York United have been eliminated from the playoff race but Head Coach Martin Nash says ‘there's a lot still on the line’ against local rivals Forge FC this evening: the final instalment of the 905 Derby for the 2022 season.

The Nine Stripes lead the series (2-1) and are backed by the Gaffer to throw spokes into the wheels of their hosts with another big victory. Meanwhile, Bobby Smyrniotis’ side are looking for a win to punch an early ticket to the postseason.

Nash in his pre-match talk said: "It's always difficult for the guys because the goal is to always make the playoffs. We've had a great second half of the season and it's been a difficult week in some ways, but we've had some good training sessions and the guys are in a good way. It's all about our mentality as a group and going out there and trying to win every game like we have been doing over the last 12 matches.''

The last time York United were at Tim Hortons Field was back in August and they returned with a deserved 3-1 victory. It was a performance inspired by Mo Babouli, a former Forge boy, and the talisman is expected to weave his magic once again.

"We had two good performances against them at home," Nash says.

"We won one, lost one and then on the road we faced some adversity - having to make two substitutions in the first half in the same position, which was something that you rarely see - but I think our guys dealt with it well."

"We took the lead, they tied it up but we were able to get the second and a third, which was nice and we have been doing that recently - grabbing that third goal to put teams away. It's not gonna be an easy task. Each team is fired up and ready to go but I think with the mentality the group’s shown...if we can keep that right and go out with the right mindset, it’s all to play for."

On the back of five wins in their last seven matches, York United have shown an upturn in fortunes after a miserable first half of the season due to injuries and suspensions. Nash is expecting another classic edition of the local derby in their penultimate fixture of the Canadian Premier League regular season.

He summed it up by saying: "It is a good fixture for us in that you know the guys are gonna come out fired up. They don't want to lose. It's a chance for us to win the season series so there's a lot on the line still for us. We've got to come with the right mentality, though, because they're playing to solidify their spot in the playoffs. It would be nice to go there and try to upset the applecart as much as we can."

OPPONENT WATCH:

Forge have won one, three draws and two defeats in their last six league matches.

They are in second place with 41 points, four points behind first-placed Atlético Ottawa.

In their last league match, the Hamilton-based side earned a 1-1 draw at Edmonton.

Ridwan Ibrahim Asante

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