Cavalry FC 1 Wanderers 1: Road regrets, Johnston's positioning and an attacker's debut
Dan Mangan is a celebrated Canadian musician.
He's been in the business for over two decades, crafting whimsical tunes and tales from his native Vancouver, before taking them on the road around the world. Like many artists, his youth was spent in vans and buses, lugging gear from one sud-soaked bar to another trying to scratch out a living.
This dual life — home and away — was the inspiration for one of his earlier hits, "Road Regrets," which croons a wonderful line about needing to find Dodge (thanks, Gunsmoke) only to get out of it.
Well, the Wanderers are no strangers to road regrets. OneSoccer wasted no time following Saturday's match versus Cavalry FC to crow about the fact that the club has yet to win at ATCO Field or Hamilton Stadium (Wanderers supporters are well aware, thank you).
But they successfully got out of Dodge — or in this case Spruce Meadows — with their heads held high on Saturday and an important road point (they've collected four out of their last six) in their pocket. It was a marked improvement from their last visit to Alberta.
Make no mistake: head coach Vanni Sartini's side put in a strong effort and showed they're learning from past lessons after a bumpy start to the season.
So, without further ado, HFX Football Post breaks down the talking points from Halifax's key 1-1 draw.
Isaiah Johnston continues his fine form
One of the knocks on Sartini's side is that they've often been slow starters, finding themselves unable to generate much offensively in the first half.
But they quickly put that trope to bed on Saturday as the pushed in the first 20 minutes, dominated the ball and earned themselves a dangerous set piece in the 18th minute just outside of Cavalry's 18-yard box.
Naturally, Isaiah Johnston stepped up to take the free kick, forcing Cavalry 'keeper Nate Ingham to make a save. It one of his four shots on net or half of Halifax's total attempts at goal.
It's not news that the 24-year old midfielder is key to Halifax's attack: Sartini has noted in several availabilities that he's looking to get the most out of Johnston, be it in leading the press or unlocking his offensive potential.
What's interesting is the different tactics Sartini has used to leverage Johnston's abilities. On Saturday, for example, Johnston assumed his regular post as part of Halifax's leading line (a 4-3-3 out of possession). He slipped into a playmaking No. 10 when the Wanderers had the ball.
However, as Sartini brought on more attackers, including Cyprian Kachwele, Jason Bahamboula and newcomer Adonijah Reid, the Italian gaffer moved Johnston further back.
"Our conversation when that happened was to arrive in the box late because with extra players ahead of us to distract, and their two big centre-backs with their movement, I will get some chances on a cut back," explained Johnston.
"(Sartini) gives me the freedom to find the game and to find ways to create chances and score goals."
Well, the change paid dividends as Bahamboula, who did a good job attacking Cavalry's left-back, sent a cross into the box, which was deflected and fell perfectly to Johnston, who arrived into space late. He made good contact with the ball and beat Ingham with a hard shot to level the score 1-1.
The worrying part, of course, is that the Wanderers have relied heavily on Johnston or youngster Tavio Ciccarelli to score. What happens if either of them are injured?
A strong debut for Adonijah Reid
The Wanderers had been preparing to address their flagging attack for weeks and the result is the recruit of Adonijah Reid, who joined the club as part of a swap deal with Sporting JAX earlier last week.
Although he didn't start, coming on as a substitute in 70th minute, Reid's ball control and savviness were instantly noticeable. The 26-year-old had several sequences where he dribbled his way out of trouble despite being surrounded by a throng of red shirts. He also threatened to steal a win for the Wanderers with a late careening shot in the 102nd minute of play but was stopped by Ingham.
Reid isn't an old salt by any means but his confidence to drive with the ball is something some of Halifax's younger attackers are missing. He carried the ball for a total of 62.9 metres, the vast majority of it towards goal. It might sound like a simple thing but too often in the past, Wanderers players have chosen to recycle the ball and pass back instead of attacking their defender.
Now, Sartini has another option at his disposal.
"With Adonijah, we have an option more. We were able to put (Johnston) in the No. 8 position for the last 20, 25 minutes. I would say we have more firepower because we had basically our leading goal scorer coming from behind but also three strikers on the pitch," he said. "I think he did very well."
But Sartini was also sure to praise all of his starters, noting he felt like the Wanderers were the better side to start the match.
"I'm really happy to praise the entire team today," he said.
Momentum and the next man up mentality
Both Johnston and Sartini spoke about the momentum the club has gained since coming back from the World Cup break.
Previously, they felt like their last match before the World Cup versus Forge FC showed signs of the club they could be. They'd been outclassed at ATCO Field earlier in the season. But Saturday showed this is a squad learning from their mistakes.
“I think you can see our confidence, you can see the way we’re playing, it’s a lot better,” said Johnston. “The momentum is turning into points. I think we have seven of our last 12.”
Sartini echoed his leading goal scorer, noting they felt like they could play their style instead of hunkering down.
“When we came here last time, we didn’t have this awareness, I would say, of being good enough as a team to come here and try and win the game. We just defended, we did okay, but at the end we conceded a goal. This time, it was completely different.”
What's interesting is that by being more confident, the Wanderers were able to plug and play more with their line up. For example, Ryan Telfer put in a shift at left-back following the departure of Marcus Godinho, who went the other way in the Reid swap. Veteran Thomas Meilleur-Giguère returned to his usual spot and looked his soldierly self. And the absence of Kareem Sow, who is typically tasked with being a key part of Halifax's build up, was lessened by a maturing Finn Linder, who led the Wanderers' back line with passes (61/64 passes complete).
The lone goal scored against the Wanderers — a penalty courtesy of Cavalry striker Tobias Warschewski — was as a result of a counterattack that they could've handled better. But given the absence of someone like Sow, or the mere fact that they were on the road at ATCO Field, the Wanderers leave Alberta with few regrets and joy in their step.
"It's about as country as I get," sings Mangan.
And Saturday was enough for the Wanderers, too.
Editor's Note: This article is part of our free coverage.
Further reading:
Josh Healey
Josh Healey
Martin Bauman
Cover Photo Credit: Canadian Premier League
