Saturday 20th August 2022 | Austin Ainsworth
Wakefield AFC, buoyant after 7-0 and 5-0 victories in their last two games, looked to continue their fine start to the season, as things moved up a gear with a tough away trip to Retford FC in the Northern Counties East League Division 1.
Retford – 7th placed in the NCEL last season – were always likely to be an entirely different prospect for league newcomers Wakefield, whose unbeaten start had come against teams that finished in the bottom half of the league last year. Nonetheless, Wakefield had reasons to be confident and went in to the side in second place in the league, a point above Retford.
Wakey manager Gabe Mozzini was forced in to several changes, with the absence of Tom Booth compounding Wakefield’s injury problems at centre-back, and key players Billy Mole and Owen Kirman also missing; the former after injury in the last match. Top-scorer Jake Morrison did make a return to the side up-front, with Ray Sibanda coming in for his first start and Morgan Butcher filling the midfield slot vacated by Jock Curran who stepped back in to defence alongside Cory Woodward.
Wakefield made a confident, if not spectacular start, controlling much of the early possession, as is customary for them, albeit much of it in their own half. It was the home side who started to see chances arrive, as they often looked to pounce on any loose ball from Wakefield in midfield. Their best chance came around 20 minutes in when the Retford winger turned inside from the left, curling his shot goal-bound as Wakefield goalkeeper George Bason’s stretching fingertips were able to just divert it on to the bar.
Wakefield’s best move of the half came 10 minutes later when last week’s man-of-the-match Mason Rubie worked it well down the right to drill a cross in towards Sibanda. The latter took a good first touch and worked the ball up on to the half-volley, but his shot rocketed over the bar under pressure from an alert home defence.
Retford’s energetic work in midfield to disrupt any Wakefield flow paid dividends five minutes from the end of the half, when a sloppy Wakefield ball in-field was pounced upon and played out to Retford’s right wing. The ball was subsequently slipped in to Retford striker Matthew Parkin, who smartly dinked the ball over the onrushing Bason to give his side the lead.
Wakefield did almost make an instant, if not unlikely, response when Morrison ran in on goal straight from the re-start. However, with the angle closing he managed to get a shot off but was only able to clip the outside of the Retford post.
That was unfortunately as close as Wakefield ever got to goal, with Retford piling on the pressure in the second half and doubling their lead close to the hour mark. Wakefield – having just made substitutions – were unusually disorganised and Retford managed to pounce again in midfield to play the ball through the lines. It was cut back to Matthew Parkin whose touch initially appeared to have cost him a chance at goal on the edge of the Wakefield box. However, it bounced up for him and he showed great vision to spot Bason slightly off his line and side-footed a half-volley up and over the Wakey goalkeeper’s head.
Chances were few and far between from then on, with the home side comfortable with their two goal cushion and able to keep Wakefield at arm’s length. Drew Allwood then put the icing on the cake for Retford in the 68th minute when he met a well-taken corner at the far post, looping a header back across goal and in to the back of the net to make it 3-0 and job done for the home side.
It meant a disappointing first loss for Wakefield in the NCEL, a game in which they failed to score for the first time since February 2022. Without a shot on target in the 90 minutes – unprecedented for the usually free-flowing Wakefield – there could be no arguments about the result against a more experienced side on the day.
In what has been an admirable start to the season, Wakefield heads shouldn’t drop too low and the match should serve as a reminder that the expectation was never for Wakefield to continue to brush every team aside in a new, more competitive league. Wakefield have now seen the level and, when on-form, there are no doubts that they can and will rise to it. The result leaves them in the still lofty position of third after five matches, now behind Retford who move above them in to second.
Match Stats
Half Time: 1-0
Full Time: 3-0
Attendance: 155
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
George Bason – Aaron Pilkington, Cory Woodward, Jock Curran, Josh Craig – Mason Rubie, Danny Youel (C), Morgan Butcher, Lucas Stubbs – Ray Sibanda – Jake Morrison
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
55m, Jordan Chippendale for Josh Craig
55m, Taylor Rayan for Morgan Butcher
65m, Daniel Hernandez for Jock Curran
Goals:
39m, Matthew Parkin (Retford FC)
58m, Matthew Parkin (Retford FC)
68m, Drew Allwood (Retford FC)
Attempts:
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shots off Target: 2
Second Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shot off Target: 2
Retford FC
First Half
Shots on Target: 3
Shots off Target: 4
Second Half
Shots on Target: 3
Shots off Target: 4