Saturday 17th August 2024 | Austin Ainsworth
The train seemed to be back on track for Wakefield AFC, after a league and cup double over Dronfield in the week leading up to Saturday’s round of NCEL Division One fixtures. After a slow start to the season, The Falcons built on last week’s narrow 1-0 win in Derbyshire with a much more familiar display of attacking prowess, that has been the hallmark of Wakefield in recent years but has been too rarely seen so far this season; a 4-2 home win – Wakefield’s first game back at Featherstone’s Millennium Stadium – seeing Wakefield progress in to the second round of the League Cup.
Jaydan Sandhu gave Wakefield an early lead with a solo goal that saw him meander the length of the pitch, before curling a perfect strike in to the corner; the goal perhaps one of the best of his 27 strikes for Wakefield. Sebastian Losa bagged the first of two goals minutes later with a driven header from close range, before capitalising on an excellent pass and run from Sandhu and Steve Smith respectively, to tap in a rebound early in the second half. That goal restored a lead Wakefield had squandered prior to half-time, before Smith made sure of victory in the 71st minute when another excellent run allowed him to latch on to an outrageous, out-to-in pass from substitute Kiyani Morris that gifted him a tap-in at the near post after undoing Dronfield’s entire backline.
With the goals finally flowing for Wakefield, optimism was restored ahead of their trip to face Harrogate Railway Athletic on Saturday. On paper The Rail are one of the last sides Wakefield would want to meet given their travails this year, with Harrogate having won three of the previous four fixtures. However, Harrogate are not the same side as the one that ran the league close two seasons ago and they came in to the game with a similar league record to Wakefield; their four points from one game more than Wakey seeing them start the match 14th in the league, two places above the away side.
Wakefield manager Junior Roberti, having reverted to the 3-4-3 formation used to great effect last year in the win in midweek, went with the same formation again. New signing Jamie Allsop formed a back three alongside Jack Durkin and Keegan Townrow, whilst Hagie Damba kept his place in goal. Jaydan Sandhu and Morgan James maintained their status as Wakefield’s first-choice midfield pairing, behind a fluid front three of Mason Rubie, Sebastian Losa and Scott Smith. Wing-backs Steve Smith and Callum Charlton were the other two players to make the starting line-up.
Wakefield didn’t exactly start from where they left off on Tuesday night, the game taking much the same shape as all of Wakefield’s first halves have done so far in the league. For all their dominance in possession, and despite completely nullifying any semblance of threat from the home side, Wakefield themselves struggled to pose any danger towards Harrogate.
Neither side registered a shot on target, and the closest Wakefield came was when Sandhu’s run on goal was thwarted by a last-ditch tackle. A rather lifeless first half had been drifting towards half-time when the wrong kind of drama enveloped the match minutes before half-time, drama that changed the course of the tie.
Winger Scott Smith went flying in to a tackle on the edge of the Harrogate box with both feet off the ground and he got none of the ball. The protestations from the home side started in a split-second as the other Smith brother, Steve, came rushing in to block a Harrogate player’s mad dash to confront the Wakefield winger. His intention appeared sincere in defending his brother, as he placed his arms round the upper torso of the Harrogate player, who fell dramatically to the floor. Pillow fights have seen more malice, yet the referee brandished a straight red to Steve before compounding matters with another red card for Scott’s initial foul.
Nine-man Wakefield battled to half-time at 0-0 before returning for the second half, with Roberti making the unorthodox substitution of a defender for striker Ben Gelder; the logic being 45 minutes was two long to play for the 0-0 draw with such a disadvantage. The decision was inspired, as a valiant, inspired Wakefield should have at least taken a point from the game and could have taken all three.
Harrogate understandably had more of the ball in the second period and soon began to fire shots at goal, but Wakefield quickly realised there were chances of their own and had joy themselves. The away side – in a near 3-4-1 formation – admirably continued to push-up field and attempted to press high. They were punished for that in the 55th minute when the goalkeeper punted a ball out to the Harrogate right. The ball was knocked down in to midfield to allow for a diagonal pass out to Brandon Hughes-Miller on the left. He took the ball well and finished neatly to beat Damba at his near post.
Wakefield, at that point, would have been forgiven for giving up the fight, but they somehow found a way back in to the match through the excellent Durkin. In somewhat Gung Ho fashion, both he and his defensive partner Townrow went up for a long throw-in delivered by James. Townrow nodded the ball on, which was cleared as far as Losa. He laid it off for Sandhu to clip a first-time, swinging cross back in to the six yard box. Durkin found himself free of his marker, controlled the ball well and smashed it home to level the score; Wakefield benefiting from a marginal offside call with Harrogate looking for a flag that never came.
