Saturday 17th October 2020
Match Reporter: Austin Ainsworth
Attendance: 293
Wakefield AFC were looking to continue their fine form in the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior League when they welcomed Wombwell Main F.C. to The Millennium Stadium, Featherstone.
In what was expected to be Wakefield’s toughest challenge yet, with seventh placed Wombwell – with an identical record to Wakefield of two wins and one loss from three games – below the fifth placed home side on goal difference only. Wakefield didn’t disappoint as they went 3-0 up, before two late Wombwell goals removed some of the gloss from a controlled and composed performance.
Wakefield, unchanged from the side that beat Stocksbridge 4-1 away in the previous week, overcame a pulsating opening 30 minutes against an experienced and physical Wombwell side who were looking to repeat the two chastening defeats that they inflicted on the club in last year’s curtailed season. The home fans may have remembered those games less than fondly – both of which saw the dark arts in play from Wombwell as Wakefield players saw red in each game – and would have feared a repeat when the rough stuff started almost immediately after the first whistle.
The opening period was characterised by a number of unsavoury moments from the away side; first when the Wombwell captain followed up one of many robust challenges with a kick-out off the ball on Bryce Orsini; and then when another Wombwell player went in on goalkeeper Hemir Lopez – who had already collected the ball firmly in his grasp – by kicking him in the stomach, in full view of both the linesman and referee. He somehow avoided a red card, with Wakefield doing well to remain calm in the face of clear gamesmanship from a tenacious away side who were likely looking for a repeat of the ill-discipline that helped them to those aforementioned wins last season.
The home side were helped by outstanding midfield performances from Jack Burton and Tom Raithby, with chief creator Orsini – fresh from three assists in his last game – floating around the pitch just in front of them. Aside from a worrying moment on the half-hour mark – when Wombwell nearly capitalised on one of many dangerous corners, their player hitting the bar with a header after latching on to a loose ball – it was that Wakefield triumvirate who wrested control of the match for the home side.
And it was Orsini himself who put Wakefield ahead in the 35th minute with a sublime strike from distance, after a good team move culminated in striker Samuel Amissah bamboozling a defender before laying the ball off for the American to hit his shot from 25 yards in to the bottom corner.
The remaining action of the first half was largely played out in the Wombwell final third, with Jed Wilkinson nearly continuing his goalscoring form from wing-back when he cut inside on to his right foot before unleashing a beautiful, curling shot that was well-saved by the away goalkeeper. Wakefield’s pressure was rewarded moments later however, with a timely goal just before half-time from man-of-the-match Jack Burton. It came from an Orsini corner-kick, with Burton on hand to expertly side-foot the bouncing ball in to the net after the cross was missed by the Wombwell defenders.
The home side were well-deserving of the two goal lead at half-time but were perhaps lucky to preserve it, after Wombwell had their own goal from a corner disallowed with the last kick of the half. Lopez came from the in-swinger but spilled in to his own net, however was saved by the referee who blew for a push in his back much to the chagrin of the ever vocal Wombwell players.
The second half went much the same way as the first, with the early stages disrupted by numerous bad tackles and niggling fouls. Jake Dickinson – excellent throughout at wing-back – fell foul of this, and the referee, when he saw yellow for kicking the ball away when Wombwell were awarded a free-kick. As in previous matches, he was replaced by the pacy Mason Rubie after the hour-mark; with Samuel Amissah also making way for Dean Makunike up-front.
Those changes paid dividends, and – just like the previous game, when Makunike’s introduction was immediately followed by a goal for his strike partner – number nine Dan Palmer was the beneficiary this time when he completed a breathtaking team move. It started when Burton hammered a precise pass in to the feet of Makunike, who expertly laid the ball off for Palmer. Still with much to do, Palmer’s first touch took him in to the box and past the defender, where he was able to nonchalantly clip the ball above the onrushing goalkeeper and in to the net for his third goal in four games.
At 3-0 up after 72 minutes, Wakefield were in control and the home fans – in full voice – were expecting more. The home side, anchored by the hitherto commanding back three of Greg Hunter, Gervas Chipasha and Patrick Hoyle, hadn’t looked like conceding and had largely stood up to the physical challenge – with Chipasha in particular drawing applause, and a yellow card, for a number of crunching tackles.
However, out of nowhere Wombwell were back in the game in the 77th minute when the unmarked Ryan Wingrove was on hand to tap in to the net, after the winger capitalised on a defensive lapse to rush down the right and deliver a good cross for the striker. That set up a nail-biting final 10 minutes, made all the more worrying when Wingrove repeated the trick with two minutes to play, this time using his head to nod another good cross from the right in to Lopez’s net.
The upset wasn’t meant to be though, with the home side impressively holding out for what was ultimately a deserved win. Above and beyond the vital three points – that move Wakefield up to fourth in the league – the win will bring confidence and encouragement to a group of young and developing players in their infancy as a team. With their football skill never in doubt, this performance showed that they also have the requisite qualities to overcome physical and ill-tempered games of football – qualities that they will need in abundance at this level of football.
The fans couldn’t have been anything but happy with the day’s work, none more so than the guest for the day – Wakefield’s own member of parliament and newest fan, Imran Ahmad Khan. Speaking glowingly of the club and his hopes for it after the match, he said: “We’re the only proper city in the Kingdom without a proper football club, without a stadium and so on – this is a great opportunity. I hope that by the time I leave office, we will have a Premier League football club here.”
If his dreams are to be realised, there are a lot of football games to be played between here and the top tier of English football. The next one comes for Wakefield away at Hepworth United F.C. on Saturday 24th October 2020: kick-off, 15:00PM.
Feature Image: Blue Line Photography
The Stats
Half Time: 2-0
Full Time: 3-2
Starting XI:
Hemir Lopez – Jake Dickinson, Gervas Chipasha, Patrick Hoyle, Greg Hunter (Captain), Jed Wilkinson – Tom Raithby, Jack Burton – Bryce Orsini – Samuel Amissah, Dan Palmer
Goals:
35m, Bryce Orsini
45m, Jack Burton
72m, Dan Palmer
77m, Ryan Wingrove (Wombwell)
88m, Ryan Wingrove (Wombwell)
Assists
35m, Samuel Amissah
45m, Bryce Orsini
72m, Dean Makunike
Subs Used:
62m, Mason Rubie for Jake Dickinson
69m, Dean Makunike for Samuel Amissah
Cards:
Gervas Chipasha (Yellow)
Jake Dickinson (Yellow)
Greg Hunter (Yellow)
Stats:
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 4
Shots off Target: 5
Second Half
Shots on Target: 2
Shots off Target: 4
Wombwell Main F.C.
First Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 3
Second Half
Shots on Target: 2
Shots off Target: 2