The tough part about being a fan of a developmental league such as the Canadian Premier League is that many teams will lose fan-favourite players every single season, and based on our conversation, Zach Fernandez might be the next player on that list for Wanderers fans.
“I set a goal before the season that I wanted to do a statement year to move forward, and I think that’s my goal to take a step forward to a higher level,” said the Wanderers defender from Blainville, Quebec
When players arrive in the CPL (Canadian Premier League), they aim to continue their growth and eventually move on to experience a different challenge in a new league. By saying they want to move on, it’s no insult to the league; it’s actually a compliment to the league that they were able to develop into a better player during the time playing, and they now feel ready for a new challenge.
“I think CPL is a really great league, but at the end, we need to progress.” Said Fernandez.
Zach joined the Wanderers as a 20-year-old right back. He played for AS Blainville in PLSQ before entering the CPL, where he played against the Wanderers in the August 2021 Canadian Championship clash. Since being with the Wanderers, he has appeared in 25 matches, playing 1,963 minutes.
Despite losing 1-0 to Pacific in their home playoff match at the Wanderers grounds, Fernandez was impressed with how his club performed this year and described it as quite the turnaround from last season.
“I think it’s a good season, we finished second-last last season, and this season we finished second (to first). For me personally, I think it was a great season for me and the coaching staff helped me a lot to grow my game and as a team we set our level that our play needs to be” Said Ferandez
Whether pre-game, post-game or at training, whenever we have had the chance to speak to players, the praise for coach Patrice Gheisar has been very consistent. Coach Gheisar comes across as a players coach, someone who truly wants the best for his players and wants to see them go to the next level, which is something Zachary Fernandez mentioned to us as well.
“He’s very very very demanding, but if you watch all the great coaches in the world, you need to be demanding. I think he’s a tactician that really enjoys coaching and I think it’s good for him because he has passion”
After discussing his future as a professional, his relationship with coach Gheisar, and what he though about the growth of the CPL, we asked Zach if there was anything that he had to say to Wanderers fans who showed up every day to support the team and cheered him on during his time with the team, here’s what he had to say:
“It was my first professional contract, and I can’t thank (Halifax enough). I came here, I was alone at twenty-years-old, they put me under their arms, every game, rain or shine they were there, and I really respect that because in football it’s easy for the fans to switch up when things go wrong. I really appreciate the city of Halifax and especially the fans.”
If this is it for Fernandez as a Wanderer, we wish him all the best, and we very much appreciate him sitting down with us for a short conversation. If Zach is back, we can’t wait to see what he does next as a Wanderer.
Stay tuned for more player interviews. Zach’s full interview can be found below: