Stories of the Match: Wanderers 0-0 draw with Valour FC

May 7, 2022

Despite numerous scoring chances, the Halifax Wanderers leave Winnipeg with a single point following a 0-0 draw with Valour FC on Saturday.

Here are some of the storylines that transpired for the club over the 90 minutes.

Miss the match? Watch the highlights

Wanderers Man of the Match: Alex Marshall

If the deadlock were to be broken on Saturday, it would have been because of the contributions of Marshall. The Wanderers winger was dangerous throughout the 90 minutes with three shots while also looking to set up his teammates.

Marshall completed 92% of his passes in the final third and was credited with creating three scoring chances in the match.

The Jamaican international was key to the Wanderers generating 17 shots, nine coming from inside the box.

Plenty of chances to find a winner

By halftime, the Wanderers had already taken 12 shots, six from inside the box and three forcing a save from Valour goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois. Halifax outshot the home side 12-3 in the first half and 17-15 overall.

The CPL’s analytics service measured the Wanderers’ efforts with an expected goals rating of 1.33 in the scoreless draw.

An attempted bicycle kick by Andre Rampersad, a blast from distance by Pierre Lamothe and several combinations between Alex Marshall and Cory Bent were all blocked by the Valour defenders and their keeper.

Milestone day for the captain

Saturday’s match was the 75th career appearance for captain Andre Rampersad as a member of the Halifax Wanderers.

Rampersad made his debut on April 29, 2019, in the club’s first-ever Canadian Premier League match.

💎👏 With us since year one.

Congratulations to Halifax Wanderers FC captain Andre Rampersad as he makes his 75th appearance for the club. #TogetherFromAways #COYW pic.twitter.com/mKODrlJ5Zq

— HFX Wanderers FC (@HFXWanderersFC) May 7, 2022

Eventually named captain of the Wanderers, Rampersad is the club’s all-time leader in matches played and has played every minute of every match so far in 2022.

Pair of firsts highlight changes to starting lineup

Five changes were made to the Wanderers’ starting eleven since the April 30 match against FC Edmonton.

Among those changes, defender Colin Gander and forward Ryan Robinson were handed their first professional starts on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Aidan Daniels and Peter Schaale returned to the starting lineup while Kieran Baskett kept a clean sheet in his first start of 2022.

What they had to say

“I thought we had a very good first half, we controlled the game and recovered the ball in good areas. I thought Valour’s goalkeeper is excellent and when a goalkeeper starts making saves you start to pass the ball rather than finishing it.” – Wanderers head coach Stephen Hart.

“We stuck to the gameplan, especially in the first half we really pressed, we just didn’t finish well. We just have to keep on shooting and eventually, the goals will come.” – Wanderers forward Alex Marshall.

What’s next?

The Wanderers begin their run in the Canadian Championship with a match on Tuesday in Guelph against Guelph United FC.