Saturday 20th April 2024 | Austin Ainsworth
After a two week hiatus from NCEL Division One action, Wakefield AFC made the trip to face basement side Ollerton Town on Saturday, seeking the win that would mathematically seal their play-off place.
Wakefield, fifth at the start of play and with four league wins in succession, came in to the game having exited the West Riding County Cup in the semi-final stage away to Pontefract Collieries. That game was abandoned after 82 minutes, though the 4-0 lead that Pontefract had stood as the final result. However, the scoreline, and outcome, were secondary to the tragic loss of longtime Wakefield supporter Jakob Bregman during the game. The deepest sympathies of all associated with Wakefield AFC remain with Jakob and his loved ones, and a minute’s silence was impeccably observed prior to kick-off by the 167 fans in attendance at Ollerton.
Once the whistle went Wakefield’s attacking intent was immediately clear. Against a side that have shipped 206 goals this season so far, Wakefield manager Junior Roberti tweaked the now familiar 3-4-3 formation in to a seemingly all-out-attack minded system of 3-1-6; midfielder Nathan Hawkhead dropping in to the middle of the back three and Jordan Helliwell starting as the nominal right wing-back after impressing there in his last outing. Slater Barnes and Ben Gelder also returned to the attack after missing out in the cup match, with Sebastian Losa pushing right up from midfield to leave Jaydan Sandhu in the lone, quarterback role in front of the defence.
And despite Sandhu being, on the face of it, the deepest of all the players outside of the back three, that didn’t stop him from deservedly opening the scoring in just the sixth minute. He was quickest to react when Oliver Rodriguez’s mazy run was stopped by a tackle on the edge of the box, Sandhu decisive as he rifled a rising shot from 20 yards beyond the reach of the Ollerton ‘keeper in to the far corner.
With nearly 15 minutes gone, a host of Wakefield shots peppered from all angles of the penalty area and Ollerton having barely set foot outside their own defensive third, Gelder doubled Wakefield’s lead with his 11th goal of the season. Rodriguez was involved in the build up again, this time opting to deliver a searching, cross-field pass from his right-wing position which was met by the excellent run of Helliwell at the back post. He smartly headed the ball back towards the penalty spot where Gelder was on hand to head past the wrong-footed goalkeeper.
Barely a minute had passed before Wakefield were at it again, Barnes’ shot from inside the box deflected out for Hawkhead to score his second goal of the season with a thunderous, low shot that was too powerful for the already overworked Ollerton goalkeeper to stop.
With the result all but confirmed with just a quarter of the game gone, the match started to resemble a training exercise of attack – versus – defence. Wakefield kept coming in waves, however Ollerton did survive a full 10 minutes without conceding another goal until Losa stepped up in the 25th minute with a fine, first-time finish to half-volley Callum Charlton’s cut-back cross straight down the goalkeeper’s throat to make it 0-4.
The fifth soon followed, and it was a fine effort from Helliwell to score his first goal for the club. He lined up a freekick just right of centre, 25 yards out, and the goalkeeper was glued to his line as Helliwell’s perfectly executed side-foot strike dipped and swerved to the far right corner. Hawkhead nearly matched him moments later from another Wakefield free-kick, but he was denied a second goal in the game by the stretching hand of the goalkeeper; Wakefield settling for the five goal lead at half-time.
Despite the scoreline, Wakefield appeared in no mood to settle after the interval; the away side going even more gung-ho in the second period with the introduction of Lewis Stephens, Aaron Pilkington and Mason Rubie in place of Gelder, Hawkhead and Cairney, leaving captain Jack Durkin as the only recognised centre-back in the side. Leo Elsdon also replaced George Bristol in goal to make his Wakefield debut.
The pattern of play predictably remained the same as the first half, Ollerton unable to overcome Wakefield’s complete dominance. Rodriguez went close almost immediately as he stung the Ollerton goalkeeper’s palms from close-range before Stephens inevitably got himself in on the goalscoring action. The goal, his fourth in eight appearances since rejoining Wakefield, was a simple effort as he positioned himself perfectly at the back post to head home Sandhu’s in-swinging corner-kick.
With the score now six for Wakefield and Sandhu with his customary assist to make it 29 for the season, the only glaring omission from the scoreboard was Barnes. Quiet – by his phenomenal standard – from an attacking point of view, but tireless as ever in every other aspect, balance was restored in the 58th minute when the winger bagged his 15th goal of the season. Helliwell was the creator – making it two assists and a goal in an excellent performance – with a drilled pass up to Barnes who was hovering on the left edge of the box. He touched past his marker before deftly dinking a nonchalant shot over the ‘keeper and inside the far post.
With over thirty minutes still to play, a betting man would have predicted Wakefield would reach double figures, just as they did in the reverse fixture earlier in the season. However, credit to Ollerton – just as they have throughout a miserable season – they stuck to the task and shut Wakefield out for the remainder of the half. Understandably from a Wakefield perspective with the scoreline as it was, their attempts at goal became increasingly speculative, and with that more wayward; the closest they came to goal again was at the death when Barnes rattled the post with a venomous, curling shot. Aside from that, Rodriguez had a double effort saved and then cleared off the line, whilst Stephens struck over the bar from close range on two occasions.
Nevertheless, Wakefield could hardly complain about a seven goal victory and three points that not only sent them back up to fourth in the league, but secured their play-off spot. With the season drawing to a close, Wakefield appear to be sparking at just the right time. That will bode well for whomever they may face in the play-offs, at this point impossible to predict given how close the top of the league is. Undoubtedly, Wakefield will not preoccupy themselves with the opposition, choosing to focus only on themselves. Before that, Wakefield still have one game left of the regular season to play, away to Nostell Miners Welfare on Tuesday 23rd April 2024; kick-off 19:45PM.
Match Stats
Half Time: 0-5
Full Time: 0-7
Attendance: 167
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
George Bristol – Jack Durkin (C), Nathan Hawkhead, Jack Cairney – Jordan Helliwell, Sebastian Losa, Jaydan Sandhu, Callum Charlton – Slater Barnes, Ben Gelder, Oliver Rodriguez
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
46m, Lewis Stephens for Ben Gelder
46m, Mason Rubie for Nathan Hawkhead
46m, Aaron Pilkington for Jack Cairney
46m, Leo Elsdon for George Bristol
59m, Edward Busfield for Sebastian Losa
Possession:
Ollerton Town 16% – 84% Wakefield AFC
Passes Completed:
Ollerton Town 86 – 404 Wakefield AFC
Goals:
6m, Jaydan Sandhu
14m, Ben Gelder
15m, Nathan Hawkweed
25m, Sebastian Losa
51m, Lewis Stephens
58m, Slater Barnes
Wakefield AFC Assists:
14m, Jordan Helliwell
25m, Callum Charlton
51m, Jaydan Sandhu
58m, Jordan Helliwell
Attempts
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 6
Shots off Target: 8
Second Half
Shots on Target: 9
Shot off Target: 9
Ollerton Town
First Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shots off Target: 0
Second Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shots off Target: 1