Valour FC kicked off the Island

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This article was published 07/09/2020 (2219 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Valour FC was ousted from contention for the second stage of the Canadian Premier League’s Island Games Saturday.

A 2-2 draw in Charlottetown with 2019 league champion Forge FC sealed the Winnipeggers’ fate.

Valour (2-2-3, eight points) finished the eight-team event in sixth place but its players got a rave review from head coach Rob Gale, when he was asked to evalute their performance.

Sunday’s 2-1 victory by Pacific FC (3-2-2, 11 points) over Edmonton FC allowed the Victoria side to claim the fourth and final spot in the second stage.

“Absolutely bloody magnificent,” said Gale in a post-match conference call. “Injury after injury. Two days rest. Forge has had a week off. We were fantastic. We gave it everything. We showed the honour, the courage, the pride — everything we talk about in our organization. I’m super proud of the players.”

Valour battled injuries the entire tournament and entered the match with nine players dealing with various ailments, including: Brett Levis (knee), Arnold Bouka Moutou (hamstring), Raphael Garcia (knee), Yohan Le Bourhis (hip flexor), Raphael Ohin (hamstring), Stefan Cebara (hamstring), Masta Kacher (hamstring), James Pantemis (ankle) and Andrew Jean-Baptiste (hamstring).

“I can’t fault the lads and I’m going to give credit to me staff as well,” said Gale. “Because we’ve had to adapt on the fly tactically since the 60th minute of the first game — we’ve not had a full squad.”

Kyle Bekker opened scoring for Forge, which finished the first stage in third place with a 3-3-1 record and 12 points. Cavalry FC and HFX Wanderers FC finished the stage in first and second place with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Striker Moses Dyer and centre back Yohan Le Bourhis countered with first-half goals to lift Valour into a 2-1 lead but Alexander Achinioti-Jonsson’s header in the 65th minute allowed Forge to pull even at 2-2.

“I think we should have qualified here,” said Gale. “If you look at the Halifax game, we should have got three points. (Against) Pacific — the second half — we didn’t put the ball in the net. We were value for, I think, 12 points at the tournament… I’m gutted that the guys haven’t got their reward.”

Dyer, a midfielder signed in the off-season from New Zealand, was disappointed by the early tournament exit.

“Some teams gel earlier, sooner than others and you can see our team is really together and we’re building something for next year, something special,” said Dyer. “… You can see the foundation. We’ve got heart, we’ve got desire and we’ve got quality.”

Looking forward, Gale admitted goal-scoring finish needs to improve in 2021.

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“I think that’s the only thing we’re missing and I think that’s coming,” he said. “Look, two (goals) again today but we should’ve had more. Moses was unlucky not to get two or three.”

The immediate challenge for Dyer and his teammates is to find a place to play. Many will be seeking loan transfers since the Valour squad will not convene again until training camp in the 2021.

“We won’t see the players until March,” said Gale. “It’s a challenge. We’ll try to find as many outlets and environments because these boys need games… It’s a collective thing we need to search for, for the good of the Canadian game.”

— staff