18-yard box in the 71st minute, drew the ire of Nimick.

Five minutes later, the Wanderers believed they had earned a penalty after a shot went off the arm of Forge center back Manjrekar James into Hamilton’s penalty area.

Hamilton nearly equalized in the 78th minute. Rama had what appeared to be a sure goal, with a well-placed shot from the box into the bottom right corner, only for Fillion’s fingertips to preserve the Wanderers’ lead. For a moment it felt like it would be enough to secure victory.

However, Forge showed why the club has been the league’s standard bearer for four seasons. With just three minutes left in regulation time, winger Tristan Borges found captain Kyle Bekker with room to operate on the edge of the Wanderers’ 18-yard block. As he has done so many times for Forge FC, Bekker seized the moment.

click to enlarge

Trevor MacMillan / Canadian Premier League

Forge FC captain Kyle Bekker dribbles past Wanderers midfielder Callum Watson on Friday 30 June 2023.

“He’s an absolute gem of a player,” Forge head coach Smyrniotis told The Coast after the game. “He’s been excellent this year. He’s getting better and he brings energy to the game – whether you ask him to play more advanced or a bit further back in the field.”

Still, the drama wasn’t over – and this time the fortunes favored Halifax. Fullback Riley Ferrazzo earned a penalty for the Wanderers in stoppage time, beating ‘keeper Triston Henry and earning the referee’s penalty whistle after a moment of frenzy.

Both Forge and Wanderers players got into a scuffle. The pressure on Wanderers Grounds rose to a head. Nimick stepped to the spot. And with a confident blow to Henry’s right, he sent the crowd into a wave of euphoria.

The moment of the match: Daniel Nimick gives from the penalty spot @HFXWanderersFC his third win against Forge FC in 18 matchups over five seasons – and in the 99th minute to boot. pic.twitter.com/PhwDM0bVnG

— Martin Bauman (@martin_bauman) July 1, 2023

It was Nimick’s first goal for the Wanderers.

“I don’t think there are much better ways to get it,” he told reporters after the game. “Celebrating with a full Wanderers Grounds, I have never experienced anything like this in my experience. It’s all a blur.”

The win moves the Wanderers up to fourth in the Canadian Premier League standings. The club now has three wins, seven draws and two losses.

Halifax will travel to Langley, BC to face Vancouver FC at Willoughby Stadium on Friday, July 7.

After the whistle

• Wanderers winger Wesley Timoteo got a new look against Forge FC and started out of position at left back. It largely worked. “We were trying to find a way to get Wesley on the pitch,” Gheisar said after the game. “Wesley is an elite player. And to be honest I think he probably deserved more minutes than he’s gotten so far.” The Wanderers needed it as both fullbacks Jake Ruby and Ryan James had been battling injuries in recent weeks.
• With Friday’s win, the Wanderers improved their all-time head-to-head record against Forge FC to three wins, seven draws and eight losses in 18 games over four and a half seasons. It was the club’s first victory over Forge FC since September 3, 2021.
• What will Gheisar do when Captain Andre Rampersad returns from international duty for Trinidad and Tobago? The veteran and all-time caps leader of The Wanderers has found himself on the fringes of the starting eleven in recent weeks as the midfield trio of Lorenzo Callegari, Mo Omar and Tomas Giraldo found a groove during the Wanderers’ four match unbeaten run. . The most likely outcome: look for Rampersad and Omar taking turns playing the starting role.