Saturday 11th February 2023 | Austin Ainsworth
Wakefield AFC made just their second appearance of 2023 at The Millennium stadium on Saturday, after a weather interrupted start to the second half of The Northern Counties East League Division One season in which they’d won two and drawn one.
That draw – a disappointing, goalless affair away to Worsbrough Bridge Athletic – came in Wakefield’s last fixture and that meant they were looking to get back to winning ways when promotion chasing Harrogate Railway visited, themselves undefeated in the league since the beginning of September.
It promised to be a tough afternoon for Wakefield, having been resoundingly defeated 2-0 by third-placed Harrogate in the last fixture in October. However, having been on a run of six league victories until last week’s draw, Wakefield sat only six points behind the visitors at the start of play, boasting promotion aspirations of their own.
There were some obstacles to overcome, as assistant manager Junior Roberti took the reigns in the absence of suspended manager Gabe Mozzini, while fellow coach Harry Turner – thanks to a personnel crisis in the goalkeeping department – found himself donning the gloves to become Wakefield’s sixth goalkeeper to feature this season. Further up the field, top-scorer Billy Mole was a notable absentee due to injury. In a rejig of players to compensate, Wakefield switched back to a 3-4-1-2 formation, with Jaydan Sandhu in the hole behind a front two of Kieran Ceesay and Lewis Stephens; with Morgan Butcher making a first league start since September alongside captain Danny Youel in the engine room.
Harrogate made the better start to the game and were superior in terms of territory and chances created, with all of the game’s first four efforts at goal coming from the away side. However, none of those tested Turner in goal who made a confident start, quick off his line to collect any loose balls and smart with his distribution. He had Harrogate’s profligacy to thank when a series of shots went flying over the crossbar, one of which was a stonewall opportunity at the back post after the ball had glanced dangerously across the face of goal.
It was in fact Wakefield, steadily growing in to the game, who boasted the first real effort on target around the 25 minute mark. In what is fast becoming a speciality of Cory Woodward’s, he curled a pin-point free-kick up and around the wall from the right edge of the area that stung the away ‘keepers gloves.
A serious-looking injury to one of the visiting players curtailed the game for ten minutes after the half-hour mark; an incident that saw Harrogate’s no. 6 sin-binned for something said to the referee. He had been their best player, smothering Sandhu in the midfield, breaking up play whilst also initiating most of the away side’s attacks. It was no surprise that Wakefield, with him gone and a numerical advantage, had the better of the closing stages of the half. Seeing more of the ball in advanced areas, they were unfortunate not to take the lead through Ceesay in the 46th minute. Butcher started the move when he sprayed the ball out to Woodward on the left. He deftly struck a first-time cross towards the penalty spot which Ceesay directed towards goal with the side of his boot; the shot drawing a fine save from the visiting goalkeeper.
Wakefield did take the lead 10 minutes in to the second half, with Woodward going one better than his free-kick in the first period. From a similar, albeit further out position, he absolutely smashed a knuckleball style shot from a centre-right position that, through speed more than direction, left the goalkeeper absolutely no chance.
In a game of few real chances, Wakefield would have looked to lean on their recent run of clean sheets to see out the game. However, some arguable refereeing decisions dented any hopes of that as Harrogate turned the game on its head in the final 30 minutes. First, after Robbie Miller, lunged to stop an attack on the edge of the box, the referee blew for a penalty when it seemed the contact had been outside the area. In even more heartbreaking circumstances, after Turner had almost made a fairytale debut by saving the resultant spot-kick low to his left, Jacob Robertson was then first to the rebound to tap-in the equaliser.
There remained little between the two sides until another questionable call provided Harrogate the opportunity to take the lead when the ref blew for an innocuous looking challenge wide on the right edge of the Wakey final third. Harrogate took the opportunity, as a well-worked free-kick delivery was met robustly at the back post for Luke Stewart to fire them in to the lead.
That seemed to knock the wind out of Wakefield’s sails, and they found themselves with no hope of a comeback three minutes later when Harrogate made it three through Charlie Owen. There was no questioning the build up to this one, as a lightning-quick attack, initiated by a bullet through-ball out to the right, parted the backtracking Wakefield defence. Owen raced on to it and finished first-time past Turner to ultimately seal the victory for the away side.
On the day, despite some controversy, Wakefield could have no real complaints about the result against a robust, physical Harrogate side who had been stronger in the tackle and faster to almost every ball. The challenge for Wakefield is now twofold; first, get back to a run of victories and performances as seen in recent weeks, and second, take the learning from this type of game and opposition so that it can be put right when Wakefield eventually do make the play-offs.
That is, impressively, still the hope for Wakefield in their first NCEL season, now sixth but with games in hand on those above in the play-off spots. A chance to bounce back comes quickly as Wakefield now look to a midweek fixture against Swallownest at The Millennium Stadium on Tuesday 14th February; kick-off at 19:45PM.
Match Stats
Half Time: 0-0
Full Time: 1-3
Attendance: 216
MOTM: Cory Woodward
Wakefield Starting XI:
Alexander Turner – Haydn Ward, Robbie Miller, Kaydan Henry – Mason Rubie, Danny Youel (C), Morgan Butcher, Cory Woodward – Jaydan Sandhu – Lewis Stephens, Kieran Ceesay
Subs Used:
72m, Aaron Pilkington for Robbie Miller
74m, Ray Sibanda for Morgan Butcher
Goals:
54m, Cory Woodward
61m, Jacob Robertson (Harrogate)
76m, Luke Stewart (Harrogate)
79m, Charlie Owen (Harrogate)
Wakefield Cards:
Morgan Butcher (Yellow)
Robbie Miller (Yellow)
Attempts:
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 2
Shots off Target: 0
Second Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shot off Target: 4
Harrogate Railway
First Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shots off Target: 4
Second Half
Shots on Target: 7
Shots off Target: 3