A fantastic and spirited Wakefield were living by the sword, but would ultimately die by it, as they were punished on the counter 15 minutes from time when they again went pushing for a winner despite being outnumbered. A good period of possession on the edge of the Harrogate box broke down and the ball was played upfield to leave Wakefield facing a 4-v-2. Charlton couldn’t quite stretch his boot to intercept a pass out to the right, which found Eliel Anko. He raced in to the box and executed a smart finish over Damba to restore his side’s lead.
In the face of yet another set-back, Wakefield still weren’t finished and the large contingent of away fans were sent in to ecstasy two minutes from time when it appeared as though The Falcons had levelled the tie again. Durkin delivered a monstrous long-throw from the left straight down Harrogate’s throat, which substitute Ben Holmes stretched to knock on to Rubie two yards from goal. He headed the ball in to the back of the net before sprinting to the touchline to celebrate, his – and the Wakefield supporters’ – hearts broken with the raising of a questionable flag for offside.
Moments later the game was put out of reach for an exhausted Wakefield, Anko grabbing his second goal of the game with an audacious bicycle-kick in the Wakefield box to make it a flattering 3-1 for Harrogate.
Wakefield rightly left the pitch with their heads held high, having somehow pushed Harrogate all the way despite being two men down. Ultimately however, as they did in the opening day defeat, they paid the price for both ill-discipline and a lack of goal threat in the first half. The result leaves Wakefield on three points from four games, just one place above the relegation zone. However, the week’s endeavours have shown there is still room for optimism given the fluid, four-goal showing in midweek and the dogged display of resilience and togetherness on show in the second half here.
Wakefield must combine the two, whilst ironing out some of the creases that continue to show themselves so far this season. Their next chance to do so will come in The FA Vase, when they wave goodbye to Belle Vue in their last fixture there before a permanent move back to The Millennium Stadium. 1874 Northwich are the visitors, on Saturday 24th August 2024; kick-off: 15:00PM.
Harrogate Match Stats
Half Time: 0-0
Full Time: 3-1
Attendance: 139
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
Hagie Damba – Jack Durkin (C), Keegan Townrow, Jamie Allsop – Steve Smith, Morgan James, Jaydan Sandhu, Callum Charlton – Mason Rubie, Sebastian Losa, Scott Smith
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
46m, Ben Gelder for Jamie Allsop
74m, Ben Holmes for Morgan James
79m, Kenan McKenzie-Grey for Sebastian Losa
85m, Jayden John for Jaydan Sandhu
Possession:
Harrogate Railway Athletic 45% – 55 % Wakefield AFC
Passes Completed:
Harrogate Railway Athletic 230 – 174 Wakefield AFC
Goals:
55m, Brandan Hughes-Miller
66m, Jack Durkin
76m, Eliel Anko
90m, Eliel Anko
Wakefield AFC Assists:
66m, Jaydan Sandhu
Wakefield AFC Cards:
Jaydan Sandhu (Yellow)
Sebastian Losa (Yellow)
Scott Smith (Red)
Steve Smith (Red)
Attempts
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shots off Target: 5
Second Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shot off Target: 1
Harrogate Railway Athletic
First Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shots off Target: 2
Second Half
Shots on Target: 7
Shots off Target: 4
Dronfield Match Stats
Half Time: 2-2
Full Time: 4-2
Attendance: 179
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
Hagie Damba – Jack Durkin (C), Keegan Townrow, Jamie Allsop – Mason Rubie, Morgan James, Jaydan Sandhu, Callum Charlton – Kenan McKenzie-Grey, Ben Gelder, Sebastian Losa
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
46m, Kiyani Morris for Kenan McKenzie-Grey
46m, Steve Smith for Callum Charlton
66m, Scott Smith for Jaydan Sandhu
71m, Edward Busfield for Sebastian Losa
Possession:
Wakefield AFC 68% – 32% Dronfield Town
Passes Completed:
Wakefield AFC 292 – 129 Dronfield Town
Goals:
4m, Jaydan Sandhu
12m, Sebastian Losa
38m, James Lindores
45m, Samuel Bebbingtonn (Pen)
53m, Sebastian Losa
71m, Steve Smith
Wakefield AFC Assists:
4m, Callum Charlton
12m, Jaydan Sandhu
53m, Steve Smith
71m, Kiyani Morris
Attempts
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 5
Shots off Target: 1
Second Half
Shots on Target: 4
Shot off Target: 5
Dronfield Town
First Half
Shots on Target: 3
Shots off Target: 3
Second Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 1