Saturday 13th January 2024 | Austin Ainsworth
With two losses and a draw in their last five NCEL Division One games, Wakefield have been experiencing a wobble of sorts after an imperious run of results – and performances – prior to that had seen them rise to the top of the table.
After dropping to third in the league, Wakefield started a run of away fixtures at Yorkshire Amateur on Saturday, looking for a confidence boosting performance and result. On paper, the North Leeds side were ideal opposition for Wakefield; struggling this year after relegation from the Premiership last season, with just two wins in their last 10 and with the memory of a 7-0 mauling at the hands of Wakefield earlier on in the season.
With a weather worn, bobbly pitch, the game was always likely to be a different test for Wakefield, but they had reinforcements in the form of three new signings in the last week. Slater Barnes, Jordan Helliwell and Alexander King – all with varying degrees of experience at this level and higher – joined the club since last week’s loss to Harrogate Railway, with Barnes and Helliwell drafted straight into the starting 11. Callum Charlton made a welcome return behind Barnes on the left, whilst Nathan Hawkhead and Ben Gelder also returned to the starting line-up in defensive midfield and attack respectively.
It didn’t take long for Barnes, occupying a wide-forward role on the left, to leave his mark as he immediately showed his pace, physicality and directness to cut-in and fizz a shot past the far post, before then making a key contribution for Wakefield’s opening goal in just the 11th minute. Barnes executed a quick counter-attack as he drove down the left and beat his man on the outside, before delivering a low cross to the back post. Mason Rubie had timed his run almost to perfection at the back post, applying pressure that led to a deflection towards goal, with Gelder showing his poacher’s instinct to make sure of the goal as he smashed it in on the line.
Only four more minutes had passed before the away side doubled their lead, with Wakefield – so good on the ball – displaying how effective they also were off the ball. Gelder’s pressure of the defence led to a wayward header after defender Jack Cairney had hit a long ball towards Barnes. The Yorkshire Amateur defender’s mistake meant Barnes was played in on the left, but the ball was stolen from him by a good, recovering tackle. Wakefield’s high-press didn’t let up however, as Jaydan Sandhu forced another turnover on the edge of the box, allowing Gelder to run in and execute a beautiful, first-time finish in to the top-corner. There was some confusion as to who was credited with the first goal, Gelder eventually taking credit for it, but there was none about his second as the brace now means he has five goals in 10 games since joining the club.
Aside from an off-the-ball incident that saw Sandhu wrestled to the ground, in which he appeared unfortunate to share a booking with the Yorkshire Amateur player, all of the action was in front of the home goal. Wakefield almost completely restricted the Leeds side to being mere spectators, as two more goals would follow in an utterly dominant first half.
Rubie did get his name on the scoresheet with Wakefield’s third and it again came from a combination of Wakefield’s effective high-press and a badly misjudged defensive header on Yorkshire Amateur’s part, with Rubie on hand to intercept the defender’s attempt at a headed back-pass, before slotting the ball around the ‘keeper with his left foot. Rubie’s excellent first half contribution means he now has 13 goals and 7 assists in 30 games so far this campaign.
It was Wakefield’s other winger, new-signing Barnes, who was catching the eye however; time after time driving at the Yorkshire Amateur backline to create chances for himself and others in a man-of-the-match worthy, debut performance. He was rewarded with goals either side of half-time for his efforts, his first coming in the 32nd minute when he was quickest to react to a pearl of a Hawkhead free-kick, drilling the ball in to the back of the net after the goalkeeper had initially tipped the set-piece on to the post.
Wakefield’s pace slowed in the second half with the game all but won, as the match began to look more and more like a training exercise for the away side. Barnes grabbed Wakefield’s only goal of the half to make it 5-0 in the 61st minute when he was on hand to finish into an open goal, after Gelder’s stretching touch to reach a Rubie cross at the near post had set up the opening. The winger could have had a hat-trick too, as he was responsible for most of Wakefield’s other efforts on goal, his best coming 10 minutes from the end when his inside run was met by an inch-perfect Charlton through-ball, but the winger could only drag his shot wide of the near post.
Were it not for a couple of speculative long shots late on that did nothing to trouble Wakefield goalkeeper George Bristol, Wakefield would have left the ground with a legitimate claim to not having given Yorkshire Amateur a kick. In truth, the assuredness and superiority of their all round performance wasn’t far off from that assertion, with the five goals and a clean-sheet sending them back up to second in the league, whilst Yorkshire Amateur remain 20th, just two points above the drop-zone.
Yorkshire Amateur’s struggles should take nothing away from the level of Wakefield’s performance, which contributed more to the one-sidedness of the game than anything Yorkshire Amateur did wrong. Wakefield’s focus will be on sustaining those levels, as they did throughout late 2023 in their march to the top of the league, in the knowledge that results, and the league, should take care of themselves if they play to their maximum. Wakefield now turn their attention to tougher tests ahead, starting next week with a trip to mid-table Retford FC; kick-off 15:00PM on Saturday 20th January 2024.
Match Stats
Half Time: 0-4
Full Time: 0-5
Attendance: 176
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
George Bristol – Aaron Pilkington, Jack Durkin (C), Jack Cairney, Callum Charlton – Nathan Hawkhead, Jaydan Sandhu, Jordan Helliwell – Mason Rubie, Ben Gelder, Slater Barnes
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
46m, Joel Spence for Nathan Hawkhead
46m, Cameron Barnett for Jaydan Sandhu
62m, Oliver Rodriguez for Mason Rubie
70m, Alexander King for Jordan Helliwell
Possession:
Yorkshire Amateur 35% – 65% Wakefield AFC
Passes Completed:
Yorkshire Amateur 130 – 242 Wakefield AFC
Goals:
11m, Ben Gelder
15m, Ben Gelder
25m, Mason Rubie
32m, Slater Barnes
61m, Slater Barnes
Wakefield AFC Assists:
11m, Slater Barnes
15m, Jaydan Sandhu
32m, Nathan Hawkhead
61m, Ben Gelder
Wakefield AFC Cards:
Jaydan Sandhu (Yellow)
Attempts
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 7
Shots off Target: 2
Second Half
Shots on Target: 2
Shot off Target: 7
Yorkshire Amateur
First Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shots off Target: 0
Second Half
Shots on Target: 2
Shots off Target: 2