Misery At Home As Wakefield Crash Out Of League Cup

Saturday 2nd November 2019

Cup action was the order of the day at The Dorothy Hyman Stadium as Wakefield AFC hosted Wombwell Main FC in the third round of the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior League Cup. With both sides occupying similar positions close to the top of the league, a hotly contested cup match was expected by the 30 fans in attendance.

Despite another week of incessant rain, the game saw a return to the grass pitch in front of the main stand, after several weeks of playing on the 4G pitch. Unfortunately however, after last week’s disappointing home loss in the league, it wasn’t also a return to winning ways for Wakefield who seemed to struggle with the boggy conditions. The home side did take an early lead through the returning Kyron Richards, however let this slip almost immediately after the re-start. More misery was to follow at the close of the first half, as Wakefield fell 2-1 behind and then a man behind after Jean Merour saw red. Two more goals for the away side in the second half saw Wombwell progress in to the quarter finals with a comfortable 4-1 win.

Manager Chris Turner made two changes to the team beaten 3-2 at home by Penistone in the last league match with Redon Gashi, hoping to add to his first goal for the club last week, starting up front in place of top-scorer Rayjon Moore who was out with a concussion. Jamie Hardwick, the only player to have played in every other game, was also absent but this blow was softened by defensive midfielder Richards coming back in to the side after an injury lay-off. Turner, sticking with the 4-3-3 formation that has largely served the club well, also gave starts to Quinaceo Hunt in goal and Merour, Yemi Ayodele, Marvin Emmanuel and Chris Sholu in defence. Club captain Manny Katundu and attacking midfielder Mohammed Hamid partnered Richards in midfield, while Deji Alabi and Thomas Ecaplier continued on the wings.

Wakefield made a quick start, with the first minute seeing Hamid have a goal-bound shot blocked and then Katundu, looking for his seventh goal of the season, having his shot excellently tipped on to the bar after good build-up play from the hosts. Katundu, probably Wakefield’s best player on the day, then hit the bar again from a thundering free-kick on the edge of the penalty area in the fourth minute.

It took Wombwell time to get a foothold in the game but they did in the eighth minute, when they had their own flirt with the woodwork. Bermudan goalkeeper Hunt was flat-footed as a speculative shot from out wide first hit the post and then rebounded on to the back of his leg, with him thankful that he was able to pick up the ball from the boggy surface in front of the goal, rather than the back of the net.

Wakefield, the better team in the opening stages, did take the lead in the 13th minute. Katundu, assisting goals if he isn’t scoring them, delivered a menacing corner from the left that beat all of the Wombwell defenders, and Richards was first on hand at the back post to tuck the ball home for his second goal of the season. Wakefield though, perhaps forgetting the old adage of being most vulnerable after scoring, failed to get tight and failed to clear the ball as Wombwell equalised almost straight from the kick-off. The goal did see a possible offside not flagged in the build up as Wombwell broke Wakefield’s defensive line, with their unmarked striker in the centre on hand to receive the cut back and tuck the ball under Hunt, whose faint touch wasn’t enough to keep the ball out.

The game became a scrappy affair after the equaliser, with both teams looking leggy perhaps due to the increasingly water logged pitch. Wakefield weren’t able to build on their early dominance, as the ball held up in the conditions. They did have good chances to re-take the lead in the 18th minute through Katundu, whose shot was blocked, and then Hamid, who saw his curling shot well saved. Hunt then made his own excellent save from point-blank range after Wakefield were caught sleeping, not for the first or last time, in defence.

As the half wore on Wombwell took control, and more worryingly for the hosts were first to every ball. They mastered the conditions better and were more aggressive in the tackle, however were lucky not to concede a penalty when Alabi, with four goals this season, was controversially booked for a dive in the penalty area when clean through on goal. Things went from bad to worse for Wakefield at the end of the half, as Wombwell’s unmarked striker completed a swift counter attack by smashing the ball past Hunt at the back post. Not long after, Merour foolishly made the home side’s struggle an uphill one by stamping on an opposition player. He saw red, and left Turner with a half time headache on how to rouse the remaining ten men.

Wakefield didn’t go out without a fight though, and for a brief period at the start of the second half finally channelled some bite and aggression in the right way. Eclapier, moved up front alongside Gashi in what was now a 4-3-2 formation, nearly equalised in the 51st minute after a good cut-back from his attacking partner, but he was only able to direct his shot straight at the keeper. Katundu also had a free-kick in a dangerous area strike the wall.

A depleted Wakefield’s best chance to equalise came in the 64th minute, when Hamid could only direct a weak shot in to the arms of the goalkeeper after neat build-up play. That was the last glimmer of hope for the home fans however, as Wombwell countered swiftly before an unchallenged attacker struck the ball in to the roof of the net to make it 3-1.

The uphill task affected Wakefield, who failed to sustain possession later in the game. Noah Hamelberg and Nathan Weekes came on for Eclapier and Gashi following Wombwell’s third; but the game was gone by this point and any sign of an attacking come-back was expertly, and sometimes cynically, stopped by a well organised Wombwell team. This led to impatience from a tiring Wakefield, who gave the ball away repeatedly when trying to force things. The real chances came at the other end, with Hunt making two more excellent saves to keep the score respectable. He couldn’t do anything in the 83rd minute though, as a well-drilled shot from a defensive clearance skimmed past him in to the bottom right corner to seal the game at 4-1 to Wombell.

Positives were few for Wakefield on the day; Sholu looked a threat going forward from left-back and the return of goalscorer Richards was a welcome one, with a number of his commanding runs cut short only by fouls. The defeat, Wakefield’s second in succession, means the club exit the cup in the third round. They will now turn their attentions back to the league, where they still sit third after ten games. The team have a handful of home games to hopefully get back to winning form, and will look to do so against Burngreave, winners of only one game this season, on 09/11/2019 at the Dorothy Hyman Stadium. If our last game against them is anything to go by, a 7-2 away victory, the team should look forward to an opportunity to exercise the demons of this disappointing cup defeat.

Manager, Chris Turner, added: ” Today’s performance was a strange one as we started the first period well bringing two top class saves from the Wombwell keeper and we hit the bar from a tremendous strike from Manny. Following the good start we took the lead through Kyron heading in from a corner, but instantly we allowed Wombwell to draw level with some very poor defending. After that the game went away from us especially when Jean received a red card. Both sides I thought played some very good football on a playing surface that deteriorated to farcical towards the end of the game. Wombwell took their chances well and ran out deserved winners.”

Austin Ainsworth

Half Time:1-2
Full Time: 1-4

Attendance: 30

Goals:
13m, Kyron Richards
14m, Wombwell
44m, Wombwell
65m, Wombwell
83m, Wombwell

Starting XI:
Quinacio Hunt, Jean Merour, Yemi Ayodele, Marvin Emmanuel, Chris Sholu, Kyron Richards, Manny Katundu (Captain), Mohammed Hamid, Deji Alabi, Thomas Eclapier, Redon Gashi

Subs Used:

65m, Nathan Weekes for Redon Gashi
65m, Noah Hamelberg for Thomas Eclapier

Cards:
35m, Deji Alabi (Yellow)
45+1, Jean Merour (Red)

Stats:
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 6
Shots off Target: 3
Second Half
Shots on Target: 4
Shots off Target: 0

Wombwell Main FC
First Half
Shots on Target: 6
Shots off Target: 2
Second Half
Shots on Target: 4
Shots off Target: 1