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Photo Credit: Jojo Yanjiao Qian
Forge 1-0 Supra: Nimick Gives Hammers School Day Win
By For the third year in a row, Forge FC hosted a school day game, bringing children from a myriad of schools across the region to Hamilton Stadium. This time, they managed to secure a win in front of more than 15,000 students.
An early second half goal was the difference-maker as the Hamiltonians edged FC Supra du Quebec 1-0 in what was the clubs’ first-ever meeting.
Just as they did in their Canadian Championship victory on Saturday, Forge started the exact same starting eleven. As for Supra, who also prevailed in the cup competition, they opted for five changes to their squad.
Much of the first half was played in the Supra end as Forge applied pressure from the get-go. Unfortunately for the hosts, they could not create much due to Supra’s defensive set-up.
The best chance of the opening 45 came in the 28th minute, when Rezart Rama went for a volley from just outside of the box. The dipping effort failed to test Joakim Milli, but it did not miss by much.
While they spent most of their time defending, the visitors had a serious chance to go in front. Some confusion in the Forge backline allowed Clement Bayiha to get to the ball first and charge towards goal. However, Antoine Batisse got back and dispossessed his opponent in time before he could get a shot off.
Early into the second half, Forge nearly went in front. Brian Wright challenged Milli for the ball, which fell to Tristan Borges. The skipper’s shot went just wide of the far post, giving Supra a scare.
For all of their possession and control in the match, the Hammers finally took the lead 10 minutes into the half. Dan Nimick received the ball on the edge of the box, beating several Supra players before hitting a low shot into the bottom corner.
Borges could have easily made it 2-0 at the hour mark, as his header from Ben Paton’s cross went wide. The attacker was left completely open in the box, and will have wanted that chance back.
Supra had a couple of big chances in the final 20 minutes. One of the biggest ones came from a free kick, which Diyaeddine Abzi hit off the bar. Dmitry Bertaud was left helpless as the ball crashed off the frame of the goal and stayed out.
However, the Quebec side’s most clear-cut opportunity came moments later, when Loic Kwemi stole the ball from Nimick and was in on goal. Facing Bertaud, the striker failed to hit the target, putting his shot just wide.
Forge will head into the weekend with a five-point cushion on Cavalry thanks to the win. It was their fifth clean sheet in six matches, their best-ever defensive start. Next for the Hamiltonians will be a trip to the nation’s capital to take on Atletico Ottawa. They will have an 11-day break before meeting last year’s playoff winners.
For Supra, they stay in fourth spot, having lost their last two. They will also get some time off – 10 days to be exact – before making the trip to the west coast to take on Vancouver FC.
Header Image Photo Credit: Jojo Yanjiao Qian
