Saturday 28th September 2024 | Austin Ainsworth
Wakefield AFC were back in NCEL Division One action on Saturday finally with some forward momentum following their progression to the first round proper of The FA Vase, last week’s 2-1 victory over Barnton ensuring the 140 mile round trip was worth it, whilst also ensuring Wakefield ended a run of three successive defeats.
The challenge for Wakefield on Saturday was to carry that form in to the league, something they have so far struggled to do, with five losses and four wins from their opening nine games leaving them in a lowly 15th position at the start of play.
Their opposition on Saturday – Selby Town – have fared slightly better, having achieved four points greater from two more games than Wakefield. And, after winning their last match 3-1 away to Swallownest, they occupied eighth position in the league prior to welcoming Wakefield to The Fairfax Plant Hire Stadium.
In the 13 games prior to kick-off, Wakefield manager Junior Roberti was yet to name the same starting line-up in successive games, and that trend continued on Saturday with Callum Gladding – returning to the club after a short time away – becoming Wakefield’s sixth different goalkeeper already this season. In front of him there was also a debut at right wing-back for Brady Coldwell. Wakefield, again utilising a 3-4-3 formation, had a more familiar look about the rest of the side – the only other change seeing Jaydan Sandhu coming back in to the starting line-up in place of the absent Akeel Francis.
With the memory of five wins from their five previous meetings with Selby, Wakefield started the game strongly, stroking the ball around the park and limiting Selby to scraps of the play. The away side could have had the lead in the 12th minute when the usually lethal James Eyles – occupying the lone-striker role – got himself on the end of Abdul Asamoah’s clever cut-back, only to see his point-blank shot well saved by the goalkeeper from eight yards.
With Selby having barely left their own defensive third in the opening stages and seemingly unable to string more than two passes together, they were left relying on a gift from Wakefield. They got it in the 13th minute when a poorly executed Wakefield attempt at keeping possession at the back saw what is infamously termed as a hospital pass across the box cut out by Selby’s press. Caden Rylee-McGrath, having won the ball, ran in to the right side of the box and finished superbly to the far post, beyond the reach of Gladding.
Aside from a wicked long-range effort from Sandhu minutes later that tested the goalkeeper, Wakefield struggled to generate any end-product from their dominance with no immediate response forthcoming. And, they were fortunate not to fall a further goal behind in the 30th minute when a long ball out from Selby’s backline beat Wakefield’s high line, only for their attacker – in on goal – to fluff his lines when attempting a pass across the box instead of shooting himself.
In a season where Wakefield have already failed to finish the game with 11 men on two occasions – both of which saw them lose – things were again made even more challenging for them in the 35th minute when Callum Charlton was sent off for the second time this season. He himself had been cynically fouled on the right side of the pitch, but had a subsequent lapse in judgement when he appeared to attempt to knee his opponent who was on the floor. Whether he made any contact or not, the intent was enough for the referee to make his decision, with the Selby player doing him no favours with his dramatic play-acting on the floor.
Fortunately for Wakefield, their numerical disadvantage didn’t last long, as that was just the first of many red cards in a quite bizarre match. Just eight minutes later one of the Selby defenders was sent off for bringing down Eyles on the edge of the box, just as he was about to latch on to a sublime, raking pass out from the excellent Jack Durkin in defence. As the last man, and for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, Selby could have no complaints with the decision that saw the game back on an equal footing.
However, that didn’t seem to make an equaliser any more likely for Wakefield, who continued to dominate in the early stages of the second half but too often made the wrong choice in the final third and, thanks in part to a domineering performance from the Selby captain in defence, failed to test the home goalkeeper.
Despite Selby seeing another man sent off just after the hour-mark – this time for a second bookable offence – Wakefield didn’t get close to an equaliser until there was just five minutes left on the clock. That was a move that inevitably fell to the excellently placed Eyles at the back post, however his quick-fire shot was blazed over the bar.
With Selby resolute in their rearguard action, Wakefield needed a helping hand from somewhere, and they got just that in the third minute of added time. Coldwell, probably Wakefield’s most productive attacking outlet in an advanced right-back role, attempted a cross from the right but saw it blocked on the edge of the box. In what appeared a very harsh decision, given the proximity of the player to the ball and the fact his arm wasn’t outstretched, the referee blew for a penalty.
Sandhu stepped up but saw his effort to the right of the ‘keeper well saved. However, the award of the penalty had already set in motion Selby’s self-destruction with their bench, despite Wakefield failing to convert the spot-kick and Selby’s lead still preserved, remaining incandescent at the decision as tempers began to flare.
Selby were increasingly willing to do anything to keep Wakefield out and that proved itself a moment later when a corner was cleared as far as Eyles on the edge of the box, who shot well but saw his effort blocked on the line by the hand of a Selby defender. There could be no argument about the decision to award Wakefield their second penalty in as many minutes, nor for the red card – Selby’s third of the game – that followed.
This time substitute Kenan McKenzie-Grey stepped up and dispatched the penalty brilliantly in to the side netting to level the scores in the 96th minute with his second goal in three games. With all of the breaks in play, there was still time for Wakefield – now 10 v 8 – to go on the hunt for all three points.
However, their efforts to press forward were cynically thwarted by the shameless acts of Selby’s bench as the match descended in to absolute chaos. Following the restart, a member of the Selby coaching staff kicked a ball on to the field whilst Wakefield were about to initiate an attack. That stopped the play and saw the referee brandish a red card, albeit to the wrong Selby coach. Then, when the arguments and protestation began, he sent a further two members of the Selby bench off to make it six red cards for Selby on top of the one shown to Wakefield. Inexplicably, Wakefield were midway through the last attack of the game after that when another ball again went flying in to the box from the Selby bench, with the referee this time seemingly too exhausted to stop the play or even mete any further punishment out, as the game played on with two balls bouncing about the Selby box. The attack came to nothing, and soon after the full-time whistle was blown to see the game finish 1-1.
The adrenaline and jubilation of the late equaliser, and the circumstances in which it came, may well disguise the harsh reality that it was another game that feels like points dropped for Wakefield. However, Wakefield showed great character to rescue the point in chaotic circumstances and gave everything for the cause.
The result did see The Falcons rise one place to 14th in the table, ahead of a midweek league fixture at home to Shelley on Tuesday 1st October 2024; kick-off 19:45PM at The Millennium Stadium.
Match Stats
Half Time: 1-0
Full Time: 1-1
Attendance: 280
Wakefield AFC Starting XI:
Callum Gladding – Jack Durkin (C), Kieran Haigh, Jamie Allsop – Brady Coldwell, Morgan James, Abdul Asamoah, Callum Charlton – Kiyani Morris, James Eyles, Jaydan Sandhu
Wakefield AFC Subs Used:
61m, Sebastian Losa for Morgan James
67m, Scott Smith for Jamie Allsop
87m, Kenan McKenzie-Grey for Jack Durkin
90m+3, Jodi Tiffany for Abdul Asamoah
Possession:
Selby Town 22% – 78% Wakefield AFC
Passes Completed:
Selby Town 81 – 337 Wakefield AFC
Goals:
13m, Caden-Rylee McGrath
90m+6, Kenan McKenzie-Grey (Pen)
Wakefield AFC Cards:
Callum Charlton (Red)
Attempts
Wakefield AFC
First Half
Shots on Target: 3
Shots off Target: 3
Second Half
Shots on Target: 3
Shot off Target: 12
Selby Town
First Half
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 3
Second Half
Shots on Target: 0
Shots off Target: 0