Saturday 4th March 2023 | Austin Ainsworth
A week is a long time in football, and so it proved in the NCEL Division One this past week as Wakefield AFC reversed their mini slump to move back in to play-off contention.
Having lost two league games in succession for just the second time this season, the previous week’s losses to Nostell Miners Welfare and Staveley marked the end of a bad February for Wakefield. On paper, a fixture against an almost imperious Campion side – way clear at the top of the league standings – was not the remedy Wakefield needed in midweek.
Football isn’t played on paper though and, following some sparks of life seen in the second half switch to a 4-4-2 formation during the loss to Staveley, Gabe Mozzini proceeded with that bold approach at home to the league leaders in midweek. That meant striker Jake Morrison made his first start since August to partner Lewis Stephens up front, ahead of two banks of four in a system rarely, if ever, seen during Mozzini’s tenure as manager.
It worked and, in a system that quickly turned in to a pacey front four on the attack – one similar to that which overwhelmed Wakefield in the reverse fixture – Wakefield ended up giving Campion a taste of their own medicine as they destroyed the away side in a blistering first half performance.
Having already seen a shot cleared off the line in the second minute, red-hot Stephens bagged his 12th goal of the season in the 10th minute in what is sure to be a goal-of-the-season contender. The ball was worked out to captain Danny Youel on the right-hand side who, in space, curled a lovely cross from deep towards Stephens on the penalty spot. With his back to goal and on the move, the striker somehow fell to meet the ball with his right foot to complete an audacious overhead kick in to the far corner.
The home side didn’t rest on their laurels and, although Campion had some good chances to score themselves, Wakefield were the dominant side on, and off, the ball. Their aggressive, direct approach was rewarded in the 28th minute when Mason Rubie doubled the lead with a great team goal.
The winger started it himself when he had fallen back to the right edge of his area to clear a Campion attack. Morrison held the ball up perfectly to see the ball eventually move infield to Youel, who sprayed the ball out to Kieran Ceesay on the opposite wing. He beat a man to drift inside, during which time Rubie had continued his run to ghost in towards the six yard line. Ceesay found him in space in between the two centre backs for an easy tap-in and his fourth goal of the season.
Not content to create the goals, Ceesay went one better 10 minutes later when he himself scored his fourth goal of the season. He had initially moved in to space in the middle of the park to receive a throw-in from right-back Haydn Ward. Ceesay turned and drifted back towards the left wing, beating a man to move to the left edge of the penalty area before unleashing a vicious left-footed shot that gave the ‘keeper no chance at his near post.
Campion were shell-shocked, and Wakefield were in dreamland moving in to half-time. The away side don’t boast the record they do for no reason however, and a half-time triple substitution gave them some impetus in the second half. They had the perfect scenario when they pulled one back just minutes in to the second half, a rising header from a well delivered free-kick, but Wakefield kept their heads despite that setback to defend admirably as the game wore on.
In truth, although Wakefield rarely threatened in a backs-to-the-wall half, Campion themselves struggled to test Henry Kendrick in the Wakefield goal thanks to a dogged defensive display. However Kendrick was called in to action as the game moved in to the final five minutes when he completed a remarkable double save at close-range to somehow tip the ball over the bar. That only delayed a nail-biting closing period however, after Campion reduced the deficit to just one goal with two minutes to spare. It was a great goal too when, despite an excellent fisted clearance from Kendrick under pressure from a corner, Michael O’Brien met the ball on the edge of the area to chest down and then half-volley right in to the top corner.
Although the nerves went in to overdrive after that goal, Wakefield held on for a remarkable, and deserved win over the league leaders.
With confidence restored, the requirement was for Wakey to ensure they consolidated that somewhat unlikely result with victory over Selby Town in Saturday’s home game. Unsurprisingly, Mozzini named the same starting 11 from the previous game.
The game was much more serene compared to the frenetic nature of the Campion game, with Wakefield perhaps just the better of the two sides in a controlled, but unremarkable first half. Stephens was again the difference as he scored his 13th goal in just 16 games to secure the points for Wakefield.
It was a goal typical of him as he managed to contort his body at the very last second to meet a well-delivered Josh Craig free-kick low down with his head. Having completed the hard work of finding the space and meeting the ball, he simply nodded home in to the far corner to put his side ahead.
The most critical of observers would say that Wakefield sat back on that lead too much, however Wakefield, despite providing no threat of their own, were more than comfortable for the majority of an uneventful second half. Morrison, key to the 4-4-2 formation with his physicality and adept hold-up play, was missed after his substitution and that may have contributed to Selby seeing more of the ball as the half wore on.
However, aside from some timely defensive clearances late on and substitute goalkeeper Callum Gladding – Wakefield’s seventh ‘keeper of the year – displaying confident command of his box, Wakefield never looked like relenting their lead.
With just seven games of the ordinary season to go now, Wakefield won’t mind such a victory when ultimately it’s points, not performances that count. The tests keep coming, with Wakefield now looking ahead to another two game week against play-off rivals Retford FC and Horbury Town; both sides who have beaten the whites already this season. First come Retford at The Millennium Stadium on Tuesday evening; kick-off at 19:45PM, 07/03/2023.
Campion Stats
Half Time: 3-0
Full Time: 3-2
Attendance: 213
Wakefield Starting XI:
Henry Kendrick – Haydn Ward, Robbie Miller, Cory Woodward, Josh Craig – Mason Rubie, Danny Youel (C), Jaydan Sandhu, Kieran Ceesay – Lewis Stephens, Jake Morrison
Subs Used:
84m, Morgan Butcher for Jake Morrison
90+2m, Aaron Pilkington for Mason Rubie
Goals:
10m, Lewis Stephens
28m, Mason Rubie
40m, Kieran Ceesay
47m, Patrick Sykes (Campion)
88m, Michael O’Brien (Campion)
Wakefield AFC Assists:
10m, Danny Youel
28m, Kieran Ceesay
40m, Haydn Ward
Wakefield Cards:
Cory Woodward (Yellow)
Attempts:
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 4
Shots off Target: 1
Second Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shot off Target: 0
Campion
First Half
Shots on Target: 2
Shots off Target: 9
Second Half
Shots on Target: 5
Shots off Target: 7
Selby Town Match Stats
Half Time: 1-0
Full Time: 1-0
Attendance: 265
MOTM: Lewis Stephens
Wakefield Starting XI:
Henry Kendrick – Haydn Ward, Robbie Miller, Cory Woodward, Josh Craig – Mason Rubie, Danny Youel (C), Jaydan Sandhu, Kieran Ceesay – Lewis Stephens, Jake Morrison
Subs Used:
46m, Callum Gladding for Henry Kendrick
49m, Aaron Pilkington for Robbie Miller
61m, Harley Blankley for Jake Morrison
Goals:
22m, Lewis Stephens
Wakefield AFC Assists:
22m, Josh Craig
Wakefield Cards:
Haydn Ward (Yellow)
Attempts:
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 2
Shots off Target: 1
Second Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shot off Target: 3
Selby Town
First Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 2
Second Half
Shots on Target: 2
Shots off Target: 2