Saturday 4th November 2023 | Austin Ainsworth
Wakefield AFC faced the long trip to Louth Town in the Northern Counties East League Division One on Saturday, seeking to continue the momentum gathered from a recent run of impressive victories that had seen them up to third in the league.
Notwithstanding the distance to travel, Louth – 11th in the league – were set to be no easy walk in the park for Wakefield; their record respectable as newcomers to the league having won eight of their 17 fixtures, only failing to score in two of those matches and only losing by more than two goals on two occasions so far.
With this Louth’s first home game since mid September, Wakefield would need to continue how they left off in their last match – an impressive win over league-leaders Wombwell Town – to dampen any sign of home advantage for Louth.
Wakefield – with just one change to their starting line-up in the form of captain Danny Youel returning to replace the absent Jaydan Sandhu – did start fast and allowed the home side no time to breathe, again working as a cohesive, pressing-machine and showing slickness in possession.
The chances came quickly for Wakefield, with the lively winger Oliver Rodriguez, who tormented the home side throughout the match, testing the goalkeeper with a stinging shot inside two minutes. Youel and Sebastian Losa, again operating as Wakefield’s central attacking option, both saw good chances missed before Losa put his side ahead with his second goal in two matches in the 16th minute.
Youel, in and out of the side for the first time in his Wakefield career of late, was the architect, showing great strength and skill to hold off his marker and control a ball zipped inside to him from Mason Rubie. Youel, having spotted Losa’s run, then flicked a perfectly weighted through-ball in to the striker to touch and finish past the goalkeeper when 1-v-1.
Three minutes later Wakefield deservedly doubled their lead through Rubie with his seventh goal of the season. The goal was a hallmark, crisp, counter-attacking move started by Aaron Pilkington with a ball down the right-hand side. Losa impressively watched the ball over his head to touch it down in front of him and, whilst holding off his marker, advanced it further upfield to Cameron Barnett. Barnett then squared for Rubie on the edge of the box, whose touch fooled the chasing defender, before he put the icing on the cake with a composed finish past the Louth ‘keeper.
Wakefield were in the ascendancy and continued to craft good chances, seeing the ball cleared off the line and having further attempts narrowly miss the target. Rodriguez, thanks to the quality of his performance, started to see increasingly rough treatment from an opposition who couldn’t deal with his speed and skill. That led to Louth’s Mitchell Taylor seeing red for a late, two-footed lunge on the winger in the 36th minute.
New signing, striker Ben Gelder, made his debut at the start of the second half but, despite their man advantage, Wakefield failed to extend their lead as the increasingly inclement conditions, along with a spirited home defence, appeared to hamper the flow of the game.
Wakefield did still have their moments, particularly with the introduction of Jake Morrison just after the hour mark, with he and the eye-catching Gelder combining on a number of occasions. Prior to that, Rubie was denied what would have been a beautiful second goal for him after a tight, but probably correct, offside call. He had been fed by a good ball from Gelder to the inside right of the penalty area. Rubie then deftly dinked the ball over the goalkeeper and in to the back of the net, but had been deemed just offside when he received the ball from the debutant striker.
Gelder himself then had good opportunities on goal, first showing strength to power through the middle and muscle himself just enough room to get a shot off that stung the palms of the goalkeeper. From the resultant corner, he again showed his steeliness in the box with his back to goal to hold off the defender, before unleashing a shot on the turn that went just over the bar.
Morrison, searching for his first goal in nearly a month, had Wakefield’s best chance of the half when fellow substitute Owan Derrett delivered a perfect ball from deep through the heart of the Louth midfield and defence. Morrison timed his run to perfection to meet the ball on the penalty spot, but his first-time toe-poke went over the bar, meaning he will have to wait for his 44th goal for the club.
Gelder had further chances to open his account in the closing stages with two venomous shots inside the box in quick succession that were blocked and saved respectively. In truth, the assuredness of Wakefield’s first half performance had already secured the three points, Rubie and Losa – just as in the previous game – the difference for Wakefield with their two well-taken goals.
Ominously for the rest of the league Wakefield – now up to second, just one point off top spot – now appear as though they are finally up and running this season as the league moves in to the winter period. With another win and clean sheet, under manager Gabe Mozzini they are now looking just as well-drilled, consistent and committed off the ball as they are on it. And, after such a statement win last week over Wombwell Town, the importance of following that up in a tough, away fixture against a team further down the table is immeasurable.
Wakefield have set the levels required with five league wins in a row – their best run of the season – and they will now look to maintain that form as the hunt for top-spot takes another break in midweek, with their re-arranged West Riding County Cup First Round tie away to Selby; kick-off 19:45PM on Tuesday 7th November 2023.
Match Stats
Half Time: 0-2
Full Time: 0-2
Attendance: 11
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
Henry Kendrick – Aaron Pilkington, Jack Durkin, Jack Cairney, Callum Charlton – Danny Youel (C), Nathan Hawkhead – Mason Rubie, Cameron Barnett, Oliver Rodriguez – Sebastian Losa
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
46m, Ben Gelder for Sebastian Losa
63m, Jake Morrison for Cameron Barnett
63m, Owan Derrett for Mason Rubie
Possession:
Louth Town 42% – 58% Wakefield AFC
Passes Completed:
Louth Town 149 – 242 Wakefield AFC
Goals:
16m, Sebastian Losa
19m, Mason Rubie
Wakefield AFC Assists:
16m, Danny Youel
19m, Cameron Barnett
Wakefield AFC Cards:
Jack Cairney (Yellow)
Danny Youel (Yellow)
Owan Derrett (Yellow)
Attempts
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 8
Shots off Target: 4
Second Half
Shots on Target: 3
Shot off Target: 6
Louth Town
First Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 1
Second Half
Shots on Target: 2
Shots off Target: 1