Saturday 26th August 2023 | Austin Ainsworth
Wakefield AFC, in just their fifth season as a football club – the first two of those cancelled due to
Covid – experienced yet another first in their short history on Saturday, when they made their bow
in the FA Vase. Entry in to the competition had been secured by last year’s largely successful first
full campaign at Step Six level, and their opposition – Droylsden – also came from Step Six of the
national league level, with the Lancashire side currently playing in the NWCL.
Although on paper the two sides were evenly matched in terms of comparative league standings,
Droylsden had the greater history on their side, with their pedigree not in doubt having played as
high as the National League in their recent history, and only dropping to Step Six this season after
ceasing operations during the Covid pandemic.
Unsurprisingly, manager Gabe Mozzini named a strong squad to make the journey across the
Pennines, although there were several changes to the side so brilliant away to Harrogate in their
previous match. George Bristol started in goal for the third time this season behind a much
changed back four, including regular winger Mason Rubie at right-back and left-back Jack
McGahan in central defence. The midfield was unchanged, whilst Sebastian Losa made his first
start for the club on the left-wing, alongside striker Jake Morrison – in for Ashley Flynn – who was
deemed fit enough to make his first start following injury.
Wakefield edged what was an evenly fought first half in front of 590 fans, and certainly had the
better chances. The first came after just five minutes when top-scorer Billy Mole – shrugging off a
broken hand to play – showed his strength to meet a good pass from midfield to close in on goal.
He slightly delayed his shot and that allowed the chasing defender just enough time to block the
shot.
It was a similar story five minutes later when Losa and Morrison combined neatly on the left wing
with a quick-fire one-two to release the former down the wing. Losa dribbled well and turned in to
the penalty area. As before with Mole, he delayed his shot, perhaps seeking to create the angle
for a finessed strike with his right foot, but that again led to the effort being blocked with some
last-ditch defending.
Droylsden – comfortable on the ball – sought to invite Wakefield in with some composed passing
at the back, before bypassing Wakefield with accurate long balls over the initial press. They found
some joy with that and nearly got in on goal several times in the half. However, their only real
chance of the half came after a free-kick was played out to the left edge of Wakefield’s box before
the subsequent cross found a Droylsden player unmarked on the six-yard line. Luckily for
Wakefield, the Droylsden player somehow headed the chance over the bar.
Wakefield thought they had the lead, and perhaps should have done, when captain Danny Youel
slotted the ball home in the 19th minute. Losa, dangerous down the left, pulled off his marker and
met Oliver Rodriguez’s pass, after the latter had worked his way inside with some great one touch
football. Losa squared for Youel, who had drifted in to the penalty area unmarked before finishing
with aplomb, only to be disappointed when the linesman raised his flag for a very tight looking
offside in the build-up.
The second half, played on a rapidly deteriorating pitch thanks to the inclement weather, was a
vastly different affair to the first for Wakefield, although could have started so well when half-time
substitute Flynn raced in behind the defence, but saw a shot off the outside of his boot saved by
the Droylsden ‘keeper.
Things were shaping up to be just as tight as the first half, until a fatal 12 minute period midway
through the half that saw Droylsden score four goals. The first came when Mole thought he had
been fouled on the right touchline. Wakefield, guilty of stopping for a whistle that never came,
then failed to recover when the Droylsden winger ran through and squared for a simple tap-in
from George West.
The second goal also came in the blink of an eye when a good ball from midfield was met by an
unmarked Neilson Vann. He ran through 1-v-1 and finished smartly at Bristol’s near post to double
his side’s lead.
Although Droylsden’s third was much more pleasing on the eye – West bagging his second goal of
the game with a fine run in from the left and a beautiful shot fired in to the top corner – it was
again avoidable from a Wakefield perspective, with the away side failing to track a simple one-two
exchange close to the left touchline.
Vann then compounded Wakefield’s misery with his second, and Droylsden’s fourth, in the 68th
minute. It was route one stuff as a long goal kick went unchallenged in midfield. The headed
knock-on seemed to bamboozle a confused Wakefield defence, allowing the Droylsden striker to
break through in to the box and finish smartly past Bristol.
Wakefield did pull one back with 10 minutes left, when Rubie completed a fine solo run down the
right wing to cut in and finish low past the Droylsden goalkeeper from all of 20 yards out. No
doubt the goal, Rubie’s second in as many games, did little to improve his or his team’s mood.
And it proved to be nothing more than a consolation as any unlikely comeback was thwarted
when McGahan’s frustrations boiled over when protesting against the official, subsequently
turning his yellow card in to a sin-bin, and leaving Wakefield to see out the game with 10 men.
After the game, Wakefield manager Mozzini gave his thoughts: “We should have taken our
chances in the first half and that has been a recurrent problem. But we were strong in the first
half. In the second half we were not as mentally strong. Their first goal… Billy [Mole] tried to
receive the ball and their defender was physical. Billy fell and a few of our players simply stopped,
assuming that the referee was going to call a foul. The referee didn’t call it, and when we reacted it
was too late. After that first goal, as a team we put our heads down.
The other aspect was that our high press did not work well. They could move the ball around us
sometimes, and whenever they went long, oftentimes they were dangerous. So we need to work
on syncing our high press better, and choosing our triggers more wisely.”
Despite the disappointing defeat and exit from the cup, the game will go down as another
milestone in Wakefield’s short history. If Wakefield can take anything from the game, it’s that the
scoreline was not reflective of their performance. The stats are telling; Droylsden scoring four from
four shots on target in a contest of otherwise equal chances and equal possession. Ultimately, the
scoreline is the most important stat and Wakefield will now look to iron out the errors that led to
the goals before they return to league action.
That return will come quickly, with yet another midweek fixture at Wakefield’s Belle Vue stadium,
when 19th placed Yorkshire Amateur are the visitors; kick-off is at 19:45PM on Tuesday 29th
August 2023.
Match Stats
Half Time: 0-0
Full Time: 4-1
Possession:
Wakefield AFC 49% – 51% Droylsden
Attendance: 590
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
George Bristol – Mason Rubie, Jack Durkin, Jack McGahan, Callum Charlton – Jaydan Sandhu,
Danny Youel (C), Billy Mole – Oliver Rodriguez, Jake Morrison, Sebastian Losa
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
46m, Ashley Flynn for Jake Morrison
63m, Cameron Barnett for Oliver Rodriguez
63m, Nathan Hawkhead for Billy Mole
Goals:
53m, George West
58m, Neilson Vann
65m, George West
68m, Neilson Vann
80m, Mason Rubie
Wakefield AFC Assists:
80m, Jack Durkin
Wakefield AFC Cards:
Billy Mole (Yellow)
Jack McGahan (Yellow/Sin-bin)
Attempts:
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 2
Second Half
Shots on Target: 3
Shot off Target: 3
Droylsden
First Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shots off Target: 4
Second Half
Shots on Target: 4
Shots off Target: 0