Saturday 29th October 2022 | Austin Ainsworth
The busy weeks keep on coming for Wakefield AFC in the Northern Counties East League Division One, as they faced a trip to Selby Town on Tuesday evening, before all eyes turned to a local derby on Saturday with second placed Horbury Town visiting the Millennium Stadium.
Wakefield went in to the Selby match finally with some good form following their 4-2 defeat of Dronfield Town last week, hoping to win two successive league games for the first time since August.
After a new 3-4-1-2 formation worked so well for Wakefield against Dronfield, manager Gabe Mozzini kept faith with the system and personnel as he named an unchanged side. It worked, as Wakefield were the dominant side in the first half before no. 10 Billy Mole gave them the lead in the 25th minute with his sixth goal of the season.
It was a fine goal, with Wakefield again seeing the benefit of returning captain Danny Youel, who delivered a pin-point diagonal pass for Mole at the back post, whose header looped over the ‘keeper and in to the far corner.
Things didn’t go entirely to plan as Wakefield, despite their dominance, were rocked by the dismissal of Jaydan Sandhu for two quick-fire yellow cards in the 40th minute. Showing incredible composure, courage and control, Wakefield still managed to extend their lead in an accomplished second half in which Selby never threatened a fight-back.
Daniel Hernandez was the goalscorer, with his fourth in as many games in all competitions. Mole was again at the heart of it, having initially slipped a ball through to meet Josh Craig’s lung-busting, overlapping run. Craig showed smart control and cut in to square the ball for an unmissable tap-in for Hernandez.
That win moved Wakefield up to sixth and set them up nicely for the visit of high-flying Horbury Town, who were unbeaten in the month of October and had won their last three league games. With both sides newly promoted this season, local bragging rights weren’t the only thing up for grabs as Wakefield would have been keen to make up some ground on Horbury, whose start to the season has, until now, been even more impressive than Wakefield’s.
Unsurprisingly, Mozzini stuck with what had been successful in previous matches, although he was forced in to changes at both wing-back and in goal; Lloyd Horridge coming in at no.1 and Mason Rubie in for Josh Craig.
In front of a huge crowd of 503 – easily the largest attendance of any match across both division one and the premiership – Wakefield got off to the worst possible start when the visitors took an early lead through Samuel Kyeremeh. It was a goal Wakey will look back on with regret, Kyeremeh initially going unchallenged on the left as he cut in to the box too easily. He fired off a shot that, despite Horridge getting down to it, snuck in at the near post.
Wakefield, slightly off the pace of the game in the early stages, were struggling to get out of their own half; and Horbury capitalised by doubling their lead in the 18th minute through their top-scorer James Cusworth. Wakefield had again failed to get a foot in having lost the ball, and eventually gave away a free-kick on the edge of the box just to the right of centre. Ousmane Sidibe had initially stood over the ball and feigned a left-footed shot, before dummying for Cusworth to drill a low shot towards the Wakefield wall. The ball appeared to take a slight deflection as Horridge was unable to reach far enough down to his left, much to the joy of the strong contingent of travelling Horbury fans.
Albeit too late, Wakefield did grow in to the game after that fateful opening 18 minutes and started to work the Horbury goalkeeper around the half-hour mark. Mole, as he so often is, was the creator with a deft chip over to Rubie on the left. The wing-back darted inside and unleashed a vicious shot that was well saved by the ‘keeper at his near post.
That save was enough for Horbury to take their two goal lead in at half-time and leave Wakefield a mountain to climb after the break. Just as in the closing stages of the first period, Wakefield were arguably the side with the better possession and territory in the second half, however Horbury had a healthy lead to sit on and just about kept Wakefield at arm’s length.
For all their improvement, the home side were lucky not to go down another goal, when a big chance fell for Horbury on the edge of the box from an out-swinging corner kick which was subsequently volleyed straight at Wakefield’s crossbar.
Both sides then saw red moments later as Wakefield’s Morgan Butcher – never far away from conflict – found himself coming together with Horbury’s Luke Playford after being tussled to the ground. Whether the referee had seen or heard something not obvious to anybody else, both bizarrely received straight red cards when, on the face of it, yellow cards may have been more appropriate for what was essentially the two briefly squaring-up to each-other.
Although neither side were at a numerical disadvantage, the delay and subsequent disjointed nature of proceedings did not play in to the chasing Wakefield’s hands. Nonetheless, they did have an argument for a penalty shortly after the hour mark when substitute Harley Blankley provided a great pass through to Hernandez up-front. He ran on to the ball and when just about to shoot, was robustly shoved from the side. Although soft, the Horbury defender was nowhere near the ball and similar decisions have been given in the past.
Ultimately, Wakefield were unable to set up a tense final 10 minutes for Horbury, and even had their own crossbar to thank again when a cross-cum-shot looped over Horridge and struck the woodwork. Perhaps too little too late, Wakefield should have at least pulled one back in the dying stages when defender Tom Booth dove to the near post to meet a Wakey free-kick; his header glanced just wide of the post. Mole, man-of-the-match having ran himself in to the ground, then went even closer with almost the last kick when he received the ball in space 25 yards out. He took a touch to control before curling a wonderfully arced shot across the face of goal, beating the ‘keeper but striking the inside of the far post. The ball somehow stayed out as it rolled across the line and Horbury’s clean sheet, and win, were preserved.
The result sees Wakefield drop back to eighth on 22 points, in a congested area of the league table where just five points separate fourth and 10th. Horbury meanwhile – continuing their awesome start to the season – remain second, six points behind an imperious Campion side who have two games in hand. Although Horbury take the spoils on this occasion, Wakefield will reflect on a poor opening 18 minutes that lost them what was largely an evenly contested match. With players back from injury and their overall level of play returning to previous high standards, Wakefield will take the positives as they head in to another midweek fixture, this time at home to Athersley Recreation, on Tuesday 1st November: kick-off 19:45PM.
Selby Town Match Stats
Half Time: 0-1
Full Time: 0-2
Attendance: 278
Wakefield Starting XI:
Henry Kendrick – Tom Booth, Max Elliot, Cory Woodward – Aaron Pilkington, Danny Youel (C), Jock Curran, Josh Craig – Jaydan Sandhu – Billy Mole, Daniel Hernandez
Subs Used:
35m, Morgan Butcher for Danny Youel
55m, Jake Morrison for Daniel Hernandez
71m, Mason Rubie for Aaron Pilkington
85m, Harley Blankley for Jock Curran
89m, Lloyd Horridge for Henry Kendrick
Goals:
25m, Billy Mole
50m, Daniel Hernandez
Assists:
25m, Danny Youel
50m, Josh Craig
Wakefield Cards:
Josh Craig (Yellow)
Billy Mole (Yellow)
Henry Kendrick (Yellow)
Max Elliott (Yellow)
Jaydan Sandhu (Yellow x2/Red)
Attempts:
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 4
Shots off Target: 3
Second Half
Shots on Target: 3
Shot off Target: 1
Selby Town
First Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 2
Second Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shots off Target: 0
Horbury Town Match Stats
Half Time: 0-2
Full Time: 0-2
Attendance: 503