October 7, 2023...Preview: Masters of Their Own Destiny, Playoffs on the Line for Nine Stripes (from York United FC site)

PREVIEW: MASTERS OF THEIR OWN DESTINY, PLAYOFFS ON THE LINE FOR NINE STRIPES

The side face Vancouver FC tonight knowing a victory guarantees them a postseason berth.

York United are now masters of their own destiny and victory against Vancouver FC tonight on the road will seal a playoff spot for the 2023 campaign.

The Nine Stripes did themselves a huge favour by putting Atletico Ottawa to flight last Sunday to move into the fifth and final postseason berth. But they need to twist the knife further into their provincial rivals, who play on Saturday, by beating the league's basement club to eliminate Carlos Gonzalez’s side from the playoffs.

York United were at Willoughby Community Park in July and returned home victorious with a 2-1 scoreline. Head Coach Martin Nash knows the lads must put in an impressive shift to repeat the trick and successfully cross the finish line.

He said in his pre-match game talk: "I'm expecting us to come out all guns blazing. And you have to, because they [Vancouver] have been playing really well. Their coach has them firing on all cylinders. They're one of the hottest teams in the league right now. So it's not going to be easy. They're closing out the season at their place and I'm sure they want to put on a good performance."

York United rebounded last week to end a chain of three home defeats. And that victory has energized the players to go one better. The Nine Stripes will be counting on their impressive away form- six wins and three draws from 13 fixtures so far - to bag the points which will punch their postseason ticket.

"We were only able to get one full proper training day, which was Wednesday. But the guys are in good spirits, obviously after a win, and putting the destiny in our own hands and looking forward to the match tomorrow. But they're going to be a team that's gonna come out and fight and we're going to have to match that intensity and attitude because we need to have a go at them" said The Gaffer.

"I thought we were good against Cavalry but the two previous games I don't think we brought the effort we needed to and I spoke about that. So, it's good that they showed up when our backs were against the wall. But it's still all to play for. Only a win sees us in the playoffs right now. If not, you have to sit wait and see what will happen. That's not quite a position we really want to be in."

For Nash, the focus is not on personal accolades, such as securing a playoff berth within his two years as Head Coach. Instead, it's about recognizing the dedication of his hardworking players, who have consistently delivered some impressive performances throughout the regular season.

He reiterated: "I think it will mean a lot to me but I think more so it's just about what it means to this group and that we get to keep this group going. I think we've got a fantastic group of players and it'd be nice to get to the playoffs. I think we're the type of team that can make noise in the playoffs especially with how well we've done on the road this year."

OPPONENT WATCH:

Vancouver FC have managed five wins, three draws, and five defeats this season at Willoughby Community Park.

The trio of Gabriel Bitar, Shaan Hundal, and Mikael Cantave have a total of 17 goals among them.

In the back end of the season, Afshin Ghotbi’s side have shown some good form with four and two defeats from their last six matches.

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