HEALEY: HFX Wanderers’ journey to playoffs bodes well for next season — and beyond

It’s official: the Halifax Wanderers are playoff bound.

When the final whistle blew at the Wanderers Grounds on Saturday, the enormity of the club’s achievement was written on the faces of the players on the pitch and every supporter who has believed these past five years. From president and founder Derek Martin to the supporters groups to the staff slinging beer in the concessions, this was the reward for a community which has shown patience and grace, too.

The fact that the Wanderers clinched in front of a wild crowd of 6,500 only makes the moment all the sweeter.

For captain Andre Rampersad, standing post-match with a haze of blue smoke behind him and a smile on his face, the 2-1 victory over Forge FC secured something he’s wanted to bring to his adopted home for a long time: a post-season berth.

“I think the city of Halifax has been crying out for a playoff spot. They come out in any weather. Hurricane, fires, floods, they come out and they support us,” he said. “They deserve it the most of anyone around.”

In many ways, Rampersad is the soul of this club and like the fans, has been through thick and thin and was one of the few returnees as the Wanderers were re-made around him. A new coaching staff, 18 new players and a new footballing identity were just some of the changes this past offseason following last year’s disappointing campaign in which they finished with a meagre 24 goals and at the bottom of the table.

Expectations were optimistic — if not guarded — for Patrice Gheisar and his staff as they sought to establish an attacking, hard working identity for a club which had so often been suffocated offensively.

Standing on the other side of punching their ticket to the playoffs, I think it’s safe to say the Wanderers have outperformed what could reasonably be expected of them given the incredible amount of turnover.

However, the impressive part is the Wanderers didn’t do anything different against Forge than they’ve done all season: the foundation has been set so that their success is sustainable.

The club has potted an impressive 38 goals so far this season, the majority scored in open play. Gheisar promised entertaining football and his squad has delivered at home, scoring 25 times at the Wanderers Grounds to top their goal total for all matches last season. Their nine wins and 28 points at home are also high-water marks.

What I find most impressive is not that the club is shredding their old records but their principles of play are easily identifiable; their lines are disciplined, they play on the front foot, often score first and covet the ball. It may sound simple but enjoying your club’s football is a lot easier when, well, their football is enjoyable. Gheisar has been a big part of that.

At times this season, Gheisar has attempted to temper expectations (six draws to start your professional coaching career will do that). His message has always been about instilling his philosophy and bringing along the squad as a group in the hopes of making them into a unit.

Pep’s Manchester City, as I’ve written before, wasn’t built overnight.

Yet somehow Gheisar and the Wanderers have found a way to navigate the growing pains of playing together for the first time and pushing expectations. The result is they just beat the league’s perennial contenders to secure their playoff hopes and shown how far they’ve come in a mere 27 matches.

And now they’re gearing up to make some noise in the CPL playoffs.

Speaking post-match, Gheisar was jubilant and as ever, looking towards the future.

“It is really important to celebrate this win, but if you take your eye off the prize we go one step forward, one step back, it kind of haunts us,” he said. “It is in our hands, we will see what we can do next Friday, and really looking forward to a long October.”

With Atlético Ottawa dropping points to York United on Sunday, the Wanderers are guaranteed to host the club’s first ever home playoff match.

The Wanderers may still have a lot to prove on their trip to Winnepeg but you know they’ll be dreaming of the Wanderers Grounds and the noise of the crowd and the promise of the club’s first trophy. All of that is within reach, if they can take it.

And regardless of what happens in the playoffs, the club is setup so that next year promises to be even better than this club defining season.

From the Notebook:

