The Wanderer Grounds podcast: Halifax summons extra-time magic in tense battle with Ottawa

Two days before his Halifax Wanderers hosted Atlético Ottawa in a match with playoff ramifications galore, Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar spent a moment to wax philosophical on pressure. His Halifax side has felt its share in recent weeks: In the past fifteen days, the Wanderers have played four matches against playoff-bound opponents—or those eager to steal Halifax’s fifth and final playoff spot. The stakes have never been higher.

“Every game’s a playoff game,” Gheisar said on Saturday, Sept. 16. “[It] either brings the best out of you when you’re against the wall, or it makes you anxious.”

The Wanderers’ backs were against the wall for much of Monday evening. And there were stretches—even long stretches—of looking anxious against Ottawa on Sept. 18: The visitors surged to an early lead (courtesy of former Wanderers striker Sam Salter), and appeared set to spoil the Wanderers’ comeback victory with an equalizer in the 91st minute (again, sparked by Salter). But just when Halifax seemed like they would need to settle for a 2-2 draw with Atlético, a heroic effort from Zach Fernandez and a late clincher from Tomas Giraldo gave the Wanderers a 3-2 victory—and a desperately needed breath of life.

In this week’s Wanderer Grounds episode, Coast reporters Matt Stickland and Martin Bauman reflect on the Wanderers’ Monday night nerves, Gheisar’s U-21 quandary and a tight three matches to go in the regular season. Plus, Wanderers forward Jordan Perruzza joins the show to talk about riding out post-tropical storm Lee and the grandeur of Canada’s Wonderland. Martin makes an immediate fool of himself, but he’s really hoping you won’t notice. He’s sensitive about these things.