'They earned this today': Stephen Hart guides Halifax Tides to first win following coaching change
After a long break, which included a coaching change, the Halifax Tides swept past the Calgary Wild 1-0 on Monday, earning an important three points as they try to climb up the Northern Super League (NSL) table.
Although the changes on the pitch were minor — a tweak in formation, going back to a 4-3-3 shape, and some more defensive substitutions — the biggest difference was on the touchline as interim head coach Stephen Hart took the reigns from Lewis Page, who was been shuffled aside last week to help launch the club's academy.
There wasn't much time for Hart to make his mark as he said he had two and a half sessions with the players before facing the Wild. Instilling footballing philosophies, learning player's preferences, strengths and weaknesses wasn't possible with such a short turnaround.
Instead, Hart focused on giving his squad some confidence.
"They were on a break (at the time of the change) so the first training session back was the first time they met me, and I met them, and then I took that session and I just watched," he told reporters. "And then I had two and a half sessions with the team so my first approach was to understand that they may be a little fragile mentally and to try and give them some confidence to play."
The Tides have looked shaky defensively at times this season, including in their 4-1 home opener loss to the Wild on April 26. But on Monday, they looked solid from the outset, starting a back line of Annika Leslie, Sara Olai, Kiley Norkus and Éva Frémaux. Marika Guay and Karima Lemire — who fought her way into the starting XI under Page — formed a midfield three with Megumi Nakamura, who played further forward, while Saorla Miller, Milly Clegg and Sydney Kennedy took up attacking roles.
There wasn't much difference to Halifax's offence (they managed eight shots on the night, which is similar to their season average) on Monday, although they managed to score the tilt's only goal thanks to a header from Nakamura in the 36th minute.
Instead, the biggest changes came defensively as the Tides looked more poised and comfortable without the ball. They had less possession (46 per cent to 54) but never looked close to breaking, mostly funneling the Wild outside.
The fact that Calgary managed only four shots — the lowest any club has ever had against Halifax — speaks volumes.
"They earned this today with the right attitude, the right approach and the right discipline. I told them in the good moments with the ball, they did very well. And in the bad moments, we suffered but we defended. We did what we had to do, and in the end, we got the victory," said Hart.
"You can see we had a way that we wanted to play, a way we wanted to recover the ball and then to protect it and keep it when we couldn't go forward."
Speaking through an interpreter, Nakamura said the players always believed in themselves but added Hart has given them a boost.
"We always believed we can win and this will help us be even more positive," she said. "It feels like we are starting something new now."
Unfortunately for the Tides, they now enter one of the busiest stretches of their season as they travel to Montréal to confront the Roses on Saturday before flying back to Halifax to host AFC Toronto on July 15.
They go again at the Wanderers Grounds on July 19 versus Vancouver Rise for a total of four matches in 12 days, giving Hart precious little time for training sessions to instill his own system.
"The schedule is crazy," he said.
With their win, the Tides sit four points back of the Wild with a match in hand.
Cover Photo Credit: Halifax Tides FC