1. One of Gheisar’s tenets from day one was that he didn’t want the Wanderers to lose two matches in a row. Walking out from the Wanderers Grounds on Saturday, he could tick off that objective as — like much of what he said at the beginning of the season — he had delivered. It’s something he also brought up in his post-match while discussing the success of making the playoffs and you could hear the pride in his voice. It’s one thing to vocalize it but it’s another to find a path to motivating a squad of players to execute but somehow Gheisar (and Jorden Feliciano and Jed Davies and Jan-Michael Williams) managed to make it happen.
2. Speaking about pride, Gheisar was sure to recognize his players but also the fans who have stood by the club: “I’m so proud of the group and just seeing the fans and the atmosphere, there are still people here that are just going crazy. They are so excited with us making the playoffs, so it is for sure amazing. I hope this is something that we can continue to grow and I think we have to project a higher number next year as we continue to grow and make this place a fortress. It was certainly one of the number one things I talked about, gaining a massive amount of points at home, and we achieved it.”
3. Not that it will bug the Wanderers and their celebrations one iota but Forge wasn’t happy with the officiating post-match. Truth be told, they haven’t been happy with it for a long time now. And I agree with them; be it Cavalry or Valour or Forge, every club in the CPL has had to deal with subpar officiating at some point this season. This isn’t to smear all of Canada Soccer’s officials but there is a disproportionate amount of inexplicable calls which leaves coaches, players, fans and reporters shrugging their shoulders in confusion. Gheisar and multiple Wanderers have taken to social media in the past to highlight mistakes made during matches and it continues to be an issue. It’s to the point now that the league will need to have a serious sit down with Canada Soccer and referee manager Isaac Raymond to improve (or explain) the calls being made on the pitch. From my own perspective, I think the referees have a very difficult job but improving communication would go a long way to rebuilding the trust lost between players and officials.
4. Which leads us to Forge captain Kyle Bekker’s comments. They need no explanation: “For me, it was a great game of football. There was two teams who had a great first half, I think the guys wanted to play and then something we’ve seen over the last five years which is just shocking, these refs are seemingly getting worse and worse. There’s really not much else to talk about. You’ve got two teams who wanted to come out and do something, unbelievable atmosphere here in Halifax and it’s just another game that’s absolutely ruined because the ref wants to make it about themselves. Week in and week out, we see this and no one talks about it and it just gets worse. No one holds them accountable.” There’s obviously a huge issue here if one of the league’s stars and the captain of its most successful club is willing to flaunt his displeasure; Bekker doesn’t care about a fine, he wants to send a message.
5. One note I want to highlight is that the Wanderers ended up winning the season series versus Forge, a statistic I would have found impossible a year ago. Through four matches, the Wanderers won twice at home and drew both times they played in Hamilton. In many regards, Forge is the blueprint for the kind of club and culture Halifax wants to replicate so there’s an extra level of satisfaction in outplaying Bobby Smyrniotis’ men to make the post-season. Speaking to the Wanderers’ players, they want to measure themselves against the best and this makes beating Forge very satisfying for them.
6. Although this isn’t a traditional post-match review, I did want to highlight a few players and there’s no better place to start then Massimo Ferrin. Talk about gearing up to play Forge, I don’t think there’s a player who encapsulates this mentality better than Ferrin who scored his third goal this season versus Hamilton; the kid only finds net when he plays orange. Ferrin was a threat on the left side of the pitch all night long and was responsible for the line-breaking pass which led to Tiago Coimbra’s shot which ultimately led to the penalty call. Oh and did I mention Ferrin also drew the penalty? I don’t know if Gheisar plans to rest Ferrin against Valour but he’s likely to finish as Halifax’s highest goal scorer with seven tallies. Add in his three assists and can-do attitude, Ferrin has had an impressive rookie season in the league.
7. Speaking of impressive rookie seasons, Daniel Nimick continues to showcase his game breaking ability. It took him a little while to get going but once Nimick found his stride, he’s fulfilled his former NCAA head coach Chad Wiseman’s prediction that he would score goals. Lo and behold, Nimick scored another penalty goal against Forge keeper Triston Henry to give the Wanderers a dramatic win (we’ve seen this flick once or twice before). But what I find most telling is Nimick’s drive to make a difference, to be guy who seizes the moment, before the penalty. He managed to get on the end of a cross which would have given the Wanderers the lead had it not been called offside. Although it looks like a good goal on the replay, Nimick was undeterred and found a way to make a difference. He sits one goal back of Ferrin with six on the season and is perfect from the spot.
8. Last note: Yann Fillion made two crucial saves in the dying seconds of the match. Without his focus, Halifax could have very easily conceded late — as they have done on occasion this season — and they’d have had to wait to confirm their playoff berth. He’s proven to be able to buckle down when he’s needed. I’ve got a feeling Wanderers fans are going to be extra thankful for him heading into playoffs.

Cover Photo Credit: Trevor MacMillan / HFX Wanderers FC