The mistake. An equalizer. And why the Wanderers' season has lived between those two moments.

Goalkeeper Marco Carducci lay momentarily motionless, his hands around his head in dismay, as Forge FC's Ismael Oketokoun celebrated his 90th minute backbreaker to give his side a 3-1 lead.

It's easy to imagine what Carducci was thinking as he lay there at Hamilton Stadium on Saturday: it had felt like the Wanderers had been on the brink of an equalizer, with Forge's defenders looking shaky.

But a costly mistake, one of the few Carducci has made this year, had opened the chasm between what the Wanderers felt they could achieve and the reality of an important late season match versus head coach Bobby Smyrniotis's dynastic side.

Carducci's error felt like it could've been the end of Halifax's season.

But the world kept spinning, and play resumed, with some eight minutes left of the clock. Head coach Vanni Sartini's side pushed, the Italian gaffer having already made a triple substitution only minutes before conceding in his bid to get at least a point.

As has been the case all season, the Wanderers struggled to create in the first half of the match despite some bright sequences. They registered a single, lonesome shot in the opening 45 minutes.

They also conceded before some of Forge's orange-clad supporters had a chance to find their seats.

"I think this game is probably the story of our season," Wanderers defender Thomas Meilleur-Giguère said post-match, "because we still concede a goal after three minutes, I'm not even sure what it was, but when you start a game a goal down, you have to chase all game.

"Even if we play good, because I think in the first half we played really well with the ball but couldn't create chances, and you think we're back in the second half, they score off another corner. It's very hard."

But as has been the case all season, the second half saw Sartini's men outshoot their opponents 10 to eight, lobbing balls over Forge's backline in an effort to get in behind. They didn't give up because, as Meilleur-Giguère put it, they believe in themselves.

"It's all about belief and emotion," he said.

So, when youngster Liam Mackenzie banged in his first Canadian Premier League goal off a broken play in the 94th minute, that belief burned brighter. The Wanderers pushed even harder knowing that a draw could be the difference in making the playoffs this season.

In some ways, with the clocking hitting the 103rd minute mark, it's very fitting that Lucas Olguin's lofted ball into the box found Meilleur-Giguère and then Tavio Ciccarelli. Both have had trying seasons. But both have a deep well of self-belief.

Meilleur-Giguère's header managed to skirt around Forge's backline to a waiting Ciccarelli, who made no mistake in knotting the score for his sixth goal of the year. He then sprinted, arms wide, towards his celebrating teammates.

It was a moment of euphoria, perhaps the emotional pinnacle of the Wanderers' doggedness in a year that's been dogged by inconsistencies.

Too often, they've been the side to crumble late or, like Carducci's mistake earlier, mishandle a key sequence in a league that can be unforgiving.

Sartini, who has previously said there's no luck in consistency, looked to the heavens.

"We haven't been that lucky the entire season and maybe today the gods of football wanted to reward us for the second part of the game and we were able to score two beautiful goals," he told reporters.

The football gods, of course, are notoriously fickle. The Wanderers ended up trailing in Hamilton because they conceded two set piece goals and failed to take their own opportunities. It's the story of their season.

However, as their remaining matches fall like autumn's leaves, emotion can be a strong tool. The Wanderers currently trail Vancouver FC for the last playoff berth by six points but Saturday's draw versus Forge showed that anything — the odds be damned — is possible.

"I'm proud of the team because we came back with a goal, yes, there was a mistake, an unfortunate mistake from our 'keeper to concede a third goal, but after that we score two goals in the last five minutes," said Meilleur-Giguère in summary of his side's efforts.

Halifax's season may be marred by self-inflicted wounds — that was certainly the case on Saturday. But this last stretch of matches may see them at their best, with their draw versus Forge highlighting their emotion and belief.

"It was beautiful to see," said Meilleur-Giguère.

Editor's Note: This article is part of our free coverage.