Daily in downtown Halifax, the firing of the noon gun atop Citadel Hill shakes the downtown core. It is a local tradition, marking 12 p.m. AT, which has stood since 1857.
On May 23, a cannon of a different sort was unleashed shortly thereafter at the Wanderers Grounds just below.
Isaiah Johnston's booming strike from outside the box skipped off the grass once, before nestling into the bottom corner to give the Halifax Wanderers a 1-1 draw with Inter Toronto.
The goal was Johnston's fourth of the season, and easily one of the best scored in the Canadian Premier League this campaign. For the Halifax midfielder, it felt like a flip switched.
"When you score a goal of that fashion, it gives you the confidence to score, quote unquote. easier goals," said Johnston to CPLSoccer.com. "Although no goal is easy, it's giving me the confidence to go on and just get in the right areas and be able to finish a lot of chances that come my way."
Johnston is now up to six on the year, tied for the CPL's Golden Boot lead. It is already double his previous career high of three in a season.
The 24-year-old had already established himself as one of the CPL's most solid defensive midfielders. Now, he is being allowed to demonstrate the attacking ability that he has always possessed. In the process, Johnston is becoming the heartbeat of his Halifax Wanderers team.
A big part of that is a tactical tweak under new head coach Vanni Sartini, which has allowed Johnston to play further forward in the Wanderers formation, which most weeks resembles a 4-2-3-1. Johnston sits in the number 10 position, with more attacking opportunity than he has had in the past as more of a holding midfielder, and with two defensive midfielders sitting behind him.
"In this new formation, Vanni has given me a decent bit of freedom," said Johnston. "I think in the attacking third, I have a lot of freedom in terms of the ability to roll in and almost make it a single 10, to roll out wide, or to come deeper and get on the ball, to run in behind, and to find the game and create things."
Before his wonderstrike against Inter Toronto, Johnston's first three goals of the campaign came from the penalty spot, a new responsibility which has evidently added to his goal totals as well.
Last year, it was either Ryan Telfer or Tiago Coimbra who took the spot kicks for the Wanderers. But it is something that Johnston was comfortable with going into this season, having spent multiple years in MLS Next Pro where any regular season match that is tied after 90 minutes is decided with a shootout.
"The first one I just kind of asked for the ball, and Telfer gave it to me, and I scored," said Johnston. "The next game he wasn't there, so I took it again. I think after I scored two in a row, it kind of just became my job."
Another new responsibility for Johnston this season has been wearing the captain's armband, something he has done when Andre Rampersad is not in the starting lineup. This has taken on a special significance for Johnston, who now lives in Halifax year-round and is honoured to represent the city.
"It's become like home," said Johnston. "I really enjoy the summers here. Downtown is beautiful, the boardwalk is beautiful. I'll be having my first kid in the city of Halifax, so he'll be a Hallagonian, and that's just been an added layer.
"The more I've been here, the more I've wanted to win something and bring something to the fans."
When asked about his goals for the rest of the season, Johnston didn't shy away from his ambitions.
"Being tied for the Golden Boot right now, I want to continue to push for that and hopefully win that at the end of the year," said Johnston, "and to push into individual awards and things of that nature, Player of the Year, whatever it may be. That's always been an individual goal for myself within the league."
His number one focus, however, is the collective. After last year's heartbreak in Halifax at the Wanderers Grounds in the playoffs, he wants this season to have a different ending,
"To get a playoff position is mandatory for this group in terms of the talent we have, the coaching staff we have, and where we are as a group," said Johnston.
The Wanderers kick off the second half of their season on Friday at home, where they host FC Supra du Québec. They currently sit just a point out of the fifth and final playoff spot, and will make it their mission to get above that line over the next 14 games.
As he has been all season, Johnston will be vital to leading that charge.