Wanderers 1 Vancouver FC 0: Tavio Ciccarelli's heroics, a sputtering offence and looming tests
Vancouver FC head coach Martin Nash was furious.
After a strong away match, which saw the Eagles best the Wanderers in almost every offensive category besides the one that decided the day, his squad had again conceded at the death. The disappointment was written on the faces of his players; Nash himself said it's the most frustrated he'd felt as a player or coach in his footballing career. He felt they deserved more.
The Wanderers, for their part, enjoyed a much needed win at the Wanderers Grounds, their first at home and only their second this season. The fact that it came against Vancouver FC, in another match where they stole three points from a middling performance, doesn't matter: three points is three points.
And the Wanderers needed a win mentally.
It wasn't pretty, with head coach Vanni Sartini's men again struggling to create offensively, but they got the job done thanks to a clutch goal by Tavio Ciccarelli. Nearly two months after their first win of the season, the Wanderers have some wind in their sails. But they're still a long way from answering questions around their offensive game.
Ciccarelli delivers when it matters
The Wanderers continued their trend of starting slowly, failing to register a single shot attempt in the first half for the third time this season. Too often, whether it be Victor Akinwale, Jason Bahamboula, Cyprian Kachwele or Ryan Telfer starting, the Wanderers are struggling to deliver the ball to their attacking players in dangerous areas.
A formation change has given Sartini's side a different look in the last few matches, with the gaffer opting to start the same XI who played versus Inter Toronto FC the week prior. They found some joy along their right side on Saturday, with Yohan Baï's footwork and crossing creating some opportunities in the match's opening stanzas, but ultimately felt flat once they crossed into the final third.
This isn't new: the Wanderers are currently last in the Canadian Premier League (CPL) for shots with 51 in league play. Vancouver FC, in juxtaposition, leads the league with 84. They outshot Halifax 15-4 on Saturday.
Despite being on the back foot, the Wanderers kept themselves in the match. Sartini explained to reporters afterwards that they felt within striking distance and made offensive substitutions hoping to push for a win, most notably with Kachwele, Miguel Arilla and Ciccarelli, who combined for the match winner.
Ciccarelli's goal, scored in the 93rd minute off a counterattack, illustrated his cleverness in the box with a mazey run. It's the second time this season the former Sheffield United youth player has come up clutch for the Wanderers, having also scored an important late goal against Inter Toronto. He currently sits third on the squad in shots (five) despite only playing 104 minutes.
Although they didn't dominate the match, Sartini said it's important they capitalized on the opportunity before them; Ciccarelli is certainly making the most of his.
“Besides the fact that the four guys that came on did perfectly, we were rewarded by the fact that we wanted to win," he said. "We wanted to win even with the changes at the end playing with four strikers basically— Miguel (Arilla), Cypy (Kachwele), Tavio (Ciccarelli) and Jason (Bahamboula) — and one offensive midfielder. I’m really happy we were rewarded with our attitude of trying to win.”
Carducci praises his defensive line
One of the biggest changes over the last few matches is the fact that the Wanderers have committed to a back four, with Jefferson Alphonse, Finn Linder, Kareem Sow and Marcus Godinho helping to keep a clean sheet over the weekend.
Some players, like Linder, have looked noticeably more comfortable as the squad continues to adjust to life without centre-back Thomas Meilleur-Giguère.
Goalkeeper Marco Carducci, who made three saves versus Vancouver FC, said he hopes the result is one they can build off of after so many different looks to start the season.
"Vancouver FC deserve a ton of credit," he said.
“They’re a very good team and they showed it again today. To be completely honest, it would’ve been a lot better if we had control in that sense but as a defensive unit, not just me but the centre-backs, I thought both Kareem (Sow) and Finn (Linder) were fantastic today. Jeff (Alphonse had some really big interceptions; Marcus (Godinho) did what he had to do throughout.
“It’s a team effort. We knew if we could keep a clean sheet, it takes only one moment and for us, later on in the game, we get that moment.”
Sartini, for his part, feels like the squad is adapting to their new look, admitting it's taken some time to find the right formation after the loss of Meilleur-Giguère.
“What I really like is the fact that, in the last three weeks, the structure that we have, even when we don’t perform well, the guys are in the structure and they know what to do. We defended very well. The couple chances they had were shots from distance because we were always very tight and very good. If you are in the game for 90 plus minutes, anything can happen in the end," he said.
"At the end, we had a fantastic transition and credit to the guys who won the ball back to Cyprian, who won the one-versus-one. Miguel (Arilla) looked like David Silva. And then Tavio (Ciccarelli) scored.”
A looming test and lucky bounces
There's the old adage that you have to be good to be lucky but there's no doubt that Halifax's next two opponents — Cavalry FC and Forge FC — are better than good; they are the class of the league.
Getting something from these two matches, both of which are on the road, is important for the Wanderers as they'll have a 16 day break between facing Forge on June 10 and their next match (Pacific FC at home) on June 26.
Heading into that break with something to show for their first part of the season is integral, especially on the mental side as they continue their playoff chase.
A bounce or two could go a long way.
"Sometimes, you need a bounce to go your way," said Carducci. "It's a long year but these points add up. We've been trending in the right direction and we still need to recognize where we need to be better. Again, there's areas where we know that's the case but ultimately, finding a way to win even if it's not perfect, is really important."
The Wanderers found a way on Saturday to overcome their challenges. Emerging with something — be it three points of a possible six — would be huge in building for the next part of their season. The table is still tight.
And there's pathway for Halifax to turn some tough lessons in April and May into hard-earned points in June.
Editor's Note: This article is part of our free coverage.
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Josh Healey
Josh Healey
Josh Healey
Cover Photo Credit: Trevor MacMillan / Halifax Wanderers FC
