A fact that means absolutely everything and yet positively nothing as Valour FC heads east this weekend to Nova Scotia…

Munch on this: Winnipeg’s Canadian Premier League side has not won a single game in Halifax against the Wanderers since its formation in 2019, with five losses against one measly draw. It’s the only site on the CPL map, FYI, where Valour has not exited with at least one victory.

And yet that’s a nugget that means zero to more than half the roster new to the team and a number of players who will be in the lineup for Saturday’s matinee at the Wanderers Grounds.

“Really? Wow. I didn’t know that,” said Valour midfielder Marcello Polisi, who played in 36 matches with the Wanderers in 2021-22. “It’s a tough place to play. I think some of it has to do with the fans there and their support system. I’m sure travel might be a factor for some teams, but there’s just a lot of travel in this league and for us, we’re central to the whole country so we’re lucky in that respect. Our travel isn’t too treacherous compared to those teams on the East or West coasts.

“Like I said, though, I didn’t know that stat and I’m not sure any of the guys really know that. At the end of the day, we’re heading there to get three points and if we haven’t done it before, maybe it’s added fuel to get it done.”

Valour takes a 1-6-1 record into the weekend, having won its first match of the season and then following that up with six draws wrapped around a 3-2 loss to Forge FC. Earlier this season the two clubs played to a nil-nil draw at IG Field.

Wanderers are winless so far this season with six draws and two losses but are closer to the pack than that number represents.

So, Saturday is more about securing a win for Valour than exorcising any potential East coast demons.

“There’s things you can’t explain,” said Valour FC GM and head coach Phillip Dos Santos about the club’s struggles in the Nova Scotia capital. “It’s the forces of circumstances, probably. I don’t think it’s travel or anything like that.

“I think of my spell here (a pair of 1-nil losses last season) I would say our teams have been built for fields that have a bit more space. We were very transitioned-based teams that needed space to be able to run at the opposition.

“Last year we went to Halifax twice and we got them in a moment where they closed the team a lot and they were defending extremely low at the time. We had a hard time getting through them. They also scored their one goal in one game on a penalty.

“Like I said, there’s just things you sometimes can’t explain.”

Dos Santos & Co. are starting to get bodies back from the infirmary, with veteran centre back Andrew Jean-Baptiste and Guillaume Pianelli likely both to be available against the Wanderers. Fullback Jordan Haynes is also said to be close, leaving just Raph Ohin and Matthew Chandler on the shelf.

That gives the team hope a solidified back line, coupled with the growing chemistry of the attacking players will lead to more Ws than the run of draws of late.

“We need to look what we have as key performance indicators,” said Dos Santos. “When you’re hitting a lot of the marks you can’t panic. You need to stay the course.

“You need to understand you’ve not arrived where you want to be, but you’re not lost, either. It’s worse when you’re not arriving because then you’re still seeking and looking for your identity. That makes you unsure of your personnel.

“That’s not the case for us. We have a clear direction. We know where we’re headed. We see the team and the response they’ve given. We have to keep working, fine-tune certain dynamics and put players in spots where they can produce a little bit more.

“But right now, we’re not going to second guess ourselves. There’s been too many good indicators for us.”