Wanderers again unable to solve Forge FC in Hamilton, drop second consecutive match
If its true, as that rascal Bill Shakespeare wrote, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, then the same can be said of Forge FC's home and the Halifax Wanderers' inability to win there, be it branded by a giant coffee chain or simply dubbed Hamilton Stadium.
The Wanderers have never beaten Forge in Hamilton. It is a fact the club has tried to erase time and time again but, even after a decent performance on Sunday, remains true as the Hammers claimed a 2-1 victory over their East Coast visitors.
The result wasn't from a lack of effort or ideas, as Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar tweaked his starting XI to introduce a different look versus Bobby Smyrniotis' undefeated side. Both Tiago Coimbra — who leads the Wanderers with three goals despite only playing 249 minutes — and veteran striker Ryan Telfer started as part of a two-headed hydra up front, with the young Brazilian-Canadian playing higher up. Yohan Baï replaced fellow Frenchman Jason Bahamboula on the right flank. And Gheisar also opted to give Nassim Mekidèche his first start of the campaign, rotating Kareem Sow to the bench.
Both sides probed for weaknesses in the opening stanzas but it was the Hammers who struck first as 19-year old Hoce Massunda managed to pickpocket Halifax full-back Wesley Timóteo in the box and beat goalkeeper Rayane Yesli.
The Wanderers found another level in the second half, dominating possession (62 per cent after halftime), but ultimately conceded again, this time with Massunda setting up Forge striker Brian Wright with a picture perfect cross.
Like Shakespeare's King Richard, the Wanderers refused to give up and managed to claw one back thanks to a tap in from substitute Bahamboula. And yet, despite dictating the match, Gheisar's players were unable to consistently breakdown Forge's backline; Coimbra and Telfer only managed one shot on target between the two of them and the best of Halifax's opportunities, exemplified by one sequence with centre-back Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, were sent wide when it mattered.
Given the Wanderers' championship aspirations this season, Gheisar told reporters his squad needs to be better.
“All that matters is the score. We just can’t make two mistakes like that. I think it was a lack of concentration to give up high probability goals like that. If we want to be a championship team, that just can’t happen," he said.
However, despite losing the past two matches, he isn't concerned.
“Look, it’s a 28 game season, there’s a shift. When you play the same team four times, every time it presents like a brand new game because they know everything about you and you know everything about them," Gheisar explained.
“Today is a bad day. We’ll leave the poor feelings here. You don’t feel great about the result but you’ve got to take the positives and then back to work tomorrow to prepare for a big game against Cavalry. We’re at home so it gives you that extra little bit of excitement to be there and to work for it."
“For me, you want to know what you’re made of when your backs are against the wall, maybe after two losses, then you really find out.”
Given how they played, midfielder Isaiah Johnston echoed his coach's comments and said he felt like the difference was in Forge's finishing.
“I feel like we had an overall pretty good performance, with sloppy mistakes, but I thought it was good," he said.
With Sunday's loss, the Wanderers have dropped two matches in a row for the first time this season. They remain in a good position thanks to a strong start and are in a three-way tie on the table for second place with 17 points.
This weekend's match against Cavalry, who are also on 17 points, gives Halifax the opportunity to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. But the Wanderers will have to ensure they re-discover the clinical finishing which helped propel them to the best start in club history.
Johnston, for his part, is positive Halifax will find their form.
“It’s just a process," he said.
Atlético Ottawa currently lead the league with 21 points. The Wanderers, Cavalry and Forge remain tied; York United rounds out the last playoff spot with 10 points.
Cover Photo Credit: Michael Chisholm / Canadian Premier League
