HIGHLIGHTS: York United FC vs. HFX Wanderers FC (July 30, 2023) | Presented by tonybet

Halifax Wanderers won their first away match of the season on Sunday at York Lions Stadium, taking down York United 2-0 to jump into fourth place in the CPL standings.

The opening stages of the game were a little back-and-forth as the two sides, lined up in similar shapes, felt each other out and probed for space, with Halifax taking more of the ball.

Just 20 minutes into the half, though, York boss Martin Nash was forced into an early substitution, as midfielder Brem Soumaoro picked up a knock and Matthew Baldisimo therefore had to check in. The Wanderers continued to press though, and a few minutes later they came inches from a goal of the year candidate as Zach Fernandez’s long cross found the leaping head of Théo Collomb, but the striker couldn’t quite nod it goalward.

Unfortunately, the injury bug struck yet again around the 30-minute mark; York’s Jonathan Grant and Halifax’s Collomb collided head-to-head while jumping for a header, sending both to ground for quite a while and forcing the two sides to bring on Max Ferrari and João Morelli, respectively, earlier than expected.

The deadlock broke open just on the brink of halftime, as Halifax won a second consecutive corner after some extended pressure. This time, Lorenzo Callegari played the ball out to the top of the box, where Wes Timotéo squared it sideways to Fernandez, who had plenty of time to set it up and blast an outrageous long-distance shot off the left goalpost and in to put the Wanderers in front.

York came out of halftime firing, and they came close to scoring a few minutes in as Mo Babouli sent a ball across goal that brushed the crossbar.

At the hour mark, though, the Wanderers doubled their lead. York’s Ferrari tracked back and played a sideways pass looking for his centre-back, but Callum Watson was in position to pick it off, driving forward on the fast break and playing through Morelli, who took a few touches and made no mistake slotting it past Niko Giantsopoulos to make it 2-0.

Both managers made couple more changes in the late stages, with Wanderers boss Patrice Gheisar swapping up his midfield to add Andre Rampersad and Armaan Wilson, while York brought in Clément Bayiha and Brian Wright.

The Wanderers should have added another to their lead in the 72nd minute, as they broke again in transition and Morelli played in Wilson, but the youngster’s open shot smacked off the crossbar. Shortly after, Halifax made two more substitutions, adding defenders Riley Ferrazzo and Doneil Henry, to see out the match.

The final stages of the match took on a tense energy; a few physical tackles ended in Baldisimo clattering Morelli and being sent off, which prompted a hostile shoving match and a handful of other cards dished out.

In the end, though, the Wanderers were able to see out a massive win away from home.

BOX SCORE

Goals

45′ — Zachary Fernandez (Halifax Wanderers)
61′ — João Morelli (Halifax Wanderers)

Discipline

49′ — Yellow: Max Ferrari (York United)
90+2’ — Yellow: Matthew Baldisimo (York United)
90+3’ — Red: Matthew Baldisimo (York United)
90+3’ — Yellow: Roger Thompson (York United)
90+5’ — Yellow: Tiago Coimbra (Halifax Wanderers)
90+5’ — Yellow: Kevin Dos Santos (York United)